Gloria Kubel (Winber) Oral History, 2007

Gloria Kubel recounts her early dance training and dance classes at Sarah Lawrence College where she studied under Bessie Schonberg, and guest teachers, Charles Weidman, Alwin Nikolais, Ruth Currier and Kathryn Litz. Her degree was in education but after marrying in 1957 and moving to Denver, Colorado in 1959 she decided to work in the field of dance. Kubel discusses taking classes from and teaching under Rhoda Gersten. She began teaching dance in 1965. In 1971 Rita Berger, the head of the dance department at Temple Buell College, asked Kubel to teach in her place for the year that Berger was on sabbatical. Kubel did and this led to her getting her Master's Degree in dance from the University of Colorado where she studied under Charlotte Irey, Nancy Spanier, Marilyn Cohen and Patty Eckert. She talks about taking classes at The Changing Scene from Al Brooks and Maxine Munt. She formed her own dance company in 1973 that performed concerts and gave lecture-demonstrations in Colorado until 1978. Kubel talks about her life changing experience in 1976 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After treatment she changed her entire focus from dance performance to dance in facilitating the healing process. She facilitated support groups that helped women get in touch with their bodies while developing a love for dance. She choreographed dances for these groups. She also taught dance aerobic classes that were an offshoot of her modern dance training. Kubel talks about her trip to China in the 1980s where she learned Tai Chi. She studied Tai Chi in Denver from teacher and modern dancer Al Huang. She teaches what she calls Tai Chi Moving Meditation at Porter Hospital and other locations. She says "moving is a metaphor in my life for not feeling 'stuck'."