Ever seen a small dance company move a whole city? We sit down with Mary Elizabeth Lenahan of Dance Express, a Fort Collins nonprofit where adults with and without disabilities create performances that feel joyful, honest, and deeply human. What began with her sister Theresa’s love of rhythm has grown into a recognized cultural force, recently honored as a Legend of Dance by the University of Denver’s Dance Archive.
We dig into how Dance Express flips assumptions about what a company should look like. They don’t run a traditional studio or kids’ classes; they build shows, tour workshops to schools and community centers, and craft spaces where every body belongs onstage. Mary Elizabeth shares the heart and logistics behind two anchor events: the December event at the Lincoln Center Magnolia Theater and a May concert filled with dancer-led solos. You’ll hear why authorship matters, how inclusive choreography takes shape, and what it takes to keep the art sharp without losing the warmth that makes it special.
We also explore the unglamorous but essential side of nonprofit arts: fundraising through personal outreach, word-of-mouth marketing, and partnerships that make rehearsals and performances possible without a dedicated studio. Along the way, we talk accessibility, community legacy, and the power of archiving to preserve stories that might otherwise vanish. If you care about inclusive arts, Fort Collins culture, or the simple joy of movement, this conversation offers both inspiration and practical insight.
Join us, share this with a friend who loves dance, and leave a review so more people can discover stories like this. Subscribe for more local voices shaping the arts from the ground up.
Episode Transcript
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Nick George.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Today I have the great pleasureof introducing your good
neighbor, Mary Elizabeth, withDance Express.
Mary, how's it going today?
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Good morning, Nick.
Yes, it is Mary Elizabeth.
Mary Elizabeth Lenahan.
And I am doing quite well.
We've got gorgeous blue skieswith the clouds floating by.
Fort Collins is nice today.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Yes, it is.
Tell us all about DanceExpress.
What exactly is it?
I thought I knew what it wasjust by the name, and then you
started mentioning 501c, and Iwant to hear more.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
So Dance Express is a nonprofit, a 501c3 inclusive
dance company in Fort Collins.
So we started in 1989, and wewere incorporated in 1992.
And we it's a we're a tinydance company, we do
performances, we do workshops,we love to teach people to
(01:10):
dance, and we love to dance.
So we've been around a while.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
How did you get into this line of work?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
My sister, Teresa, was born with Down syndrome, and
she loved to dance.
She had a natural sense ofrhythm, which most people I find
with Down syndrome do.
And so when I was in Peter Panin college, she came, and then
she'd always dance with mearound the dining room, in the
living room, at home.
(01:39):
So when I moved to Colorado, Iuh got my master's in
occupational therapy and wasable to start found the dance
company here then.
So it has to do with a love ofdance and a love of my sister.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
And I've I've heard that you've won some awards.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
That's right.
So this year in 2025, the DanceArchive of Denver University
awarded us a legend of dance.
And they have been doing thatfor 21 years.
So this is the 21st year thatthey've done those awards, and
Dance Express was picked to beone of the legends of dance.
(02:23):
So it's a it's a tremendoushonor.
Uh, and it's nice to know thatwe will be remembered even when
we're not here anymore.
So they they did an interview,like this is a brief interview,
but we talked for about twohours, and then they uh are
going to keep all that in thearchive, and any records will be
(02:45):
available at Denver University.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
And don't you guys have some upcoming productions?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Oh, you are good.
Boy, Nick.
I'll tell you what, yeah, DanceExpress has a concert in
December.
It's called Holiday Suites.
It'll be at the Lincoln CenterMagnolia Theater.
I'm even going to put thelittle postcard up in the
picture there.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
There it is, all of us dancing around.
And it will be at the MagnoliaTheater Tuesday night, December
16th, and Wednesday, December17th for the matinee at one and
the show at 7.
And tickets actually go on salenext Wednesday, November 6th.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
How often do you do productions like this?
Speaker 2 (03:30):
We do regular productions at least twice a
year, and then guest appearancesas we've been asked.
Um, so generally look for us inDecember, and then also look
for us in May.
The May concert, we let thedancers decide what they want to
do in a way, which sometimescan be a little challenging
(03:52):
because each one has their ownmusic and their own style of
dance, and then we say, okay,well, let's do it a little bit
differently, but we always havesolos by all the dancers in May.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
What are some myths or misconceptions in your line
of work that that people may ormay not be aware of?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Well, here's the one thing that is crazy.
I say we're a dance company,and people hear that as a dance
studio.
So they expect us to have danceclasses and uh children in the
company, but we're not.
We're we're four adults, 16 andolder, for persons with and
(04:34):
without disabilities, and wedon't offer any classes except
by invitation.
So if perhaps you and yourgroup at your job would like to
have a dance class, you cancontract with us and we would
come in and teach something foryou, you know, or we go to
(04:55):
schools or nursing homes or evenany community center we can go
to.
And we say, Okay, would youlike to come to us?
And then some groups of peoplewho have like uh disabilities or
dementia or something like thatcan come to where we work out
(05:15):
of and we will offer a workshopfor them.
So that's pretty nice.
The one thing that is reallyamazing is that as in most dance
companies, we do not have ourown studio, we do not have our
own location.
So I don't want to say this,but we're kind of homeless.
(05:35):
We go, we've gone for 30 someodd years from place to place
and um and made it.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Yes.
That's really neat.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
So how do you market yourself?
How do you how do you get newdonors or or stay in touch with
the ones that you havedigitally?
Who who's your target um donorsource?
And how are you reaching themnow digitally?
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Well, I do have to say word of mouth is one of our
best means, especially fordancers.
But for donors and for patrons,uh I I the board works with me
to approach potential donors,and we send something
electronically through email oruh regular snail mail and follow
(06:27):
up with a phone call.
Pretty old school because weare not big, and if we had
thousands of people to workwith, uh we couldn't do our
shows, we couldn't do our job,you know.
So uh word of mouth, um holdinghands, that type of thing.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Ever thought about reaching people through
podcasting?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
You know, that's why I'm on this podcast because
everybody says, Oh, MaryElizabeth, go ahead and get on a
podcast.
So here I am.
Awesome.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
What do you do for fun when you're not having fun?
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Well, I do like to read.
I can read a book in a day.
So that's I do.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
That's me.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
And I like to watch the clouds go by in the blue
sky.
That's really nice too.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Oh what are all of the ways that people can find uh
Dance Express online and socialmedia?
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Dance Express has a website, and it's.
And we are on LinkedIn, um,Instagram, we are on Facebook,
(07:50):
we're also on Alignable, and infact, I learned about this new
good neighbors podcast from afriend who referred me from
Alignable.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Yes, Alice Moon, right?
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Alice Moon.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Yeah, I just I should have said that before we
started to make sure in case Iwas screwing up, but likely her.
She's she's been great.
Well she knows everybody,right?
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Well, she seems to want to know everybody.
So, yeah, and so those arepretty much our our main places
to look for us.
And today being live onLinkedIn is going to be
something new.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Is there a phone number?
Speaker 2 (08:24):
970-493-2113.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Well, Mary Elizabeth, we really appreciate you being
on the show, and we definitelywish you and Dance Express the
very best moving forward.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Thank you, Nick.
Bravo.
Speaker (08:40):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tognpfortcollins.com.
That's gmpfortcollins.com.
Or call 970 438 0825.
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