National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame

The National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame, in the Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga, New York, was established in 1986 and is the only museum in the nation dedicated entirely to dance. It contains photographs, videos, artifacts, costumes and biographies. The museum is located in the former Washington Bath House and was founded in 1986 by Marylou Whitney. It is related to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and also provides dance classes and master classes through the Lewis A. Swyer School for the Arts, which hosts the New York State Summer School of the Arts during the months of July and August.^[1]

Mission statement

The mission of the NMD is to cultivate, promote, foster and develop amongst its members and the community at large, the appreciation, understanding, taste and love of dance and its history, and to provide the means for popular instruction and enjoyment thereof; to collect, classify, preserve and protect records, articles and subjects of historic interest; to select, annually, one or more individuals, corporations, dance companies, associations or other institutions as honorees to be named in the National Museum of Dance Hall of Fame.^[2]

Saratoga En Pointe

In 2013, the National Museum of Dance began a sensational project: Saratoga En Pointe. The museum chose twenty-four artists to decorate five-foot tall pointe shoe sculptures, which will be displayed at select locations across the city of Saratoga Springs, similar to the popular sculptures of the Horses, Saratoga Style project. The project will double as a fundraiser for the National Museum of Dance and a citywide art exhibition & tourist attraction. Sponsors such as Witt Construction, Arthur Murray Dance Centers, DZ Restaurants, Saratoga Hilton, Saratoga Springs City Center, Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau, Mary Martin & Company, Hidden Gardens, The Adirondack Trust Company, Frank Adams Jewelers, N. Fox Jewelers, Pink Paddock, Rivolous, Brause Really Inc., Stewart's Shop and The Benjamin Smile all made Saratoga En Pointe possible. This project was initiated by Michele Riggi.

The Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame

The Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame collection was provided to the Museum in 1987. The Hall of Fame annually inducts one individual from the dance world.

Inductees

List of the inductees into the Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame of the National Museum of Dance (United States).

See also

• Swing Dance Hall of Fame
• Dance Music Hall of Fame

References

External links

• National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame
• NY Times article by James Howard Kunstler, June 12, 1988
• Times Union article by Joseph Dalton, May 2, 2010