40 Years of City in Motion
Bringing dance education to Kansas City—dance education that requires no more than enthusiasm, good humor, and a classroom—seems like a no-brainer. After all, after-school soccer and ballet practice are staples of most families’ daily routine. And yet, not until 1985 did it occur to a local group of performing artists to open a dance school in the heart of midtown. And it’s the only school of its kind 40 years later.
The first City in Motion School of Dance was located at the West Side Christian Church, which was revamped for eager dance students. The City in Motion company (founding members Randy Barron, Kathleen Kingsley, Arielle Thomas, Jean Dickinson, Rick Hillis) had formed a year prior, and finding a location for the school was a big part of their vision.
Andrea Skowronek reflected on Kathleen Kingsley: “She fell in love with the Westside neighborhood and wanted to focus on being in the inner city.”
Purchased in March 1986 for a 7-year lease, the school opened that summer to the public. Now you may be thinking, that’s a big investment. How did they know it would pay off?
“I was making it up as I went along,” says Kathleen, who was the school’s first director when it opened. But the success of the company’s studio concert series gave them the inspiration they needed. “I think we were pretty successful as a home for modern dance.”
Back then, Kansas City’s dance scene was dominated by ballet. CIM’s company of modern dancers was kind of a revelation. By October 1986, the CIM school had 65 students. Classes cost $4 - $5 back then (this figures to about $12 in 2024, which is the per-class cost of a typical 8-week session). The classes covered modern, jazz, improv, yoga, and, yes, ballet.
It turns out that CIM has a long history of being an innovator for local dance education. Andrea Skowronek, school director from 1995 to 1999, recalls the school’s line-up of classes as unique in Kansas City: “We started offering hip-hop,” she says. “In the 90s, no one was offering hip-hop.”
More classes meant an increase in enrollment, which was great—but also came with its problems. School directors take on administrative duties, which includes scheduling and making sure payments are on time—you know, boring, non-dance chores. CIM is a nonprofit first, and day-to-day operations were frustrating to say the least.
But everyone pitched in.
“I think we were pretty successful as a home for modern dance.”
Andrea recalls being able to “bring our babies to City in Motion, because it was such a flexible job.” She took over directing duties from Kathleen, although she admits “I bit off more than I could chew.”
Nicole English, director from 2012 to 2014, was pursuing a degree in sociology at the same time. She was interested in “how dance creates community.” And she got to see it for herself at the CIM school.
“Whenever I had bad times in my life I turned to dance,” says Nicole, who was in the company from 2002 to 2014. Between working with teachers and putting on fundraising events, Nicole used her experience with CIM in her dissertation about dance. (Guys! We’re in a dissertation!) And she remembers all the help she got from her fellow dancers, particularly from Michelle Kelly, who helped her with the logistics of the job.
Unfortunately, sometimes life throws a curveball (or in dancer’s parlance, a sprained ankle). Though the school had been going strong, the economy in the early 2010s and decreased enrollment led to the school moving from the church to another location on 39th Street. The goal was to keep the connection to downtown Kansas City—to go where the students are. CIM’s financial situation was so dire that Nicole’s final year as director was on a volunteer basis.
“Directing was like managing the business side,” says Annie Heitman, director from 2015 to 2017. Looking for newer facilities led CIM to rent studios at the then-new Westport-Commons Plexpod.
By this time, the school’s offerings included Billie Mahoney’s popular tap class and clowning with Beth Byrd. Annie’s goal was to create a sense of community for the teachers—she encouraged them to observe each other’s classes and create collaborations.
Annie had to leave when her family moved to Chicago. When she told me her daughters had been students at the CIM school, I asked if they had continued their lessons. Unfortunately, that hadn’t been possible, because there were no dance schools that she could find that were a) affordable and b) noncompetitive.
“City in Motion is a really unique institution” in that way, she told me, because our school promotes dance “for the love of it. There’s only one City in Motion.”
To continue to meet the students where they’re at, the CIM school moved again in 2022. Going through the COVID-19 pandemic led to a downturn in the enrollment rate, and CIM leadership explored other locations around Kansas City. The school found a new life at the Linwood YMCA in 2023 (where it continues under the banner of CIM’s Dance Satellite Project) and just recently found a new home base at 3036 Gillham Road, KCMO. They say no one can be everywhere at once, but the CIM school, once a couple of converted studios inside a decades-old church, is now becoming a network of classes all around Kansas City.
The school has become a place that everyBODY can call home. All thanks to 5 dancers who had a sneaking suspicion that people had the need to get up and get moving.