Meet another Inlet Board Member. These individuals go unnoticed, working endlessly to help push Inlet’s mission, “using dance to further people.” This month we are featuring Linda Merriam! Thank you, Linda, for all the amazing work you do for Inlet Dance Theatre. You are greatly appreciated.
Linda’s story:
Inlet first captivated my attention in the early 2000s at a Wednesday afternoon performance at Cain Park. My son, daughter, and a few girls from my Girl Scout troop were mesmerized, as was I, by what was happening on that stage – distinctive choreography with Pilobolus-like movement performed by the company and Inlet’s Summer Dance Intensive students. I had never seen modern dance quite like this and was amazed to see such a polished performance after just a few short weeks of instruction. I became an instant fan.
A few years later, my son, then a member of Shaker Heights High School’s esteemed Ensemble Theatre program, enthusiastically shared his experience as a participant in a school residency program led by Inlet company member Joshua Brown. He loved the movement and improvisation techniques he was learning and the collaborative way in which Josh presented them.
When former board member Christine Elliott invited me to join Inlet’s Board, I accepted without hesitation. I like Inlet’s creative aesthetic and inventive choreography. I like how Inlet conveys and explores the human condition with beauty, compassion, and affirmation. Rare is a performance that does not deeply move me. Most especially, I like how Inlet “uses dance to further people” – audience members, students, residency and workshop participants, and Inlet’s trainees, apprentices and company members – by creating and presenting thought-provoking work, and by providing mentoring relationships and a supportive environment to foster personal growth and development.
It has been joy to support the remarkable family that is Inlet Dance Theatre. I am continually inspired by Founder and Artistic/Executive Director Bill Wade for his vision, steadfast commitment to excellence, and compassion for others. I admire the group of gifted dancers Bill has assembled and mentored for their dedication to the mastery of their craft as well as the love and respect they infuse in everything they create, perform, and teach. And I am grateful for our gracious and very capable managing director, Libby Koba, who keeps all the eclectic administrative details in order.
It has been a privilege to combine my passion for the arts with my background in arts and business management by serving on this board. Inlet is about to begin a bold new chapter. I look forward to working with my fellow board members to enable Inlet to bring its unique brand of modern dance to broader audiences and to take Inlet’s mission of using dance to further the lives of the people with whom Inlet interacts to the next level.
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