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SBRI's Herci Marsden Awarded Individual Achievement from the Arts & Business Council of Rhode Island
LINCOLN, RI:
A teacher is defined as a person who instructs as a
profession. However, much more than instruction comes to mind when I think
of Herci Marsden as a teacher. Ms. Marsden has not only been a source of
inspiration for me, but as my ballet teacher for 23 years, she has instilled in
me the values of responsibility, dedication, and hard work. I am not
alone when I consider Ms. Marsden the reason I climbed to new heights throughout
my life, onstage and off.
In 48 years as
the Artistic Director of The State Ballet of Rhode Island, Ms. Marsden has
touched, and continues to touch, countless lives in the world of dance.
After bravely immigrating to the US from Croatia in 1959, she co-founded RI’s
first classical ballet company in residence and brought many traditional and
innovative ballet works to life on local and worldwide stages. Anyone who
was fortunate enough to see her perform has known a ballerina: beautiful,
graceful, strong, artistically talented, bringing any character and role to
nothing short of perfection.
Ms. Marsden brought dance to the
University of Rhode Island as a credited course and taught ballet on the campus
for 29 years; in an effort to introduce the arts to the young she created the
successful “Project Ballet in Education” for children; she has collaborated with
many artists and groups such as the RI Civic Chorale and RI Philharmonic, and
has created world-premiere performances. And after five decades of giving
back to the community in the arts, Ms. Marsden’s long list of accomplishments
continues to grow.
Ms. Marsden’s commitment to the arts is unlimited; she is living proof that one person can make a difference. Although a role-model and mentor to hundreds of dancers, young and old, she may never know the extent of her impact on her dancers onstage and her admirers in their audiences. Herci Marsden leads The State Ballet of Rhode Island with brilliance, class, and dignity. In this artist, dancer, and teacher, this prestigious Individual Achievement in Performing Arts Award has found a most deserving recipient of the Individual Achievement Award for Performing Arts from the Arts & Business Council of Rhode Island. This award was presented in early March, 2008.