Verna Rose Gagnon Papers

Verna Rose (VR) Gagnon, 76, the Colorado correspondent for Dance Magazine, died of cancer in Denver on April 7, 1998. A Colorado native, she founded and served as president of the Denver Civic Ballet and Les Cygnettes of the Denver Ballet Guild. She was also responsible for initiating the first appearances of American Ballet Theatre in Denver in 1972. She personally arranged the only Denver showing of the film version of Don Quixote featuring Rudolf Nureyev, and she hosted many cast parties and fundraising events for dance in her home. In addition to presenting and writing about dance, VR also supported the development of the Colorado Ballet, the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, the David Taylor Dance Theatre, and Marda Kirm's effort to establish the Colorado Dance Festival.