First Chamber Dance Company records, 1961-1979

Dance company established in New York, 1961, as First Chamber Dance Quartet. In 1969 the Quartet added more dancers and expanded into First Chamber Dance Company, under the direction of original Quartet member Charles Bennett. Until the summer of 1974, the Company was based in New York but was spending increasing time in the Northwest, especially at the Summer Dance Laboratory (at Fort Worden near Port Townsend) which Charles Bennett developed about 1972. In July 1974, the First Chamber Dance Company formally relocated in Seattle and created the Performing Dance foundation to act as the parent Corporation of the Company and of its school, the Professional Dance Center. Apprentices from this training program formed the Chamber Dance Junior Company, considered by many to be Charles Bennett's finest accomplishment. The First Chamber Dance Company experienced increasing financial problems which ultimately caused it to disband at the end of 1979.