UT dance director Anzia Arsenault inspired a generation

TAMPA — In the 1970s, the now-defunct Tampa Ballet performed at the University of Tampa in an old building called the Falk Theatre. It had no stage lighting. Ballet technicians wired the place themselves.

"If you left your cold cream open in the dressing room, the next morning it would have termites in it," said Carol Lee, a ballet mistress (or right-hand teacher to the director) for the dance troupe.

Her director, Anzia K. Arsenault, worked to cure that kind of neglect. Mrs. Arsenault, who remained with the ballet for 20 years as artistic director while also teaching dance at the University of Tampa and running a private school, died on Sunday at age 82.

"She really inspired generations of dancers, some of whom have gone on to great things," said Susan Taylor Lennon, 59, current director of the University of Tampa's dance program.

Many of Mrs. Arsenault's students founded dance studios of their own or joined ballet companies. One, Elizabeth Parkinson, danced with the Joffrey Ballet and became one of Broadway's biggest dance stars.

"She was my first and only dance teacher," said Parkinson, 44, who was nominated for a Tony award as best actress for her 1999 starring role in Movin' Out, a hit dance musical created by Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp, despite not having a single spoken line. "She really gave me what I needed to pursue the professional career that I have."

Mrs. Arsenault grew up in New York, where she trained in Russian classical ballet and theater. Her style was intense and demanding, former students say. But unlike some instructors, she encouraged excellence without inflicting abuse.

"She motivated us through inspiration rather than harsh words," Parkinson said.

Mrs. Arsenault (known simply as Anzia to dancers across the state and beyond), danced in a couple of Broadway musicals before moving to Tampa in 1953. She joined the Tampa Civic Ballet, which later became the Tampa Ballet, putting on shows that filled up theaters but didn't always break even.

"Twice she mortgaged her house to pay the dancers," Lee said. "It meant that much to her."

She paid off the house but never got reimbursed, her family said.

In 1975, she joined the University of Tampa to head its first dance program. Public response to her shows, including original compositions set to classical music, drew renewed money from the Falk Foundation to upgrade the theater.

Mrs. Arsenault moved through her life as an underpaid emissary to dance itself. She joined with other troupes in the Southeastern United States to stage shows in areas besides big cities so more people would appreciate the art. At home, she practiced what she preached.

"She ran her private school like a nonprofit," said her son, Keith Arsenault. "I remember coming in looking at the advanced ballet class, and they were all professional or semiprofessional dancers. I thought, 'Wow, that's really cool!' Then I looked at the books and saw that only two or three were paying."

Mrs. Arsenault was nearly as well known for her costume making, and conducted classes out of her home.

"A well-made tutu is a work of art," Lennon said. "You can get a cheap skirt that goes around your waist, or you can get the real thing."

Dancers from around the country are flocking to Tampa now to pay tribute to Anzia Arsenault, the real thing.

Andrew Meacham can be reached at (727) 892-2248 or ameacham@sptimes.com.