Mission Statement
To support emerging dancers with the discipline, artistry, and confidence to succeed, while sharing their growth and brilliance with our community through professional-quality productions.
Meet Our WIDT Team
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Char Brown
Founder
Emma Patty-Caldwell
Artistic Director
Sidnie Flood
Assistant Artistic Director
Meet Our WIDT Team
FOUNDER & BOARD ADVISOR
Char Brown
In addition to founding Whidbey Island Dance Theatre, Charlene Brown is also the co-owner of Island Dance in Langley, WA.
Charlene brings about 45 years of dance experience to her studios and to WIDT. Charlene has studied with nationally known teachers and was a member of the Tacoma Performing Dance Company under the direction of Jo Emery. Her choreography has been seen in numerous Northwest area musical and dance productions.
Brown began her dance studio, Island Dance, on Whidbey Island in 1987. She has always been committed to offering the highest possible level of dance education and professional instructors to her students. Through many years of perseverance, Charlene has provided the opportunity for
thousands of dancers to further their dance education. Many of her students have gone on to college to receive dance degrees, while many more of her students have won individual titles and honors in the field.
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In 1993, extending her commitment to the art of choreography, Charlene's dream of a pre-professional dance company became a reality with Whidbey Island Dance Theatre. As the longtime co-artistic director and production manager, she directed more than 27 productions of "The Nutcracker," "The Snow Queen" and all annual WIDT spring concerts. Charlene also choreographs for "The Nutcracker" and is advisor to the WIDT Board of Directors.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Emma Patty-Caldwell
Emma began dancing at Island Dance at the age of seven and joined Whidbey Island Dance Theatre just a few years later. As both a studio student and company member, she developed a lifelong passion for ballet, performance, and the arts.
Throughout her training, Emma attended numerous summer intensives and workshops, including programs with Oregon Ballet Theatre, Ballet West, The Rock School for Dance Education, and The Joffrey Ballet.
Emma earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from the Conservatory at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, where she received comprehensive conservatory training with dual emphases in ballet and modern dance, while also focusing on choreography and performance.
Today, Emma performs professionally as a freelance dance artist throughout the Seattle area while serving as the Artistic Director of Whidbey Island Dance Theatre. She is also a faculty member at Island Dance, where she teaches ballet, pointe, lyrical, and modern.
As an alumna of both Island Dance and Whidbey Island Dance Theatre, Emma is honored to return to the organization that shaped her as an artist and is passionate about inspiring the next generation of dancers through artistry, excellence, and a love for performance.
ASSISTANT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Sidnie Flood
Sidnie Flood began her dance training at Inwood Performing Arts in Inwood, WV training in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and Irish Step Dancing. Throughout her studies, she attended summer workshops with The Joffrey Ballet, Jazz Dance World Congress, Southeast Alabama Dance Company, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. In 2006 she received a full scholarship to attend the Craft of Choreography Workshop through Regional Dance America in Orem, Utah. Sidnie continued her dance education by attending Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA where she received a BA in Dance with a concentration in Jazz and a MBA with a Sports, Arts, and Entertainment concentration. Throughout her years dancing, she performed works by Randy Duncan, Ronnie Demarco, George Balanchine, Eddy Ocampo, Leslie Jane Pessemier, and others. She was a member of the West Virginia Jazz Dance Ensemble and served as a Dance Adjudicator for Virginia Governor’s School of the Arts.
As an Instructor, Sidnie has taught ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, and modern for over 20 years. In 2021, She completed training and certification from the American Ballet Theatre’s National Curriculum Training for levels Pre-Primary to Level 3. She is also certified to instruct Progressing Ballet Technique..
Board of Directors & Advisors
Executive Board Members
Derek Hoshiko
Interim President
Sue Jobst
Vice President
Carolyn Uculmana
Treasurer
Nancy Bell
Secretary
General Board Members
Daunne Zinger
Grant Writer
Molly Jacobson
Board Member
Char Brown
Policies & Procedures
Rachel Enter-Guzman
Bookkeeper
Margot Bee
Board Member
Betty Lightner
Board Member
Advisory & Support Members
Kara Armatis
Office Manager
Connie Lippo
Advisory Council
Patricia Duff
Advisory Council
& Publicity
Paul Guzman
Advisory Council &
Technical Director
The Board of Directors is a collection of like-minded volunteers having a passion for the performing arts, especially dance, and a love for the community of Whidbey Island and the young aspiring talent it nurtures. They meet at least every month to ensure Whidbey's young dancers receive the best possible experience preparing them for demands of the real world through the joy of dance.
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There is always need for people engaged with the community with interest and skills in the operations of a non-profit business. If you have skills in numbers, legalese, networking, organizing, media, writing, or anything else, WIDT would love to meet with you about opportunities to become a board member.
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Please contact us at whidbeyidt@gmail.com. We would love to meet you.
The History of WIDT
Whidbey Island Dance Theatre (WIDT) was founded in 1993 with a love for dance. Back then it was known as Whidbey Dance Theatre, and it began with the idea of creating a new and exciting opportunity for young people in its community; young creatives of all ages, who also loved dance, could find their place on stage with their peers.
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Hard work paid off. As the company moved forward and found its legs, it provided real, pre-professional dance experience to outstanding young dancers. Its participation in the wider world of dance followed. The juried, national association of ballet companies, “Regional Dance America,” chose WIDT as an RDA performing company from 2001-2012. In 2014, WIDT joined the newly formed Ballet Alliance, an association of pre-professional dance companies. Each year, WIDT participates in The Ballet Alliance's annual 4-day festival where our dancers take master classes from renowned instructors, participate in dance-related seminars, perform for their peers, and forge new relationships.
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Since 2000, WIDT has performed throughout Washington, as well as in Arizona, California, Utah, Oregon, at the National Dance Festival in Pittsburgh, PA, and in Montreal, Canada. Through the years, both professional and community choreographers have expressed their appreciation for the generations of talented dancers they’ve worked with at WIDT.
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Each year, WIDT graces the stage with two major productions, “The Nutcracker” and “A Celebration of Dance,” its springtime performance of new choreography. Both highlight the diverse talents of its broadly trained dancers and feature the works of both resident and guest choreographers.
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These productions are a gift, 30 years of WIDT making the creative, athletic, joyful and fun-to-watch magic that is dance!
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Whidbey Island is about an hour drive north of Seattle, with a 20-minute ferry ride from Mukilteo to Clinton on the south end. The island is 55 miles long and between 1 and 10 miles wide. The largest population center is at the north end at Oak Harbor, which is accessible also by the Deception Pass Bridge. WIDT is located at the south end in Langley. The company's main performance venues are South Whidbey High School Auditorium, a 400-seat theater, and Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, which holds 250 seats.