<\/a>A Juneau Empire article written by Betsy Longenbaugh in January 1985 features Juneau Dance Theatre when it was known as Juneau Dance Unlimited. (Photo courtesy of Bridget Lujan)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
When the organization was formed in 1975, the purpose was to bring in guest artists and have training seminars. Bridget Lujan, executive director of JDT, said it was more of a festival style then. Now JDT is a year-round dance institution that offers outreach across the community.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“The dancing is getting better and better,” she said. “I think the technical strength of our dance instruction, and the strength of the fundamentals that we teach, speaks for itself and is helping the program to grow. I believe we are evolving as an organization because we appeal to more of the community. We do collaborations with Theater Alaska. We have done outreach for the schools. We have guest artists come here and teach. We’re working with other artists across different disciplines in the arts. In 2021 we expanded from our ballet program to add the dance team, an adult program, a recreational division — we’re big enough now where we can offer something for everyone.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
All funds from the gala go toward supporting JDT’s programming. There will also be opportunities to donate to JDT’s scholarship fund. Normally at this time of year, JDT partners with Theater Alaska for Juneau’s Got Talent, but the event is on hiatus until 2026.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t