Joan Woodbury

Joan Jones Woodbury

1927 - 2023

Salt Lake City, UT-Born Joan Jones on September 21, 1927 in Cedar City, Utah to Lehi Milton Jones and Bernella Gardner Jones. Joan was a daughter of Cedar in the truest sense as her great grandfather, Henry Lunt, helped found the town. Through her rancher father, Joan gained her strong work ethic as she helped with the farm, herding livestock, and the family's general store. Through her mother, an accomplished pianist, she gained her love of music, singing, and the arts. This varied upbringing set the trajectory for her extraordinary life and attitude, one with an overriding sense of joy for the work you love, commitment to community, selflessness, openness, inclusiveness, integrity, and hard work.

Joan's love of movement came early. She said of herself, "As a kid I loved to move, to sing, to run, jump, and play out of doors. It made me feel totally alive. I began to understand that it was through movement that I understood life."

Joan graduated from Cedar City High School and went on to Branch Agricultural College (BAC, now Southern Utah University) where she danced under the tutelage of La Veve Whetten. Upon graduating, Joan went to the University of Wisconsin in Madison to continue her studies in dance under Margaret H'Doubler. While there, Joan also studied under Louise Kloepper, who in the 1920s had studied with pioneer expressionist dancer Mary Wigman in Germany. In 1949, Kloepper encouraged Joan to take a summer workshop from Hanya Holm (another Wigman protégé) in Colorado Springs. It was in that crucible where Joan met Alwin Nikolais, visionary dancer, philosopher, and avant garde choreographer. Something magical clicked philosophically between the two. Nik became her mentor and inspiration for the rest of her life. She taught many classes and workshops for Nik in NYC and Europe over many years, and staged several operas when he couldn't, including Menotti's "Help, Help, the Globolinks" in Santa Fe. She also helped produce many summer dance workshops in Utah, bringing in Nik, Murray Louis, and other notable choreographers, starting in the big blue church in Park City that she and husband Charlie owned from 1962 to 1976.

Joan received her BS and MS degrees in Dance at Madison in 1951. She then accepted an offer from Elizabeth Hayes to become the University of Utah's (UU) first full time dance instructor. She loved teaching about all things dance (history, technique, improvisation, choreography, folk, square, latin, and ballroom), and because Dance was in the PE department she also taught swimming, tennis and body mechanics. In 1952 she married her sweetheart from BAC, Charles E. (Charlie) Woodbury, accomplished athlete, educator, and outdoorsman. It was around this time she also met her long-time collaborator and kindred spirit, Shirley Ririe. In that same year, Joan and Shirley formed Choreodancers, their first dance company.

In 1955, Joan received the first Fulbright Scholarship awarded in dance and off she and Charlie went to Berlin to study with Mary Wigman. Shortly after arriving, Joan gave birth to their first child and was hard at work in Mary's studio two weeks later; the two remained close friends until Mary's death. After an inspiring year in Europe, Joan and family moved to Park City and she resumed teaching at UU in 1956. Joan shared her full-time position with Shirley so they could both work and raise families; together with Betty Hayes, they built one of the most preeminent modern dance departments in the US. Around 1958, Choreodancers evolved into Dancer's Company, which in 1964 became the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company (RWDC). In 1966, Joan was asked to become artistic advisor to the newly formed Repertory Dance Theatre to help get the fledgling company started. For this, RWDC went on hiatus until 1969 when it resumed operations which continue today.

Joan was a Professor of Dance at UU for 47 years and taught in every US state, Canada, and on every continent except Antarctica. She was the recipient of numerous awards from UU, including many Creative Research Awards, Honorary Alumnus Award, Professor Emerita of Dance Award, and Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts. She also received Dance Professional of the Year Award (National Dance Association), Honorary Teaching Award (U of Wisconsin), two Honorary Doctorates from SUU (Humanities and Fine Arts), and was recognized in the inaugural edition of "Utah's 15". She managed to juggle teaching at UU, run a company, choreograph >100 dances, publish articles and workbooks, teach for Nik, serve on countless committees, and raise a family with the support of a very loving husband.

Those who knew Joan knew that her energy and commitment to all things art was boundless and unwavering. To her, dance and the arts were a fundamental part of being human. She maintained a constant sense of curiosity and was generous with her knowledge, encouragement, laughter, and love. She never tired of helping others develop their craft, relished different perspectives on life and art, and wanted people to find their authentic selves. If asked a question one needed to be ready for an honest yet constructive answer, reflecting Joan's commitment to professionalism, always challenging dancers and choreographers to reach beyond their skills so their vision was clearly realized. She knew there was more to shows than simply performing, and was always appreciative of the large cast of supporting professionals that made shows possible. Joan was a tireless advocate for the arts and served on countless committees at the University, State, and national levels including many years with the National Endowment for the Arts. Her impact on dance in Utah, across the country, and abroad is not easily defined, yet she influenced generations of dancers, composers, filmmakers, educators, and arts administrators. Above all, Joan believed in an acceptance of others for who they were, that dance and the arts were a right and not a privilege, and that it was through the arts that we became better human beings.

At home, Joan filled her family's lives with artists, new music, travel, fine art, and love. Her Christmas Eve parties were a local fixture, filled with a wonderfully diverse entourage of artists and friends, chili, music and, of course, caroling. She always supported her children in anything they wanted to do. She indulged (and endured) whatever pets they wanted, including birds, dogs, Paco the monkey, lizards, turtles, alligators, and the occasional pregnant cat, even going so far as to smuggle a python onto a plane back from NYC in her handbag. Her two granddaughters (not dancers, although she tried), found joy in the arts & sciences, a trait undeniably passed down through Joan's curiosity and fervor. She never doubted that they would find their path and passion, she nurtured every fork in the road and stood behind them no matter what. There were many lessons to be learned just from being around her-most importantly that giving love, pursuing truth, and being unapologetically oneself are the most worthwhile things you can do in life. She was pure light-a lover of black licorice and crossword puzzles, NCIS and French music (which she often blasted through the house), and the color red. Her laugh was inimitable, full of untethered joy and unleashed with abandon. If you were around her, it was impossible not to join in. She was a free bird who found beauty in everything, and inspired us all to be the same.

Joan passed away peacefully on 1 November surrounded by family. She was preceded in death by her husband Charlie and her siblings Cynthia Line, Marolyn Siddoway, and Kerry Jones. She is survived by her youngest brother Kenneth Jones, her children Todd (Heidi DeWitt), Jeff (Debbie Shore), and Jena Woodbury (Casey Jarman), and granddaughters Cali and Lauren Woodbury.

"I've had a great life. One which I could never have imagined. A fabulous childhood, wonderful marriage, three amazingly talented and interesting children, great dance training and experiences, fulfilling career, and amazing dance cohorts and friends from all over the world along the way. Can't ask for more."

The family wishes to thank Dr. James Pearl and Rosario Gill for their many years of love and care for this remarkable woman, staff at the VA, and the myriad extended family members and friends who have shared their memories of Joan with us. In lieu of flowers please send donations to Ririe-Woodbury or other non-profit performing arts organization of your choice.

A celebration of Joan's life will be held on 7 April, 2024 at 2:00 pm in the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 West Broadway, SLC, UT.