Silver anniversary memories
Rise of the Wortham Theater Center: How it all began
Jun 2, 2012 | 4:30 pm
![News_Shelby_Dance Asian America_Lauren Anderson_Ben Stevenson_Janie Parker_Nov. 2011](https://houston.culturemap.com/media-library/news-shelby-dance-asian-america-lauren-anderson-ben-stevenson-janie-parker-nov-2011.jpg?id=30658514&width=2000&height=1500&quality=85&coordinates=36%2C0%2C234%2C0)
Photo by Jia Li
In the 1980s, everyone agreed that Houston needs a new performing arts center. Even a recession couldn't stop the Wortham Center from rising in downtown Houston.
Photo by Heather Thorn
Former Houston Ballet principal dancer Dawn Scannell remembers all the extra dancing space on the huge, specially cushioned dance stage, specifically built for the ballet. She was thrilled to have a dressing room at stage level, instead of a floor above or below stage. And like all dancers, she greatly appreciated the added space and wider stage-viewing area from the wings, where she could warm up for her cues and enter precisely on time without fear of crashing into another nearby dancer, hidden by a piece of scenery. ------- Dawn Scannell, right, coaching young ballet dancers in 2011.