About Windfall
History
In 1978, Windfall Dancers was founded as a modern dance collective under the direction of Debbie Knapp. She and four others, Liz Monnier, Cindy Clark, Jackie Shilling Pullano and France Knable, presented their first concert in 1977. Windfall Dancers became incorporated as a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization the following year. The company was founded on the principles of creative exploration in movement and worked to cultivate a thriving dance community in Bloomington. As part of this mission, the Windfall School of Dance was also formed in 1978. Throughout its history, classes have been taught in all types of dance and styles of movement.
The company thrived for the next six years, but then disbanded in 1985. The school of dance persisted during the company's hiatus and continued to flourish. In 1987 the Windfall Youth Ensemble was formed as a forum for young dancers to choreograph and perform. A year later, in 1988, Windfall Dancers became active once again (Kim Burden served as Artistic Director during this period). The newly formed company's first production was Connections. In 1993, David Wade, who had joined the company after his involvement with Connections, became the next artistic director. Hope Hoffman served as Artistic Director from 1998-2000. Dana Dyer-Pierson held the position from 2000-2001.
Kay Olges, who first danced with the company in 1995 became the President of the Board of Directors in 1997 and served in that capacity for 6 years. She is still a member of the company. Kay created and directs the Reading Through Movement Literacy Project.
Parallel Differences, a teen performance group, was formed in 2000 to provide a safe and structured environment in which to explore teen issues through dance. In 2001, after 3 years as a company member, Adrienne Sewell became Artistic Director. Adrienne was succeeded in 2003 by Kristen Kautsch.
Windfall Dancers' programming has been extremely diverse, not only serving a wide distribution of ages, but also attracting audiences of varying artistic sensibilities. Currently, Windfall Dancers performs over 20 times per year including two major productions and several outreach performances.
Our goal is to continue to be an integral part of Bloomington's artistic community for years to come. We will carry on the artistic principles of our founders, focusing on artistic development and creativity. We are committed to providing an environment for creative expression, and to advocate and support the exploration and knowledge of dance through our educational and outreach programs.