Mission Statement:
Our mission is to cultivate and
nurture a love and knowledge of the performing arts. We train the aspiring
artist with a three fold emphasis: dance, voice and drama.
Continuing in the
tradition of the founder, Dorothy Lundstrum, our approach is grounded in the
principle that true beauty is a reflection of God and begins within.
For those who are not
professionally inclined, we utilize the performing arts as a vehicle to
increase self-esteem, creativity, fitness, mental health, motor skills, and
coordination.
We do this in a fun
affirming atmosphere. Our classes are open to students of all backgrounds to
ensure enrichment to our surrounding communities. Work study and grants are
available.
History of the Lundstrum Center
The Lundstrum Studio began in the
1920s when a 15-year-old girl named
Dorothy Lundstrum took over the Ascension
School of Dance with her two sisters, Lorraine and Marion. In those 70 years
Dorothy launched what proved to be an amazing legacy on the north side of
Minneapolis.
Dorothy taught and mentored hundreds of
students in the arts of dance, charm and fashion. Dorothy’s charism was
beyond that of "teacher". She had a unique ability to recognize each
person’s inner beauty and nurture one's depth of character. When Dorothy
died in November of 1998, she willed her studio to the five Casserly sisters,
daughters of her lifetime pupil and beloved
friend Lois Melsha -Casserly.
In the year 2000 the doors reopened with
an expanded curriculum of dance, voice and drama, creating a New York,
Minneapolis network for visiting and local performing artists.
The Lundstrum Center for
the Performing Arts fills a niche in the Twin
Cities for beginners as well as musical theatre professionals who wish to hone
their craft. The veteran faculty has passion and vision,
and a desire to "give back".
Below is an article from The
Catholic Spirit, (used with permission), which ran June 8, 2000:
Sister act: Casserlys to reopen and
expand dance studio at Ascension
By Emilie Ast
The Catholic Spirit
 |
| Sisters
Janie McMonagle (top left), Sue Casserly-Kosel (top right) and Amy
Ellis, along with Kerry Casserly and Laurie Coleman, are opening their
former teacher's dance studio as the Lundstrum Center for the Performing
Arts. (The women are nieces of former Catholic Bulletin editor
Bernard Casserly.)
Photo by Dave Hrbacek, The
Catholic Spirit |
Amy Casserly Ellis waves an arm through the
dusty air in the old dance studio and looks as if she is about to do a spin.
"When I walk in here, I just feel like
Dorothy's spirit is here," she says. I can hear that piano."
The studio, adjacent to Ascension Church in
north Minneapolis, has been vacant since its longtime teacher, Dorothy Lundstrum,
died in fall 1998. Lundstrum had become known not just for her dance
classes, but for teaching her pupils about charm and inner beauty.
Amy and her siblings -- four sisters and a
brother -- were among the hundreds of children nurtured by Lundstrum's care. All
went on to pursue careers in music, dance and theater.
Now the Casserly sisters hope to revive their
teacher's name and spirit by reopening the studio and expanding its focus --
using the family's dynamic blend of talents.
They just signed a new lease with Ascension and
plan to open the Lundstrum Center for the Performing Arts June 19, with a
limited summer class schedule. A grand opening will be held this fall when the
center is open "full-swing," Amy said.
Over
the years, Lundstrum had mentioned the idea of the sisters taking over her work,
but nothing was ever nailed down until she left the studio to Amy in her will.
"Through me, she meant everybody," Amy
said. And all five sisters chose to be involved -- a decision they made shortly
after their mother, Lois, died in February 1999.
"The space is inspirational to us, and it
always has been," said Sue Casserly-Kosel, the oldest of the six siblings.
In addition to Amy and Sue, there are Janie
McMonagle, the youngest; Kerry Casserly, who is leaving a teaching and
performing career in New York City to be a part of the enterprise, and Laurie
Coleman, whose husband Norm Coleman is St. Paul's mayor.
Classes will focus on musical theater and
emphasize three areas: dance, drama and voice. "In New York, they call that
a 'triple threat' -- when you can do all those things competently," Amy
said.
Amy will be executive director and teach
children's theater and dance. Sue, who has an opera background, will be the
vocal director. Kerry, who has worked with top New York choreographers, will
oversee the curriculum as artistic director and primary teacher. Janie will
teach ballet and jazz.
Laurie, as an adjunct instructor, will teach
acting and ballet. Their younger brother, Robert Casserly, also may teach some
acting classes.
Reaching
low-income children in the north Minneapolis neighborhood will be a priority for
the center. The sisters said they hope to work with Ascension School's
after-school program, and parish members get a discount on class prices.
Sue added that the sisters "want to carry
on Dorothy's vision -- the way she related to each student and imbued them with
self-worth and the spirit of God."
Janie remembered how Lundstrum would gather her
impressionable students in a circle after class and talk to them about looking
for the inner beauty in people.
Their teacher seemed to live with such a strong
sense of personal faith that people were "drawn to it," Janie said.
