By KEN KLINGENMEIER
Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre came into being in 1997, the brainchild of choreographer Gregory Hancock. He takes little credit for this accomplishment, however, stating that it was the support from those around him, especially his mother Florence Fross Hancock, that has lead him to this achievement.
“Very simply, the company would not exist today if it were not for the work and sacrifice of my mother … I always remind the dancers of GHDT and students of The Academy GHDT of this. Telling them that there would be no company or school had my mother not worked so hard to make it possible, and that their experiences in dance are a direct result of all her work, efforts, and sacrifice.”
Hancock says it was the encouragement and direct participation his mother fostered that made a huge difference working through the difficulties of running a dance performance company.
Florence Fross Hancock
“In the early years of the company, she did everything from helping me make costumes, to schlepping a marley floor to venues and laying and taping the floor,” Hancock said. “In essence, she did everything imaginable in every aspect of the company. She never missed a single performance or dress rehearsal. At performances she would sell tickets, pass out programs, greet and talk to patrons, and anything that was needed. While doing this, she never wanted anyone to know she was my mother. She always wanted to keep that completely separated from her work with the company.”
And it wasn’t just the onstage efforts of the dancers that Mrs. Hancock impacted.
“Of course, she was the biggest fan of the company, but she was much more, and taught me so much,” Hancock said. “She was practical and managed money very tightly, never allowing the company to incur any kind of debt. This sensibility was passed on to me. She taught me how to repurpose things and how to make things out of virtually nothing.
“She spent many years lobbying and advocating for arts at city council meetings, writing letters to government officials, and much more. For numerous years she served on the Board of Directors as a Board Member and later as the Treasurer. She meticulously kept all the books for the company, filed taxes, submitted reports, wrote grants, did marketing, correspondence, and much more. I did not fully realize how much she did for the company until she was no longer here.”
Asked about how the company first came to be, Hancock states: “I don’t remember if there was really a conscious decision to create a company. I know I wanted to find a way to tell stories through dance and now to tell extremely personal stories through dance. Things evolved rather organically, but not without hard work and knowing that everything comes with a sacrifice. More wisdom passed on from my mother.”
Overall, Gregory Hancock takes little credit for his accomplishments.
“I also want to mention our incredible Board of Directors,” he said. “My mother would be so pleased that the company has survived and flourished, and the Board has become so passionate about the work and mission of the company. Much appreciation and gratefulness to Akin Akinwande, Tuhina Chakrabarti, Kirsten Ferger, Ivy Heazeltine, Deborah Provisor, Denise Salamie, Anindita Sen, Ross Smith, and Nur Ungan.”
A celebration is at hand – on Aug. 26 and 27, the GHDT company will perform its 25th Season Celebration at The Tarkington Theatre in Carmel. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Call for tickets at (317) 843-3800 or get them at this link.