Marilyn Wood Marilyn Wood founded Marilyn School of Dance in 1950.  During her teaching career she not only trained thousands of young people in the art of dance, but had been involved in all of the arts in the area of La Crosse, Wisconsin.      Marilyn choreographed the first Community Theater musical, Bells are Ringing, and continued to choreograph all of the Community Theater musicals for many years.  She helped found The Great River Festival Arts, along with Frank and Lenore Italiano.      Marilyn Choreographed dances that her students have performed with the GRFA Symphony Orchestra in La Crosse  at Myrick Park and Dodgeville, Wisconsin.      The dance school was operated under the co-directorship of Marilyn, her daughter, Julie Olson, and Suzanne Swanson Wagner.  Julie and Suzanne both started dance lessons with Marilyn at the age of five.  Suzanne became the artistic director and owner in 1996 when Marilyn retired after 50 years of teaching.

 

Carl Swanson II      I started at Marilyn School of dance at the age of seven, where I studied while in high school and throughout college at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.  In addition, I studied with numerous dance artists through the Great River Festival of Arts Dance Work Shop each summer.  I was wonderful how Marilyn Wood Worked to expand the dance experience in the La Crosse area by bringing in exceptional teachers and opportunities to us through GRFA.       I was offered a dance scholarship to the Dance Program at St. Mary's College in Winona, MN.  I did a summer apprenticeship at Jacob's Pillow in the Berkshire Mountains of MS, very much the hub of the dance world with numerous classes with guest artist and performances by national and international dance companies.      After college, I went on to dance professionally with the Wisconsin Dance Co. and then with the Milwaukee BalletCo.  After successfully auditioning for an Opera Ballet Co. in Germany, I retired from dance due to a back injury.       I went back to school to receive a Doctorate in Pharmacy.  Although no longer dancing, I stay active with Tai Qi.  I am married and we have a daughter.      Some of my fondest memories include dancing with my sister Suzanne and "tossing her around"; performing in the recital and then in the Dream Ballet in Oklahoma with a severely sprained foot.  I had to wear a hard-soled shoe on that foot to protect it, with a white sock pulled over the top.  Between dances I had to plunge my foot into a bucket of ice.  I was so honored to return to La Crosse to be on the GRFA Dance Faculty.      KUDOS to Marilyn!  I still retain my flexibility and appreciation of music and dance.  Suzanne, I am so proud of you for caring on the tradition of Marilyn's.  I send you my love!

 

Kathleen (Van De Veere) Weisbecker       When I think back to memories of growing up, the days at Marilyn School of Dance top my list.  I began at the age of six, as I proudly pranced on stage as a lime green "Glowworm".       One moment I will never forget, in the choreography for "Skates Ballet", Marilyn had me at the end of a crack-the-whip line.  I was staged to fly off into the wings, where, during the rehearsal, fell at the feet of Suzanne, whom I had never met.  She looked down at me and said, as only she can, "You can't do that!"  And from the house Marilyn yelled back, "Leave her alone, Suzanne!" Needless to say, I was a bit frightened stepping into that Ballet 3 class for the first time, but what I grew to discover was what an incredible teaching staff I had.       Since I left La Crosse and Marilyn's, I have been working and performing full time in the field of dance, music, theater and film.  I continue to teach the wonderful lessons I learned at Marilyn's to countless students around the country.  My training with Suzanne Swanson Wagner and Marilyn Wood has landed me jobs with Six Flags theme Parks, The Mississippi Queen Steamboat and a judging position with I Love Dance.  Thank you Marilyn's and I LOVE YOU!

 

Karen Gersch      After completing a one-year dance scholarship at EDGE Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles in 1992, I've been lucky enough to be performing professionally ever since.  I have danced in Japan, India and for Holland American Cruise Lines.  I've worked with many of the leading "commercial" choreographers in LA.  Recently, I have branched out into musical theater in Southern California.  Some of my favorite shows have been 42nd Street, The Who's Tommy, Will Rogers Follies and Cabaret- the first three of which I was the assistant choreographer. Although, because I started a little late on the "triple threat" thing, I'm still waiting for my big break!      I am and will be eternally grateful for the incredible training I received a Marilyn School of Dance.  All of my teachers at MSD created such a solid foundation of technique that I continually rely on.  So, to all my teachers, THANK YOU!  A special thanks to Suzanne Swanson Wagner, who helped open some of the first doors for me!

 
 

Sarah Solie Shannon      Sarah is a graduate of Onalaska High School and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She is thrilled to be making a living in musical theater and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.  She has been "On Broadway" in the original cast of Disney's "Beauty and Beast" and "Steel Pier".  She is currently in the touring company of "Titanic".      What can I say about a place where I spent two nights a week for 13 years?  How can I describe the Lasting effects of countless hours spent under the guidance of teachers who were so dedicated to their work?  Being a student at Marilyn School of Dance was truly a growing experience.  It provided a wonderful, non-competitive learning environment for so many young dancers.      I can remember the awe and respect I felt as a child, watching the more advanced dancer, and particularly Suzanne Swanson Wagner.  Years later, I felt that same awe when I was actually able to dance beside her!  Her guidance and teaching through the years will never be forgotten.  Her dedication to constantly educating herself as a teacher by attending workshops and conventions had kept us all interested and excited about dance.      Marilyn Wood provided an environment with so much opportunity to excel.  During my years at the school, I was honored to study with some of the most famous names in the dance world right at home.  My sincere thanks go out to her for making that possible for us.

 

Frank Italiano      To begin this series on The Art of Living, I have chosen to write about a man who truly epitomizes this topic, Francesco Italiano.  I have heard sung the praises of this man and Maestro over the numerous years that our family has lived in the Coulee Region.  I was only fortunate enough to meet him just recently at a Memoirs Celebration of his life.      Oct.  16th and 17th the La Crosse Public Library hosted the event.  As I entered the stage room, my eyes searched for a regal stature with dark Italian features and a face that showed a sophistication of years conducting and playing the greatest music ever written.  But a meek and gentle man came to greet me, not so tall and slowed by a long life rich in experience and grand adventures.       Francesco Italiano was the first born American of his family and his parents groomed him to become a priest or a doctor.  He chose medicine and began to study chemistry.  However, music was calling him.  A teacher suggested the flute, but his parents purchased a clarinet from the Sears & Roebuck catalog as it was less expensive.  A career in music was not considered probable, but became an invested hobby for the young Italiano.  That investment included summer workshops with such legions as Ray DeVork and he was the conducting pupil of Leonard Bernstein.  Francesco graduated with a teaching degree in science and he left his college years with a legacy: the Carol College Orchestra, which he organized and  conducted.  It is still in existence to this day.      As it is with many Midwestern school districts, teachers needed to have more to offer the system than the teaching of the 3R's and Francesco was hired to teach music as well as science in Cashton and then in Richland Center, WI.  He then felt called to serve his country at war in his early 40's, leaving wife and children to join the Navy.  While in service he conducted the Shangai (China) Orchestra and the Navy's Seventh Fleet Flag Band.      In 1960, Francesco Italiano came up with a revolutionary idea: to bring about a special training of young musicians by coupling talented students with professional artists for intensive music training.  An idea that has become a part of major symphonies around the world was birthed and orchestrated in La Crosse as the Coulee Region Festival of Arts.       The Festival of Arts also included classical dance with a program that was created by co-founder Marilyn Wood, who was also the founder and director of La Crosse's first dance school, Marilyn School of Dance.  A very young talent grew up in dance as a part of the program.  Our very own Suzanne Swanson Wagner became one of the Festival of Arts' longest attendees.      In 1976, the festival was renamed the Great River Festival of Arts, which co-sponsored with the Symphony of the Hills, The Symphony School of America (both founded by Italiano).  The School performed a fabulous summer concert series and brought in special artists from the Vienna State Opera, Pacific Ballet, concert pianists and violinists and the like; as well as high lighted the local talent in dance and music.  This rural region of Wisconsin had once been referred to by a national magazine as the "cultural dust bowl of America", but by August of '67 was  mentioned in TIME as, "Known and respected as champions of art, the people of La Crosse are also known as a skilled labor force."      As I visited with the Italianos, and perused the massive collection of memorabilia, seeing the faces of the many lives he had touched, my affection   for this man grew.  I saw a man who is very much a visionary, who brought about a great many events, had enriched the lives of thousands, and who would long after  be responsible for the enrichment of  perhaps millions  as the seeds of his life spring up in generations to come.

 

Catherine Treu      Catherine Treu graduated from Marilyn's School of dance in 91, and has been dancing ever since. She started out at Busch Gardens, Virginia, danced on cruise ships that sailed the Caribbean and Mediterranean, and danced in shows in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. She recently went on tour with the "Masked Magician", who appeared on FOX network with his magic specials. Currently, she's doing "Stars in Concert"  at the Estrel Hotel in Berlin, and will be there for an extended period of time due to romantic reasons. Thanks for the great ballet background Suzanne and Marilyn, it's really made a difference in my career.

 

April Farrell      Since graduating from high school in 1992 and leaving my "second family" at Marilyn School of Dance, many exciting things have happened.  I spent two years dancing professionally in Los Angeles, CA.  I spent one of those two years at a pre-professional scholarship program at Edge Performing Arts Center and spent the second year auditioning regularly under the Bobby Ball Talent Agency and performing in various stage and film productions.  Although it was the experience of a lifetime that I would not trade for anything in this world, the professional dance world was not for me.  I returned to Minnesota to earn a degree in Nutrition from the University of Minnesota while teaching jazz and ballet at Dance Spectrum in St. Paul, MN.  I am currently in my second year of Medical School at the University of Minnesota, and  I recently got married!!       As for my experience at Marilyn School of Dance,  there is not a day that goes by that isn’t influenced by my life as a dancer in some way.  I believe that dance, along with the dedicated teachers at Marilyn School of Dance, gave me the dedication, strength, and perseverance to reach for and succeed in my dreams.  Dance gave me the discipline to work hard in all aspects of my life.  At Marilyn School of Dance I also made lifelong friends who will always be near and dear to my heart.  And without the caring, supportive guidance I was given by both Marilyn and Suzanne, I’m not sure that I would have found the passion and love for dance that I did.        And even though dance doesn’t play as central a role in my life as it once did, it will always be in my heart and a part of the person I am today.  Thank you Suzanne and Marilyn for that very amazing gift.

 

Jamie Brubaker      I am currently residing in Santa Monica, California and working as a Production Supervisor at an Image Production company.  I help design and produce a "look" for recording artists, and actors in the television and motion picture industry.  My many years at Marilyn's School of Dance and the instruction I received has had an incredible impact on my life.  Suzanne Swanson Wagner not only instilled in me how to do a perfect plie, but she built self confidence and discipline that has shaped me into the person I am today. She taught us to reach for our dreams and opened our eyes to the world of dance outside of La  Crosse, Wisconsin.  Because of her I had the courage and the support to pursue a professional dance career that took me to New York City and on a national tour.  I am so thankful for the experiences and friendships made at Marilyn's and for such a wonderful teacher in Suzanne.