Real World: Your Peers on Stage

Training with professional designer Mario Pitacco, Emmer was the president of Cincinnati Music Theatre, CMT, for several years, working as a set designer for CMT and three other theatre companies. “Cincinnati was, at one time, the second-most-active community-theatre community in the U.S.,” he reports. “Metro New York was first. There are currently around 22 theater companies producing about 60 shows a season. There are half a dozen professional companies, four university theatres and at least a dozen high-quality high school programs. The most talented tech people circulate through all these.”

With all this theater nearby, some was bound to rub off on Emmer’s 16-year-old daughter. She’s picked up the love of community theater and has stage, movie and television credits to her name. And that has led Emmer to keep it all in the family. “I tend to work on her shows now rather than any others,” he says.

Stage performers often make their way to the production crew. Such is the case with Karie Cowden, account executive of Phoenix-based Team Shop Premiums. She trained as a dancer beginning at age 2 and began teaching at 19. “I haven’t been in a recital since my early 20s,” she admits. “I am behind the scenes now. My current students are preparing for their recital in June.”

Cowden teaches jazz one night a week “to get her fix” for more advanced dancing but loves teaching beginning and intermediate students and helping them progress to higher levels. “Recitals are a blast for me,” she says. “I especially love the 3-year-olds who spot their parents in the audience and lose track of what they are supposed to be doing.”

Cowden does it all from the choreography to the training, and she enjoys watching a love for dance grow within her students. She’s even enjoying the recent trend of dance appreciation growing in popular culture. “I have always had a passion for dance. I don’t remember my life without it,” Cowden shares. “I love watching shows like ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ and ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ It’s nice to see that dancers and choreographers are being recognized on national television.”

Furthering the awareness of dance nationally and internationally is Roni Wright, MAS, vice president of The Book Co. in Delray, Fla. Her passion for ballet began when she was just 7. “My mother took me to a classical ballet school to observe an advanced ballet class,” she recalls. “I immediately discovered that I wanted to be just like the dancers in that room: graceful and strong.”

Working as the artistic director for a non-profit dance company, Florida Golf Coast Ballet Co., Wright has been a part of historical events. “We performed the original version of Michael Folkine’s 100-plus year ballet called ‘Les Sylphides,’” she says. “At the same time, another local dance group was working on a benefit celebrating the 100th anniversary of St. Petersburg, Fla., and the tri-centennial of its sister city, St. Petersburg, Russia.” The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The group — which was looking for pieces originally created and performed in St. Petersburg, Russia — saw Wright’s group’s performance and asked them to participate in the benefit. “Les Sylphides,” it turned out, was first performed in February 1907 in St. Petersburg, Russia. “Not only were we a featured guest at the performance, but we also shared the stage with ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov.”

Having studied dance throughout college, Wright performed in recitals and competitions. She started her own dance studio, The Florida Ballet School, where she oversees yearly performances. Though she’ll venture into the studio for an occasional class, most of Wright’s current work is behind the scenes. “I am passionate about ballet and dance,” she shares. “I believe it has helped me stay young and fit and has even taught me patience and teamwork.” 

Renée Targos is a freelance business, lifestyle and arts writer living in Phoenix. She’s been covering industry and arts stories for more than a decade and can be contacted at rmtargos@yahoo.com.