Why Chamber Dance Project?

Written by George Stauffer, Chamber Dance Project Board Member

The great dancer and choreographer, Martha Graham, once said, “dance is the hidden language of the
soul.” Those words were brought to life for me while watching the performance of Prufrock at Chamber
Dance’s June performance. To witness the bringing together of different art forms, poetry, music,
dance, crossing eras from the 20’s, 50’s and into modern times – to see something that was both
classically beautiful and artistic but also edgy and relevant – was an exhilarating and inspiring
experience. I have traveled the world and seen ballet and dance in NYC, Rome, Venice, Paris, London,
and St. Petersburg, to name a few, and can say that what the Chamber Dance Project is doing is
something that is truly unique and worthy of appreciation.

Over the years, I have been involved in a number of charitable causes, from AIDS and cancer charities, to
helping impoverished youth, but what I have consistently seen is that people starve just as much from
lack of food for the soul as they do from the lack of actual food. However, while the former charitable
causes receive ample attention, those charities that seek to raise people’s spirits, to provide culture and
hope, to inspire people to a better state of being and purpose larger then themselves, are often
overlooked or thought of as less important or at least less urgent. Where the arts are focused upon, it is
all too often upon the past – the great masterpieces of bygone eras, and not on bringing art into the
present, connecting the treasures of the past with the expressions and emotions of the present.
However, without culture, without the edge of your seat, out of body feeling one gets from seeing,
hearing, and truly feeling a transcending work of art that connects in a real and deeply felt way, what is
the point of it all? Is it not a society’s cultural contributions that are remembered long after the culture
itself is gone? Is it not art, music, and dance, and all the forms of emotional expression that define a
culture, that help drive the “hard” disciplines of science, engineering, and architecture forward?

It is for this reason that I truly believe that what Chamber Dance Project is doing, what it seeks to
expand upon, is a vital cause that is worthy of my support. It would be an honor to serve upon the
Chamber’s board. I believe that through both my financial support and the support of my time, efforts,
and input I could help this Project and Board realize its vision more thoroughly and to bring its message
to a larger audience. I think my experience as a corporate attorney and senior executive would be a
valuable contribution to the Board and that my enthusiasm for your cause and dance in general will help
lend extra energy to an already exhilarating collection of truly inspiring and dedicated people. I look
forward to this opportunity and thank you in advance for your kind consideration.

Most sincerely,
George Stauffer