Founded in 1998 by award winning choreographer, Lee Anne Hartley, FUNHOUSE movement theater has reached over 67,500 people in its twenty year history. Producing highly acclaimed concerts, FUNHOUSE movement theater is a well respected contemporary dance company in southern Arizona.
Our award winning Youth Outreach Program focuses on low-income students from greater Tucson. It has served over twenty schools. Programs include an interactive lecture demonstration, dance classes, and student created performances. We have also had two consecutive summer arts camp which were extremely well received by campers and families. No child was turned away for socioeconomic reasons. Ninety percent of campers received financial aid.
Within the community, we provide services including concerts, dances, classes, and residencies to the general population, community organizations, dance organizations, and school districts of Arizona.
Our Community Dance Program has been effective in maintaining a presence in the community with limited resources. Participating in other community dance venues including ZUZI's No Frills Concert Series, Zuzi's Summer Solstice Concert, Ballet Rincon's Annual Dance Concerts, and Southern Arizona Dance Festival has allowed our founder, multiple choreographers to create new choreography for the company. Some of the choreography developed for these community projects has been incorporated into our lecture demonstration for our Youth Outreach Program keeping this aspect of the program fresh and interesting.
In addition, our collaboration with a new choreographer from the community resulted in a premiere of two new Butoh works, Salt Patterns Shifting and Karma Extinction, that debuted in the Zuzi 2019 Spring No Frills Concert and Zuzi's 2019 Winter Solstice Concert. Salt Patterns Shiftings was invited to be performed in Seattle at the International Daipan Butoh Festival in November 2019. Additionally, a new Butoh piece will be performed at the Yume Japanese Gardens on April 4, 2020., and Sherry Mulholland, the artistic director, and Bethanne Griffin from Dance Aloud, co-choreographed Kaleidoscope: A Hitchcock Inspired Work In Progress. It was performed at Zuzi's 2019 Summer Solstice Concert. All three new pieces received high praise from audiences.
We have new schools contact us about residencies, are invited annually to have our professional company participate in concerts, have increased shared in-kind resources and an increase in exposure to new audiences through our Youth Outreach Program performances, Summer Arts Camps, and company performances.
Testimonials
Comments regarding Funhouse choreography:
Hokusai by Lee Anne Hartley hailed as "visual poetry" by the Seattle Times.
Kaleidoscope by Sherry Mulholland and Bethanne Griffin "Mesmerizing." "I couldn't look away." "I can't wait to see more."
Salt Patterns Shifting by Lin Lucas " Psychedelic. Visually stunning and disturbing."
Karma Extinction by Lin Lucas "It touched me so deeply." "It moved me to tears."
Quotes from our third grade dance residencies:
Participating teachers- "I think teaching kids that their ideas have merit, and that it is essential that they collaborate is very significant." "This residency has made my class work together and get along for a common cause."
Students said "Can we do dance all year?" "This is the best thing ever."