When Frank Shawl and Victor Anderson sank roots in the Bay Area from New York City 60 years ago they discovered a gaping void in the Bay Area arts scene: contemporary dance had no home in the East Bay and with no home it was unable to enlighten, inspire, uplift and create fellowship in the community. There was no place where young dancers could be exposed to a variety of movement styles, from modern to ballet and more, and schooled in the art’s ethos of community, celebration and discipline. Without such a base, it meant not only that the art form was unable to grow in the East Bay, but also that modern dance and its sister genres were unable to enhance the cultural and spiritual well-being of the community. Having taken to heart the approach of their New York mentor, May O'Donnell, who believed that dance should be available to all who desired it, Shawl and Anderson set out to create the Shawl-Anderson Dance Center (SADC) in Berkeley in 1958.
2704 Alcatraz Avenue, Berkeley, CA
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