RoseAnn Sayler's memories of 70 years of dance

RoseAnn Sayler wrote this partial memoir of her life in dance as part of this year's observance of the 50th anniversary of her Menlo Park Academy of Dance. Following this memoir is a list of facts about RoseAnn Sayler and the accomplishments of some of her thousands of students.

By ROSEANN SAYLER

My birth certificate says I was born June 19, 1923. I was the #5 of 7 children to Al and Rose Smith in Muskogee, Oklahoma. I don't have any memories except when I was 6.

My sister's girlfriend had to walk across our small town to her dancing lesson. My sister couldn't go so she took me.

The lesson was in the living dancing room of the beautiful lady's home. She sat me in a big overstuffed chair and the lesson proceeded. I was fine until they started tumbling on a mat. I watched and wiggled in that big chair.

Finally Miss Bonnie asked me if I'd like to try it. Woh! She taught me a backbend and I haven't stopped bending since then.

I won my first amateur contests regularly and after a few years I won a "Big One." The winner was chosen to dance at the Dallas Centennial Celebration. I won.

The performance was with a well-known orchestra, Ted Filrite. I helped my dance teacher teach classes and cleaned the studio until she retired to have children.

Another dance teacher in town called me and gave me a scholarship to her school. (I'm sure my guardian angel took care of that for me.)

With World War II, my dad, a fireman, was called to the State University to teach Chemical Warfare. We moved to the college town, Stillwater, where I attended high school.

I went to the local dance teacher to see if I could have lessons. She asked me to dance for her. She said she would like to know as much as I did. She advised me to open a school, so I did.

I knew I wanted to dance so I rushed through high school with summer school and finished in two years at 16 years old. I now had been twirling a baton two years and had joined the orchestra also.

I planned to attend Oklahoma State University where I could work for the College Entertainment Bureau. This gave me a scholarship to college. The Director of the Bureau asked me if I was interested in touring for the summer with a professional company. He gave me the audition notice and I went to Oklahoma City for the tryout. I made it. I was 16 years old, had been out of the state only one time in my life and I was in a group of performers unknown to me except for Ann Pfast, a ventriloquist, and Betty Wright, a singer who were also in the Entertainment Bureau at school.

We left Oklahoma City in a magnificent storm. I was the smallest and sat next to the driver of one of the three cars to transport the orchestra and performers to a Camp Palacias on the coast of Texas, where we were to start our tour. We met the rest of the troupe who drive in from Des Moines, Iowa. After three days of rehearsal, the show opened.

From Texas we went to Colorado, toured north to Montana, Idaho and every state in between, finishing a day before college started in Arizona.

College was marvelous. I had my dancing school, auditioned and became baton twirler for college, finished in 3-1/2 years with a B.S. degree and lots of performances for the Bureau. My top marathon was 27 dances performed in one day!

The director had nine dates scheduled for us at high schools and civic clubs. I did three numbers in each show. That's where I got the nickname, "Dynamite" I think.

A theatrical agent called me from Kansas City and I continued to dance all holidays from school and summertime until I graduated.

After graduation I worked for an agent in Denver who sent me to San Francisco where I danced until 1946.

I was dancing at a night club called the Bon Ton at the entrance of Moffett Field in Mountain View. The owner kept renewing my contract. It's pleasant to stay in one place for awhile. I could study at San Francisco Ballet school, dance at night and refurbish costumes, etc.

The owner of the club was Mr. Ivan Sayler; he had a son, Lewis Sayler. I guess I'll never know if the audience loved my dancing or whether Lew had influence with his dad!

Now I'm still on the Peninsula, still dancing and still have that guardian angel watching over me.

I did post-graduate work at Stanford and San Francisco State, where I earned my secondary education certification. I'm a member of Dance Masters of America, Inc. and I attend National Dance Conventions and workshops regularly. I've taught at many of the Chapters of Dance Masters in the United States. I'm an Associate of the Royal Academy of Dancing, London, and hold the Advanced Teacher's certificate. These teacher organizations test their members at every level to insure their qualification to teach the subjects that they teach, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Tumbling, Ballroom, etc.

I feel very honored to have been so well received in Menlo Park. I've served 15 years on the City Recreation Board, 5 years on the Arts Commission and love walking down the street and having three generations of students wave hello, stop by to show me their children's photos, and call me from all parts of the world, just to say hello.

My last special call was from Shirley Carmichael in New York. She's teaching Rhythmic Gymnastics with Wendy Hilliard, a U.S. Olympic team member in Harlem. Last summer Judith Ann Donovan dropped in and we had to have two talk sessions there was so much to catch up on. Judy is Mrs. Thomson, has three beautiful children, and lives in Hawaii.

I think I'll write a book. This could go on and on.

-- RoseAnn

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Facts on RoseAnn Sayler

**Named Dance Masters National Teacher of the Year 1995.

**Past President, 2 terms, of local Dance Masters of America, California.

**National Vice President of Dance Masters.

**Menlo Players Guild lead in "No, No Nanette."

**Students who became dance teachers: Beth Centis Reilley, Julie Reynolds, Nona Pahulu, Paige Cook, Jan Miller, Coleen Duncan.

**Many students winning scholarships for college have been: Miss Redwood City, Miss San Mateo County, Miss San Francisco, Miss Dance of California; Carolyn Stoner was Miss California 1979.

**President of Dancers Repertory Theatre for 12 years. Performing for thousands of school children, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and "Alice at the Palace." Currently - "Horrific Halloween Hoot."

**Students on Broadway: Dottie Lester, Gayle White (currently under name Terri White).

**Students have danced with San Francisco Ballet, and various dance companies around country and in Europe. Students in local companies of Nutcracker, etc.