Lynda Lorimer Plasse 

Pioneering dancer, instructor, choreographer, director and producer, “First Lady of Dance,”  Lynda Lorimer Plasse lived a visionary life as she charted the course of dance in Alaska. She provided the foundation for many types of movement and cultural experiences in our state over a nearly forty-year span. Lynda bridged the distance that separated Alaskan performing arts from the Lower 48 by being the first to bring guest artists to appear on stage, and to work across a range of disciplines incorporating dance into other performance mediums. Lynda was born in Nebraska in on March 30, 1918. She lived in California in her formative years, receiving early training by Russian teachers Theodore Kosloff and Madame Bekefi. She also studied 10 years with William Christensen, director of the San Francisco Opera Ballet Company. She danced professionally for Paramount and Orpheum Theaters and owned her own studio in Oakland, CA. 

In 1955 Lynda arrived in Alaska and began teaching at Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson Army Base. In 1956 she bought, and began operating the Conservatory of Dance from Ruth Meigs whose school was “Kengis-Meigs School” at 915 6th Avenue, which originally opened in 1953. There she infused her regimented Russian and Cecchetti ballet background to develop students strong and rigorously immersed in classical ballet. Over the course of the next 38 years, she was a tour du force, beginning in 1958 with Anchorage Civic Ballet (ACB) students performing "Graduation Ball” and "Amahl and the Night Visitor.” The next year, in 1959, she produced a Christmas production for a local television station, and in 1960 choreographed, performed in, and directed the first ACB production, also with a symphony orchestra. It was also in 1960 that “The Nutcracker” traditions began, which continue to this day. Collaborations continued annually with enthusiastic volunteer support; from the stage crew, costume designers, musicians, to marketing and ticket sales. 

Accolades and high praise for Lynda’s talented outreach stretched across numerous organizations. In addition to numerous annual performances on Elmendorf and Ft. Rich, she forged affiliations and performance collaborations with; the Anchorage Community College, Anchorage Community Theatre, Alaska Methodist University (APU), Alaska State Dance Festival, the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, Anchorage Opera, Valley Performing Arts and the Alaska State Council of the Arts. She created new groups in the early 1970’s such as Children’s Ballet Theatre, and collaborated with Theatre I, and Tosssingers. Her company performed in the Mat-Su Valley, Valdez, Cordova, Yakutat, Kodiak, Kenai, Homer, and beyond. 

Starting with Patricia Carleton in 1965, Lynda invited numerous guest artists to Alaska, including Steve Primis in 1967, and in the 1970’s and beyond, she gave young students many opportunities to be guided by and perform with dancers on a higher artistic level. Whether it was an Anchorage pageant intermission event, a fashion show, the Ptarmigan Roost Saloon, or an Anchorage Opera performance, Lorimer Plasse was involved. Additionally, Lynda’s participation in the Pacific Regional Ballet Festival beginning in 1971 allowed those under her tutelage to take lessons from world-renowned dancers and instructors, giving Alaskan students exposure to professionals and their peers in the “lower 48.” “My repeated performances as an Anchorage Civic Ballet corps member as part of the Pacific Regional Ballet Festival set a high bar of dance technique and perfection to aim toward. It also demonstrated that Alaskan dancers were on par with other West Coast companies. For me, it was a privilege to take workshops taught by world-acclaimed dancers, which eventually led me to acceptance at New York’s Harkness House for the Ballet Arts,” says Karen Augestad Casanovas. 

Lynda taught generations of students who went on to successful dance careers—including some exceptional students. Elise and Laura Flagg, were accepted to study under George Balanchine, becoming members of the New York City Ballet. Linda Reifsnyder Jenkins; Chicago Ballet, Kiel Ballet, is now Curriculum Director of The Florida Ballet, and, local dance educator, Alice Bassler Sullivan. “Lynda’s interests were always for her students,” said Alice, former ACB dancer, and founder of Alaska Dance Theatre, Eagle River Ballet and DanceArts Alaska. “She wanted to give her students all the opportunities to study, perform and teach.” Alice has become one of Alaska’s longest serving instructors and advocates for dance in our state. 

 In 1984 Lynda’s longtime dream of owning a proper dance facility, opened as the Dance Center, which became a hub for local dance and added numerous possibilities—completely funded by her own resources. Lynda received the Alaskan of the Year Denali Award in 1993, honoring her outstanding service in a single project or endeavor over a number of years. Recognition also came from Lynda’s board and community organizations, citing her tenacity in spreading the impassioned spirit for dance. Lynda’s legacy of including dance as a regular performance art, training pupils with models of standardized instruction, and propelling dance expansion in Alaska has no comparison. Her encouragement of students, family participation and leveling up dance are significant contributions. Lynda passed away on March 22, 1993 in Anchorage. Many have been touched by Lynda’s dedicated artistic endeavors, and she will long remain a permanent fixture as one of Alaska’s premier dance pioneers.