Miami Valley Dance Council
2012 Honor Roll Dancers
Leslie Hyll and
Edmund Cordray
Miami Valley Folk Dancers
Dayton, Ohio
The breadth and depth of their involvement in the greater Dayton dance community bear witness to the leading role Leslie Hyll and Edmund Cordray have played in recreational dance for more than 40 years.
As a child, Leslie attended many square dances in the Dayton area with her parents. She became a member of the Miami Valley Folk Dancers (MVFD) at age 12. Ed had dancing parents as well; he too was an accomplished folk dancer by age 12, active in several folk dance clubs on the West Coast. In his twenties, he performed in the semiprofessional ensemble “Westwind.” It is no surprise that when Ed found himself in Dayton and checked out local dancing, he found a kindred spirit in Leslie. Their 1991 wedding was a dance extravaganza in folk costume, attended by many in the Dayton dance community.
Leslie and Ed’s breadth of experience has made them a wonderful resource for recreational dance in Dayton. Leslie has taught MVFD and Wright State University dance classes, helped several local ethnic groups rediscover and present their dances at the Dayton International Festival, and introduced dance to many non-dancers. She has held a variety of MVFD offices, served on Miami Valley Dance Council (MVDC) committees, organized demos and community outreach, chaired workshops and festivals, and set up and maintained the MVFD website and email list. Before he moved to Dayton, Ed regularly provided sound for bands at West Coast dance camps and festivals. He continues to provide or manage sound at Cityfolk Contra Dances and other regional dances. He has maintained sound equipment, served on committees, chaired workshops, and worked to bring dancers, teachers, and musicians to Dayton for the community to enjoy.
One of Ed and Leslie’s keenest interests is preserving the history of recreational dance in Dayton. Leslie has collected and scanned historical artifacts, and has made thousands of these artifacts publicly available on the internet. She has also established digital archives for both MVDC and MVFD. Leslie organized and executed the creation of a CD containing scanned syllabi from every known workshop sponsored by MVFD from 1953 to 2004. In 2011, she created displays about the history of square dancing for the Buckeye State Convention. For his part, Ed has taken charge of preserving the wealth of music that MVFD and others have acquired over 60 years. He has digitized hundreds of records and tapes, and made the recordings available on a computer.
All the groups that dance at the Michael Solomon Pavilion have benefited from Ed’s willingness to take on responsibility. He chaired the Michael Solomon Support Committee for 12 years. He oversaw the refinishing of the floor, installation of a new roof, and improvements to the women’s restroom and kitchen. Ed personally took care of most of the ongoing repairs and maintenance to the Pavilion, from installing new locks or gutters to replacing the hot-water heater and painting the outside of the building. Ed also served as the treasurer for the 2006 and 2011 Buckeye State Conventions.
Both Ed and Leslie have created and nurtured relationships with other organizations, such as Cityfolk, Culture Works, and Dayton Dance Partners. Since 2007, they have arranged and financed several dance residencies with local schools. All these partnerships have introduced recreational dance to a larger audience than just MVFD or MVDC, while bringing to Dayton teachers and bands that clubs and schools could not have afforded on their own.
Ed and Leslie have demonstrated over and over their commitment to keeping Dayton dancing. We look forward to their next endeavor. For their many combined years of contributions to recreational dance in Dayton, and their continued commitment to keeping recreational dance available to the greater Dayton community, the Miami Valley Dance Council is proud to name Leslie Hyll and Edmund Cordray as its 2012 Honor Roll Dancers.