Terry Ann Sendgraff

1933 - 2019

Terry Ann Sendgraff
October 12, 1933 ~ September 6, 2019
Resident of Oakland, California
Terry Sendgraff, dance pioneer, matriarch of aerial dance, visionary artist, and deeply influential teacher transitioned peacefully at home in Oakland California on September 6, 2019 following an extended illness. She was 85 years old.
Terry was born in Ft. Myers Florida to Harold Joseph (Terry) Dolson and Ruth M Dolson. She earned a BA in Recreation in 1955 from Penn State, an MA in Dance from the University of Colorado, and an MA in Clinical Psychology from JFK University.
In the early 1970s Terry moved to the Bay Area where she combined her technical background in dance and gymnastics with her passion for improvisation, authenticity, and the healing arts, naming her work Motivity. She added trapezes and other suspended apparatus to Motivity long before the genre that was to be known as Aerial Dance had its name. Terry is credited with discovering the single point trapeze that allowed expansive possibilities not seen with parallel rope trapezes. She has been called the "mother of aerial dance" because of her impact on so many aerial artists both locally and nationally.As a teacher, Terry provided gentle and kind guidance, allowing so many to blossom physically and emotionally in her care, each encouraged to find their own dance.
As a performer and choreographer, Terry produced hundreds of solo shows, collaborations, and group pieces. Her style ranged from whimsical to profound and combined her compelling charisma with her sculptural artistry. She created dance companies including Fly By Nite, the first women's trapeze troupe in the country; Women Walking Tall, a stilt troupe that empowered a cast of hundreds of women; and many and varied Motivity Company productions.
Terry published her memoir Can You See Me Flying: Memoir of an Aerial Dance Pioneer in July 2018. She received Isadora Duncan Dance Awards for Solo Performance (1989) and Sustained Achievement (2005).
Terry is survived by her loving wife and partner of nearly 35 years, Aileen Moffitt. She will long be remembered and celebrated by a large group of loving friends, colleagues, collaborators, dancers, and students.
Memorial gifts can be made to the Terry Sendgraff Scholarship Fund. Inquire about the fund and Celebration of Life info via email to terrysendgraffmemorial@gmail.com


View the online memorial for Terry Ann Sendgraff