Dates

• Existence: 1936-

Biography

Penny Thomas Furgerson, pharmacist, dancer, choreographer, and theater director, was born in Bombay, India, in 1936. Thomas studied at Xavier College in Bombay; in 1956, she graduated with honors and received a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy. After graduation, Thomas moved to Des Moines for graduate work at Drake University where she met and married Lee B. Furgerson, Jr., a native of Waterloo, Iowa, who was a student at Iowa State University in Ames. Penny Furgerson graduated with honors from Drake in 1959 and began her career in pharmacy with internships at Katz Drug Store and Des Moines General Pharmacy. Over the next twelve years, Furgerson worked at several pharmacies in Iowa, largely in administrative capacities. In 1972, Furgerson was hired by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa, where she worked until her retirement in 1997. Penny and Lee B. Furgerson had three sons - Lee, Tom and John. Lee B. Furgerson died in October 1998.

Dance had always been a central part of Penny Furgerson's life. She studied classical Indian dance for many years as a youth, and performed in college and public programs in India. She danced with the Ram Gopal Company representing India at the International Festival of Arts in Scotland in the late 1950s. Inspired by the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Penny Furgerson and her husband founded the Gateway Dance Theatre in Des Moines in 1972. The Furgersons saw the need for an alternative to the jazz and ballet classes offered by the local dance schools in Des Moines; they also wanted to make dance accessible to low-income students. The Gateway Dance Theatre blended styles from Africa, the Caribbean, and India into a unique, contemporary, experimental form of dancing. The purpose of the company, as described on a grant proposal, was to "develop and possibly create a totally new concept of dance by integrating elements of ethnic, classical, interpretive, popular, primitive, and folk dancing." The Gateway Dance Theatre was both a dance school and a performing troupe. Lee Furgerson served as director and general manager while Penny Furgerson taught classes, and choreographed and danced in the theatre's performances. Gateway offered master classes with guest artists and held many workshops. The dance theater was staffed by volunteers and partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. The Gateway Dance Theatre performed in many venues across the state, especially in schools and festivals.

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