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Clare Lauché Porter,
| During the first few years, Porter felt she had to say yes to everything, including coaching a roller skating duet. School performances, dance interludes in plays, soirees for local ladies groups—all of these gave her students a chance to perform. Eventually some of these collaborations led to ongoing relationships with local music organizations like the Fresno Junior Philharmonic, which helped satisfy Porter’s desire for live music, about which she “was always very fussy.” After some time spent establishing herself in the community it was another collaboration that would eventually take her back out to a larger dance world. The City of Fresno was celebrating an anniversary by sponsoring a festival, and the organizers approached Porter to coordinate the dance events. From dance troupes that represented the variety of ethnic dance styles in the area to her own ballet-oriented ensemble, nearly 15 groups performed at several venues around the town. The success of this venture led the teachers and directors to consider making the relationship permanent—founding a cooperative company to present an ongoing series of performances with an eclectic content. The Fresno Dance Repertory Company didn’t last more than a couple years, but was the launching pad for Fresno City Ballet. Porter’s own diverse background was an aid in negotiating with the many artists and directors involved in establishing an ongoing performing company. Her high standards made for friction with her colleagues and eventually she would split from the group, which meant in essence starting over. |
 Photo of Clare Lauché Porter today, with daughter Dandy and granddaughter Kate. |
It was around this time (the mid-1960’s) that the National Association of Regional Ballet (NARB) was extending itself to the west coast. NARB had been founded in the southeast in the 1950’s with the goal of bringing together semiprofessional groups based in dance studios for a series of performances and master classes. These festivals quickly became a major focal point for the participants. Porter began travelling to these events, reviving her friendships with other directors and giving her students a clearer view of the life of a professional dancer. But participation in the festival was yet another event to prepare for, making each spring especially busy. Porter recalls that “After Nutcracker [in December] you’d have a 15 minute recess and then you’d start working on the piece [for the festival]. Doris Hering [the director of NARB] was omnipresent. She knew everything and everyone, and she was very particular.” In the 1970s Porter hosted her first NARB festival in Fresno. As well as the experience for her students, Porter felt there were community benefits. “[I thought if we] joined the regional association we would be able to draw enough support from city [to help us with local productions].” If dancing in the festivals under the scrutiny of outside adjudicators wasn’t nerve-wracking enough— hosting the multi-day conference brought additional stress. Porter hosted two of these regional events in Fresno “and the second one almost killed me!” Still, her participation resulted in friendships with the artists who taught at NARB festivals as well as performance opportunities for her dancers. |