Sudbury Living - Spring 2008 - 51

Sudbury’s Ida Sauve has been teaching for 50 years. (She started when she was 12.) In those days, there was a stigma attached to the arts. Some people didn’t consider teaching dance a “real job,” she remembers. Thousands of former and current students are glad she quit her “day job.” In the years that followed, Sauve taught in a few locations in Sudbury’s downtown core. But she always had her eye on her current address, a former apartment building on Pine St. Sauve bought the building in 1993 and established the Ida Sauve Dance Studio. “I should have done it a hundred years earlier,” Sauve jokes. The three-ﬂoor studio allowed her to take on more projects. Both her recreational and competitive dance programs expanded. The trophies that line the main top-ﬂoor space are a testament to her many successes. During the last half century, hundreds of competitive ballet, tap, jazz and acrobatic dancers have honed their skills under Sauve’s tutelage. Some have even gone on to professional careers, and many more to teaching dance themselves; something that makes Sauve proud. But Sauve says the kids who come in once or twice a week for fun and exercise are just as important. It’s their energy that has kept her going all these years. And she says they continue to inspire her, even after 50 years. Sauve’s Golden Anniversary party is set for the weekend of May 10 and 11 at the studio. Claire Zuliani is head of the committee organizing the event. She says the highlight of the weekend will be a recital of current and former dancers. And considering the pool of talent that has passed through Sauve’s classes, Zuliani expects the performance should be exceptional. “With the number of dancers Ida has taught over the years, we have no idea what to expect,” Zuliani says. “People are living all over the place, so we really want to get the message out there that we are having this reunion. I think it will spark a lot of interest.” The committee has set up a website and a Facebook group to help promote the celebration: www.idasauve.collectivex.com or www.facebook.com, search: Ida Sauve. SL Spring 2008 Sudbury Living PHOTO BY MARG SEREGELYI Q ee 51

Sudbury Living - Spring 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sudbury Living - Spring 2008