Our Facility: Dance Theatre Fairbanks

Our Facility

Dance Theatre Fairbanks

Introducing The Firehouse Studios

          Piercing sirens, crackling emergency radios, roaring diesels and firefighters barking commands – for most of the last half century Dance Theatre Fairbanks’ new home in the old city fire station on 7th Avenue in downtown Fairbanks was a noisy place.

           Today, there is still a lot of noise in the building, but the character has changed: Enthusiastic and dedicated students scream with joy, accomplishment and healthy exertion, everything from Beethoven and Brahms to Will Smith and James Taylor fills the air; pink toe shoes squeak on the Marley floors, teachers bellow instructions to their charges, all punctuated by the staccato rhythms of tappers dancing in unison.

          In just under one year, and with thousands of volunteer hours and incredible in-kind and financial support from DTF parents and students and community partners, we have transformed an eyesore in the heart of the city to a fully functioning, professional dance school in the middle of the Golden Heart City. We are all very proud of our new home – The Firehouse Studios – and are thankful to our dedicated community of volunteers and benefactors for helping building this community treasure in the center of downtown.

          DTF is thrilled to be a part of Fairbanks’ community of the arts, and is proud to be doing its part to revitalize Historical Downtown Fairbanks. As we complete our first year in the Firehouse Studios, we are especially thankful for the help of all of our community partners. Through a unique and mutually beneficial partnership with the Fairbanks Community Foodbank – the owners of the old fire station – DTF will continue to change the face of dance education in Fairbanks for many years to come.

          Special thanks go out from the DTF family to Mr. and Mrs. Dennis and Mary Wise, our special benefactors – without their gracious support, our dream of building a new home in the old city fire station would never have come true. As Dennis once said, “That building has good bones…” We know Dennis has a special connection with dance, too. His mom, Edna Wise, was a dancer and teacher, teaching ballet out of her humble Fairbanks home.

          For that, and for all that Dennis and Mary have done for DTF, we are proud to affix Edna’s name to our newest education and performance space–

The Edna Wise Firehouse Theatre