%1 http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/ en Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/perry-mansfield-performing-arts-school-and-camp <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * 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field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/perry-mansfield-performing-arts-school-and-camp"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Perry-Mansfield_School_of_Theatre_and_Dance.jpg?itok=khQrmPaK" width="1000" height="659" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/perry-mansfield-performing-arts-school-and-camp" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In 1914 Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield established moved their performing arts camp from Lake Eldora to Strawberry Park near Steamboat Springs, where it continues to operate today.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-08-25T11:01:36-06:00" title="Thursday, August 25, 2016 - 11:01" class="datetime">Thu, 08/25/2016 - 11:01</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/perry-mansfield-performing-arts-school-and-camp" data-a2a-title="Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fperry-mansfield-performing-arts-school-and-camp&amp;title=Perry-Mansfield%20Performing%20Arts%20School%20and%20Camp"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Established by <strong>Charlotte Perry</strong> and <strong>Portia Mansfield</strong> in 1913, the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp near <strong>Steamboat Springs</strong> is the oldest continuously operated performing arts camp in the United States. In the early twentieth century, the camp served as an important site for the development of modern dance, choreography, and performing arts education. The camp’s many distinguished faculty and alumni include Agnes de Mille, Louis Horst, Charles Weidman, José Limón, John Cage, Julie Harris, Dustin Hoffman, Mandy Moore, and Jessica Biel.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Establishment and Early Years</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1910 Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield met as undergraduates at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Mansfield graduated that year and spent the summer studying ballet in Europe before returning to teach dance in New York City and Nebraska. In the fall of 1912 she visited Perry in Denver. The two young women accompanied Perry’s father on a hunting trip and devised a plan for a summer arts camp in the mountains. The idea was innovative at the time. Summer camps were a recent development, and it was unusual for a rustic camp to offer a performing arts education, especially under the direction of two unmarried women.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1913 Perry and Mansfield established their initial camp—called the Rocky Mountain Dancing Camp—at a rented house near Lake Eldora in <a href="/article/boulder-county"><strong>Boulder County</strong></a>. The camp attracted twelve students, but the location proved troublesome. First, at an elevation of 9,000 feet, the camp faced harsh and unpredictable weather; second, the camp apparently attracted too many curious men from Denver who used binoculars to try to watch the women dancing in the woods.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In search of a location that was more remote and had better summer weather, Perry and Mansfield settled on Steamboat Springs. They saved $200 teaching dance lessons in Chicago and in 1914 used the money to buy five acres in Strawberry Park, a few miles north of town. At the time, the property had only a single building, a log-cabin <a href="/article/homestead"><strong>homestead</strong></a> called the Cabeen, which served as Perry and Mansfield’s living quarters.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1917 the camp attracted fifty students. Mansfield taught dance classes while Perry focused on technical direction (designs, sets, costumes) and, starting in 1917, taught drama. Initially, they spent winters teaching in Chicago to raise money for the camp, but in 1918, with the camp on more stable financial footing, they moved to Carmel, California, and started a winter arts school. In addition, in 1921 Mansfield started a professional dance company, which studied at the Steamboat Springs camp during the summer and toured the US and Canada for the rest of the year. The dance company lasted until 1930, when the Great Depression and the declining popularity of vaudeville ended it. Perry and Mansfield decided to refocus their energy on their Colorado summer camp, which had been renamed the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp. For the next quarter-century they spent their summers in Steamboat Springs running the camp and their winters in New York City studying and teaching.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Growth and Influence</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The camp grew steadily through the middle of the twentieth century. From the five acres they started with in 1914, Perry and Mansfield gradually acquired a total of eighty-eight acres by 1949. The buildings they added to the property were placed in an informal layout and had log siding to maintain the area’s rustic feel. In 1918 they built a two-story main lodge, and the main dance studio opened in 1922. Many other cabins and dormitories have been added over the years, with the majority dating to before 1960. Among the camp’s most notable structures are the Louis Horst Studio, an open dance floor built in 1960, and the Julie Harris Theater, built in 1958. One of the few departures from the camp’s rustic style, the Julie Harris Theater was based on a design by Canadian architect Willard Sage—a student of Frank Lloyd Wright’s—who also served as an actor on the camp’s staff.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In the 1920s and 1930s, the camp’s dance program expanded significantly with the addition of modern dance, which emphasized individuality, creativity, and freedom in its movements. At the time, the Perry-Mansfield Camp was one of only a few institutions in the United States to support both classical ballet and modern dance, and it quickly became an important training ground for modern dancers, choreographers, and composers. Much of the camp’s staff consisted of the young women who were creating modern dance as we know it today. Moreover, the camp was one of the first dance schools to train men, with male teachers joining the staff in the 1920s. Most modern dancers spent time at the camp as students or faculty, and choreographers often taught at the camp or used it to test new ideas.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>As it grew, the camp also offered more traditional summer camp activities, such as pack trips, camping, swimming, and tennis. In 1930 the camp formally added recreation to its existing arts program, and in 1934 equestrian instructor Elizabeth Shannon began offering horseback riding, which became an important component of the camp’s curriculum. The camp added several riding rings, and every Monday campers took a horseback ride in the nearby Mount Zirkel Wilderness.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In addition to its important role in the development of American dance, the camp’s cultural influence was extensive. Locally, it held performances in Steamboat Springs and in 1950 helped start the Steamboat Springs Square Dance Festival. It also hosted the region’s first Symposium of the Arts in 1952, which was instrumental in the establishment of the Colorado Council on the Arts (now <strong>Colorado Creative Industries</strong>). In equestrian sports, the camp became home in 1953 to the first National Rating Center for Riding in the Rocky Mountain region.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The camp’s reputation attracted a growing number of students. In the early years campers were primarily young women from wealthy families in the East. The Burlington Zephyr train even had private sleeper cars to accommodate them and staff members traveling to Perry-Mansfield from New York and Chicago. By the middle of the twentieth century, people from all over the world attended the camp. In the summer of 1959, it had 276 students, including some from Latin America, Europe, and Asia.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>The Stephens College Years</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1963, after five decades of leading the camp, Perry and Mansfield began to step away from it. They decided to donate the camp to Stephens College, a women’s college in Columbia, Missouri, with a strong performing arts program. After a four-year transition period, Stephens took full control in 1967. The camp became a summer campus for Stephens, with the college renting out the cabins when they were not in use.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Perry and Mansfield retired to Carmel, California. In the early 1970s they received the Colorado Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in recognition of their lifelong contributions to the arts and arts education.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Return to Independence</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>When financial pressures forced Stephens College to sell the camp in 1991, local citizens formed a group called Friends of Perry-Mansfield to keep the camp open and save the property from development. With the help of a $60,000 loan from Steamboat Springs, the group quickly raised enough money for a down payment on the property. Friends of Perry-Mansfield took over operation of the camp, and by 1994 the group raised enough money to pay off its mortgage and own the camp outright.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Friends of Perry-Mansfield have revitalized and expanded the camp’s programs. In 1997 the camp started a New Works Festival to help playwrights jump-start new productions. In 2001 the camp launched a five-year fundraising campaign to renovate existing buildings and add new performance venues. With help from the Gates Family Foundation, the Boettcher Foundation, and the State Historical Fund, the camp was able to renovate the Cabeen and other historic buildings. The camp now has four dance studios, two theaters, two art studios, two writing studios, a costume shop, and a music lab, and it offers a variety of dance, theater, and equestrian programs for students from elementary school to college.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/charlotte-perry" hreflang="en">Charlotte Perry</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/portia-mansfield" hreflang="en">Portia Mansfield</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/performing-arts" hreflang="en">performing arts</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/summer-camps" hreflang="en">summer camps</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/steamboat-springs" hreflang="en">Steamboat Springs</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/dance" hreflang="en">dance</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Marty Alexandroff, “Perry-Mansfield School of the Theatre and Dance [5RT976],” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (1995).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Andy Bockelman, “Perry-Mansfield through the Years,” Steamboat Today, June 9, 2013.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Lucile Bogue, Dancers on Horseback: The Perry-Mansfield Story (San Francisco: Strawberry Hill Press, 1984).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Margaret Hair, “Once Endangered, Perry-Mansfield Thrives Again,” Steamboat Today, July 25, 2008.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Tricia Henry, “Perry-Mansfield School of Dance and Theatre,” Dance Research 8, no. 2 (1990).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p><a href="https://perry-mansfield.org/">Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp</a>.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Rocky Mountain PBS, <a href="https://video.rmpbs.org/video/2365925635/">"Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School &amp; Camp,"</a> <em>Colorado Experience</em>, January 5, 2017.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-4th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-4th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-4th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-4th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-4th-grade"><p>The Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp is near Steamboat Springs. It is the oldest performing arts camp in the United States. Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield started it in 1913.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Establishment and Early Years</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1910 Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield met at Smith College in Massachusetts. Mansfield studied ballet in Europe after she graduated. Then, she taught dance in New York City and Nebraska. In 1912 she visited Perry in Denver. They travelled to the mountains. Together, they came up with the idea for a summer arts camp in Colorado. This was a creative idea at the time. There were not many summer camps and an arts camp was unusual. It was also uncommon for two unmarried women to set up a business.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1913 they started the Rocky Mountain Dancing Camp. The camp was located at a house in <strong>Boulder County</strong>. Twelve young women attended the camp. But there were some problems. The camp had bad weather because it was at a high elevation. Plus, too many curious men used binoculars to watch the young women dancing in the woods.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Perry and Mansfield looked for a new location. They decided on <strong>Steamboat Springs</strong>. It had good summer weather and was far away from the city. They taught dance lessons in Chicago and made $200. In 1914 they used the money to buy five acres in Steamboat Springs. The property had only one building. It was a log cabin they called the “Cabeen.” Perry and Mansfield lived there.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1917 the camp had fifty students. In 1918 a two-story lodge was built. A dance studio opened in 1922. Mansfield taught the dance classes. Perry taught design, sets, costumes and drama. At first, they spent their winters in Chicago. They had to work to raise money for the camp. In 1918 they moved to Carmel, California. There, they started a winter arts school. They returned to Colorado every summer.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1921 Mansfield started a professional dance group. They practiced at the camp during the summer. For the rest of the year the group performed around the United States. The dance company ended in 1930, when the <strong>Great Depression</strong> started. Traveling shows were not as popular, and people did not have money to attend performances.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Perry and Mansfield focused on their Colorado summer camp. They renamed it the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp. For the next twenty-five years, they spent their summers in Steamboat Springs.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Growth and Influence</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The camp had five acres it started in 1914. By 1949 the camp had eighty-eight acres. Over the years, new buildings were added to the property.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In the 1920s and 1930s, the camp added “modern dance” to its program. This dance style was different from traditional dance. It was about dancing with creativity and freedom. The camp was one the few places that taught modern dance. Many teachers at the camp were young women who were leaders in the modern dance movement. The camp was also one of the first dance schools to teach male dancers.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In the 1930s, the camp added more summer camp activities. These included camping, swimming, and tennis. In 1934 the camp began offering horseback riding. The camp added riding rings and campers took horseback rides in the mountains.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The camp supported the arts in the community. It held performances in Steamboat Springs. In 1950 helped start the Steamboat Springs Square Dance Festival. It held a Symposium of the Arts in 1952. This later became the Colorado Council on the Arts.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In the early years, campers were young women from wealthy families in the East. The trains from the East had private sleeper cars for camp students. By the 1950s, people from all over the world attended the camp. In 1959 it had 276 students. These included students from Latin America, Europe, and Asia.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>The Stephens College Years</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1963, after fifty years of leading the camp, Perry and Mansfield decided to retire. They donated the camp to Stephens College, a women’s college in Columbia, Missouri. It was a summer campus for Stephens College for around twenty-five years.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Perry and Mansfield retired to Carmel, California. In the 1970s, they were given the Colorado Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. It was to honor all they had done for the arts and arts education.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Return to Independence</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Stephens College decided to sell the camp in 1991. A group called “Friends of Perry-Mansfield” was formed. They wanted to buy the camp and keep it open. The town of Steamboat Springs helped out with a loan of $60,000. The group raised enough money to buy the property. Friends of Perry-Mansfield took over running the camp.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Friends of Perry-Mansfield fixed up the camp. The Gates Foundation, the Boettcher Foundation, and the State Historical Fund donated money. The Cabeen and other historic buildings were fixed up. Now, the camp has four dance studios, two theaters, two art studios, and two writing studios. It also has a costume shop and a music lab. It offers dance, theater, and horse riding programs.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Many famous people attended or taught at the camp. Some included Agnes de Mille, José Limón, John Cage, Julie Harris, Dustin Hoffman, Mandy Moore, and Jessica Biel.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-8th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-8th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-8th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-8th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-8th-grade"><p>The Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp is located near Steamboat Springs. It is the oldest continuously operated performing arts camp in the United States. Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield established it in 1913. The camp was an important site for the development of modern dance. The camp has had many famous faculty and alumni, including Agnes de Mille, José Limón, John Cage, Julie Harris, Dustin Hoffman, Mandy Moore, and Jessica Biel.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Establishment and Early Years</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1910 Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield met at Smith College in Massachusetts. Mansfield spent the summer studying ballet in Europe after she graduated. She returned and taught dance in New York City and Nebraska. In 1912 she visited Perry in Denver. The two young women traveled to the mountains, and together came up with the idea for a summer arts camp in Colorado. The idea was innovative at the time; summer camps were a recent development, and a performing arts camp was unusual. It was also uncommon for two unmarried women to set up a business.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1913 Perry and Mansfield started the Rocky Mountain Dancing Camp, located at a rented house near Lake Eldora in <strong>Boulder County</strong>. The camp had twelve students, but the location proved troublesome, as it faced harsh and unpredictable weather because of the altitude. Plus, the camp attracted too many curious men from town who used binoculars to watch the women dancing in the woods.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Perry and Mansfield looked for a new location. They settled on <strong>Steamboat Springs</strong> because it had better summer weather and was remote. To finance the camp, they taught dance lessons in Chicago and made $200. In 1914 they used the money to buy five acres in Strawberry Park, north of Steamboat Springs. The property had only one building—a log cabin they called the “Cabeen.” It served as Perry and Mansfield’s living quarters.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1917 the camp attracted fifty students. Mansfield taught dance classes. Perry taught drama and focused on designs, sets, and costumes. They spent winters teaching in Chicago to raise money for the camp. In 1918, with the camp on more stable financial footing, they moved to Carmel, California. There they started a winter arts school.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1921 Mansfield started a professional dance company. The group practiced at the Steamboat Springs camp during the summer. Then they toured the United States and Canada for the rest of the year. The dance company ended in 1930. This was due to a combination of factors, including the Great Depression and the declining popularity of vaudeville.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Perry and Mansfield decided to refocus their energy on their Colorado summer camp. They renamed it the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp. For the next twenty-five years, they spent their summers in Steamboat Springs running the camp. Their winters were spent in New York City studying and teaching.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Growth and Influence</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>From the five acres it started with in 1914, the camp gradually acquired a total of eighty-eight acres by 1949. New buildings were added to the property, and they had log siding to maintain the camp’s rustic feel. In 1918 a two-story main lodge was built and a dance studio opened in 1922. Many other cabins and dormitories have been added over the years.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In the 1920s and 1930s, the camp’s dance program expanded to include “modern dance.” This new dance style emphasized individuality, creativity, and freedom. The camp was one of the only places that taught both ballet and modern dance. It became an important training ground for modern dancers, choreographers, and composers.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Many teachers at the camp were young women who were leaders in the modern dance movement. The camp was also one of the first dance schools to train men, with male teachers joining the staff in the 1920s. Most modern dancers spent time at the camp as students or teachers. Choreographers also taught at the camp or used it to test new ideas.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>As it grew, the camp began to offer traditional summer camp activities. In 1930 the camp added recreation to its arts program. Activities included camping, swimming, and tennis. In 1934 it began offering horseback riding. The camp added several riding rings and campers took horseback rides in the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The camp had extensive cultural influence. Locally, it held performances in Steamboat Springs. In 1950 it helped start the Steamboat Springs Square Dance Festival. It also hosted a Symposium of the Arts in 1952. This helped start the Colorado Council on the Arts. In 1953 the horseback-riding program became a National Rating Center for Riding.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The camp’s reputation attracted a growing number of students. In the early years, campers were young women from wealthy families in the East, but by the middle of the twentieth century people from all over the world attended the camp. In the summer of 1959, it had 276 students, including campers from Latin America, Europe, and Asia.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>The Stephens College Years</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1963, after fifty years of leading the camp, Perry and Mansfield decided retire. They donated the camp to Stephens College, a women’s college in Columbia, Missouri, with a strong performing arts program. Stephens took full control in 1967. The camp became a summer campus for Stephens, with the college renting out the cabins when they were not in use.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Perry and Mansfield retired to Carmel, California. In the early 1970s, they received the Colorado Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Return to Independence</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Financial pressures forced Stephens College to sell the camp in 1991. Local citizens formed a group called “Friends of Perry-Mansfield.” They hoped to keep the camp open and save the property from development. With the help of a $60,000 loan from Steamboat Springs, the group raised enough money for a down payment on the property. Friends of Perry-Mansfield took over operation of the camp. By 1994 the group raised enough money to pay off its mortgage and owned the camp.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Friends of Perry-Mansfield revitalized and expanded the camp’s programs. In 1997 the camp started a program to help playwrights with new productions. In 2001 the camp launched a five-year fundraising campaign. The Gates Family Foundation, the Boettcher Foundation and the State Historical Fund contributed. With the money, new performance spaces were added. The Cabeen and other historic buildings were renovated. The camp now has four dance studios, two theaters, two art studios, and two writing studios. It also has a costume shop and a music lab. Dance, theater, and equestrian programs are offered for students from elementary school to college.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-10th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-10th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-10th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-10th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-10th-grade"><p>The Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp is the oldest continuously operated performing arts camp in the United States. It is located near <strong>Steamboat Springs </strong>and was established by Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield in 1913. The camp served as an important site for the development of modern dance, choreography, and performing arts education. The camp has many distinguished faculty and alumni, including Agnes de Mille, Louis Horst, Charles Weidman, José Limón, John Cage, Julie Harris, Dustin Hoffman, Mandy Moore, and Jessica Biel.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Establishment and Early Years</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1910 Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield met as undergraduates at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Mansfield graduated and spent the summer studying ballet in Europe. She returned to teach dance in New York City and Nebraska. In the fall of 1912 she visited Perry in Denver. As the two young women accompanied Perry’s father on a hunting trip, they devised a plan for a summer arts camp in the mountains. The idea was innovative at the time. Summer camps were a recent development, and it was unusual for a rustic camp to offer a performing arts education, especially under the direction of two unmarried women.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1913 Perry and Mansfield established the Rocky Mountain Dancing Camp. This first camp was located at a rented house near Lake Eldora in <a href="/article/boulder-county">Boulder County</a>. The camp attracted twelve students, but the location proved troublesome. First, at an elevation of 9,000 feet, the camp faced harsh and unpredictable weather. Second, the camp apparently attracted too many curious men from Denver who used binoculars to try to watch the women dancing in the woods.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Perry and Mansfield looked for a new location. They settled on Steamboat Springs because it was remote and had better summer weather. They saved $200 teaching dance lessons in Chicago. In 1914 they used the money to buy five acres in Strawberry Park, a few miles north of Steamboat Springs. At the time, the property had only one building—a log-cabin homestead. Perry and Mansfield used it as their living quarters and called it the “Cabeen.”</p>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1917 the camp attracted fifty students. Mansfield taught dance classes while Perry taught drama, design, sets, and costuming. Initially, they spent their winters teaching in Chicago to raise money for the camp. In 1918, with the camp on more stable financial footing, they moved to Carmel, California, where they started a winter arts school.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1921 Mansfield started a professional dance company that studied at the Steamboat Springs camp during the summer. They toured the United States and Canada for the rest of the year. In 1930, however, several factors, including the Great Depression and the declining popularity of vaudeville, led the company to disband.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Perry and Mansfield decided to refocus their energy on their Colorado summer camp, which had been renamed the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp. For the next twenty-five years, they spent their summers in Steamboat Springs running the camp and their winters in New York City studying and teaching.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Growth and Influence</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The camp grew steadily through the middle of the twentieth century. From the five acres they started with in 1914, Perry and Mansfield gradually acquired a total of eighty-eight acres by 1949. New buildings were added to the property. They were placed in an informal layout and had log siding to maintain the camp’s rustic feel. In 1918 they built a two-story main lodge, and the main dance studio opened in 1922. Many other cabins and dormitories have been added over the years, with the majority built before 1960.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The camp’s most notable structures include the Julie Harris Theater, built in 1958, and the Louis Horst Studio, an open dance floor built in 1960. The Julie Harris Theater is one of the few departures from the camp’s rustic style. It was based on a design by Canadian architect Willard Sage, an actor on the camp’s staff and a student of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In the 1920s and 1930s, the camp’s dance program expanded significantly with the addition of modern dance. This new dance style emphasized individuality, creativity, and freedom in its movements. The camp was one of only a few schools in the United States that taught both classical ballet and modern dance. It became an important training ground for modern dancers, choreographers, and composers.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Much of the camp’s staff consisted of young women who were creating modern dance as we know it today. Also, the camp was one of the first dance schools to train men, with male teachers joining the staff in the 1920s. Most modern dancers spent time at the camp as students or teachers. Choreographers often taught at the camp or used it to test new ideas.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1930 the camp started to offer more traditional summer camp activities. These included camping, swimming, and tennis. In 1934 equestrian instructor Elizabeth Shannon began offering horseback riding. This became an important component of the camp’s curriculum. The camp added several riding rings, and campers took horseback rides into the nearby Mt. Zirkel Wilderness.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The camp’s cultural influence was extensive. It held local performances in Steamboat Springs, and in 1950 it helped start the Steamboat Springs Square Dance Festival. It also hosted the region’s first Symposium of the Arts in 1952. This was instrumental in the establishment of the Colorado Council on the Arts (now Colorado Creative Industries). In 1953 the camp became home to the first National Rating Center for Horse Riding in the Rocky Mountain region.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The camp’s reputation attracted a growing number of students. In the early years, campers were primarily young women from wealthy families in the East. The Burlington Zephyr train even had private sleeper cars to accommodate students and staff members traveling to the camp from New York and Chicago. By the middle of the twentieth century, people from all over the world attended the camp. In the summer of 1959, it had 276 students, including some from Latin America, Europe, and Asia.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Stephens College Years</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1963, after five decades of leading the camp, Perry and Mansfield decided to retire. They donated the camp to Stephens College, a women’s college in Columbia, Missouri, with a strong performing arts program. After a four-year transition period, Stephens took full control in 1967. The camp became a summer campus for Stephens, with the college renting out the cabins when they were not in use.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Perry and Mansfield retired to Carmel, California. In the early 1970s, they received the Colorado Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Return to Independence</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Financial pressures forced Stephens College to sell the camp in 1991. Local citizens formed a group called Friends of Perry-Mansfield to keep the camp open and save the property from development. With the help of a $60,000 loan from Steamboat Springs, the group raised enough money for a down payment. Friends of Perry-Mansfield took over operation of the camp. By 1994 the group raised enough money to pay off the mortgage and own the camp outright.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Friends of Perry-Mansfield have expanded the camp’s programs. In 1997 the camp started a New Works Festival to help playwrights jump-start new productions. In 2001 the camp launched a fundraising campaign. The Gates Family Foundation, the Boettcher Foundation, and the State Historical Fund all contributed. With the money, the camp added new performance venues and renovated the Cabeen and other historic buildings. The camp now has four dance studios, two theaters, two art studios, two writing studios, a costume shop, and a music lab. It offers a variety of dance, theater, and equestrian programs for students from elementary school to college.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Thu, 25 Aug 2016 17:01:36 +0000 yongli 1773 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org