The Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company's spring European tour was a complete success, according to co-artistic directors Joan Woodbury and Shirley Ririe.
"The dancers left the United States as dancers, but came home as a dance company," said Woodbury. "It was amazing to see how much they matured as an ensemble. The trip was a great training ground for these young dancers."
"It was the most exciting time I have ever had with the company," said Ririe. "It felt good to be riding on top of the heap."
The company conceived "Alwin Nikolais: The Celebration Tour" with the late choreographer's right-hand men Murray Lewis and Tito del Saz. The reason was simple. Nik, as he was known to his friends, had literally changed the lives of Ririe and Woodbury as they were getting their professional careers started.
"He was the one who wanted us to call our new dance company the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company," said Woodbury. "He said using our own names would sound more professional. Before, we were called Choreodancers."
"He took us under his wing," said Ririe, "and really taught us the aesthetics of performance art. He was an amazing man with a grand vision."
Ririe and Woodbury worked with Nikolais throughout the 1960s. He invited them to help with performances in Minneapolis, Minn., in 1968. And that's when the Minnesota Arts Council asked RWDC to do an area college tour.
Nikolais also helped the fledgling company land a gig in the famed New York theater The Space in 1972. Those in attendance included representatives from the National Endowment for the Arts, which led to the company's involvement for the NEA's Artists in Schools and Dance Touring programs.
So, Ririe and Woodbury wanted to do something special for the late choreographer, and that's how the tour came about. The tour took the company to New York, Italy and France, and throughout, the dancers either performed or rehearsed every day of the week, said Woodbury.
"They worked and worked," said Ririe. "They reached inside and found their inner dancers and brought that out. It was one of the most rewarding things that has ever happened to this company."
France, said Ririe, was where one of the biggest receptions occurred. "The performances sold out two months in advance, and we knew we had to be good. We went onstage and the dancers did some of the best performances of their lives."
The dance company will get a chance to shine again internationally when it performs the same program at the Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland.
RWDC performance dates are Sept. 1 through 4. For more information, visit www.eif.co.uk.
"We're thrilled to be invited to go to Scotland," said Ririe. "The company is on the brink of doing bigger things."
"We're excited and honored to perform Nik's dances for an international audience in Edinburgh," said Woodbury. "This will be a great experience for our dancers."
E-mail: scott@desnews.com