DANCE  |  COMMUNITY

DON BONDI  (25 March 1933 - 8 August 2017)

Dancer, teacher, choreographer, director was the first Dance Department Chair and developed the initial curriculum for the dance department at LACHSA.

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DON BONDI

Extract from "Near the Top of the Stairs: Thoughts and Memories of a Life Through Time" by Don Bondi

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How about beginning with a Bi, a circled of jade with a hole in the middle. I gave one to each graduating senior starting with the first graduation class in 1987 until I retired in 2000. I wanted to thank them as the first graduating class of a new experimental school and later in subsequent graduations to acknowledge their achievements. And finally to give them a remembrance of time; time of growth, time of friendships, and time of being special - a dancer. The Bi is a Chinese symbol of a connection between earth and heaven given to a special person on their life journey. A ceremonial presentation acknowledging creativity and friendship. The circle emphasizes friendship and the green color represents learning. All these thoughts were important to me as well on my own journey of discovery as a teacher. What do I want the students to come away with in dance - of course a dance technique but equally an awareness of who they are and their possibilities.