The Dancer's Dream
The Dancer's Dream-Oklahoma City University’s New Dance Building
By Melba Huber
OCU dance building // Photo: J. Bedford
In 1980, when Jo Rowan accepted the job as Chairman of the Oklahoma City University Dance Department, she knew she wanted her program to have something different from all the others.
In 1975, Rowan was an exchange artist with The Bolshoi. As she toured Europe and the U.S.S.R., European dance artists constantly asked her to “Teach me dance like Fred Astaire.” She loved the American art forms and knew how popular they were around the world. As a student of the School of American Ballet, she took advantage of every opportunity to attend musical theatre events. She wanted a degree not only with a major in ballet, but a major in tap or jazz.
She remembered the requests of the European artists when she took over the O.C.U. Dance Department. With the assistance of her husband, John Bedford, who was obtaining his degree in management, they put together a proposal to change the academic approach to dance. It included tap and jazz along with ballet and modern. “My husband played an integral part in transcribing in literary form many of the philosophies and goals that came about from my being in the business,” Rowan stated. Bedford had been in the management aspect of show business and knew the training needed in this area. Rowan wanted to train dancers and to give them a well rounded liberal arts education so they could earn a living and be good citizens.
A few years later her husband, John Bedford, became Dean of the School. Together they have not only built a dance program including arts management and masters programs, but now a state-of-the-art dance building; probably the finest in the world.
The 68,000 square foot Edith Kinney Gaylord Center houses the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management, and is now complete after renovations and additions to an existing building. It includes three floors and a huge atrium filled with trees and plants that greet visitors upon entry. After the $7.25 million renovation and new construction, it is roughly valued at $28 million dollars. But a monetary price can’t be put on a dream.
Dancers with Jo Rowan and Melba
“The Edith Kinney Gaylord Center is a dream come true for the entire Oklahoma City University family,” said President Tom McDaniel. “We have long been proud of having the premier dance program in America. Having the facility to match the quality of our program completed the circle for our students. My hat is off to John Bedford and Jo Rowan.”
From the moment President Tom McDaniel took over, he has worked hard to raise money for many campus projects. Ann Lacy is one of the people who contributed lots of money to the school for various buildings. There is the Ann Lacy Admissions and Visitors Center, the Ann Lacy Stadium and now the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management.
“I love the school and all the students, but I personally know more of the dance students,” said Lacy. “They are the most focused and dedicated young adults to be found anywhere. I am extremely proud of them, but most of all I am dedicated to supporting the two people who have worked hard for more than 25 years to create the dance school. Dean John Bedford and his wife, Jo Rowan, at long last have seen their dream come true of having a state-of-the-art dance building and the greatest dance program in the nation, if not the world. I’ve flirted with the entertainment field all my life and I just realized the next best thing to being a star is helping young people who have the dream to become a star.”
In the past the students danced in various buildings on campus. The students love having all their classes in the same building and feel that the fellowship is one of the best results of the newly renovated building. They have beautiful white couches to hang out on between classes, and a special area with lockers and showers.
A studio
Jo Rowan loves the removable wall between several studios. There is a small step up platform that gives the instructor a slightly elevated place to teach. When the wall is removed, the two platforms become one with the teacher available to both sides. “It makes rehearsal so easy when one cast can dance in a studio with the other cast running through the same number in the adjacent studio with no wall in between, Rowan explained. We just take out the wall! The pleasure of working in a building that has eight huge studios and sprung floating floors is another plus. No more running out in the snow to change studios. All the floor to ceiling glass windows, interior and exterior natural light and viewing rooms, and an atrium of trees and plants supply oxygen to help hundreds of dancers moving happily all day long. We love it!”
Bedford kept the cost down on the floating floors by installing them himself with the help of three dedicated women on the staff. They saved lots of money, kept the project within budget, and made it possible for O.C.U. and the United States to have the best possible forum for passing on the techniques, traditions, and camaraderie of dance.
The school held the dedication ceremony on October 4, 2007, including a ribbon cutting ceremony, a reception and tour, and a gala dinner followed by a student choreography show.
President McDaniel continues to work on funding a new theatre where all these dancers, music majors, and musical theatre students will have a theatre equal to the new dance building.
The Edith Kinney Gaylord Center is a dream come true for those who worked so hard to make it happen. OCU students now have the best.