News at St. Catherine's
Celebrating 50 Years of the Joni Rodman Dance Theatre
Since its inception 50 years ago, the Joni Rodman Dance Theatre provided a haven for many talented dancers on campus, challenging them to reach deeply as dancers while bringing out their best very best. St. Catherine’s alumnae dancers now grace stages, classrooms and venues around the world. We are excited to gather at St. Catherine’s on October 20-21, 2023 to celebrate 50 years of Joni.
The Joni Rodman Dance Theatre began in 1973 and was named in honor of Joni Rodman, a St. Catherine’s boarder who died suddenly during her senior year in 1973. Rodman was passionate about dancing and was invited to spend three weeks at the United States International
University in San Diego to audition for the dance program. She traveled to California for Minimester, now known as X-Term.
She died in her sleep of natural causes on March 7, 1973. At the time, Rodman was planning a dance program to be performed right before graduation. A notebook held her ideas, notes on choreography and music choices. Under the direction of then-dance instructor Lucy
Stockdell, Rodman’s friends developed a full memorial production entitled “Joni, Our Dance is Love.” Dancers from the Richmond Ballet performed a piece called “The Unanswered Question.”
“At St. Catherine’s, the word ‘Joni’ means ‘Dance’,” Rodman’s mother Helen Rodman wrote in her book “From This Day Forward.”
Over the years, the Joni instructors worked hard to make the experience work for dancers of all levels — from the Richmond Ballet trainees to those still discovering their dance path. Today it’s not surprising to find a Joni dancer starting on the field hockey team, starring in an Ampersand
show or dancing in a Richmond Ballet production.
Half of the Upper School Joni dancers play at least one sport at St. Catherine’s. Just under half take dance classes outside of St. Catherine’s (representing eight different studios) and one-third of the dancers are actively involved in other performing arts ensembles at School.
Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
