Founders

Glenda Brown
1937-2021

Barbara Crockett
1920-2022

Cassandra Crowley
RDA/Northeast

Peggy Girouard
1933-2018

Lila Zali
1917-2003

FROM NARB TO RDA

With the closing of the national office of the National Association of Regional Ballet in 1983, regional dance found itself in a state of flux. The five regional entities remained intact and continued to operate as independent organizations, but without a national identity.

During this period, five people worked tirelessly to reorganize the regional dance movement and see it through a vital transition. The vision of these five people, Barbara Crockett, Cassandra Crowley, Glenda Brown, Peggy Girouard and Lila Zali, led to the reorganization of the national association while maintaining contact with the five individual associations.

In 1987, Regional Dance America was formed and the second chapter in the regional dance movement began.  We are forever grateful to these five women and the leaders of the five individual associations for realizing the importance of the regional dance movement and for seeing the organization through an important transition.