Glenda Ann Walters Brown

My Aunt Glenda was such a guiding force in my life and the lives of countless others. She will be missed, but not forgotten. We hold her memory close in our hearts.

Glenda touched so many lives. She was gracious, kind, funny and truly wanted everyone to live their dream. I’ll always remember my trips to Austria with Forum and how she made everyone feel like a part of one big family. I am blessed to have crossed paths with her.

Ms Glenda will be missed by many around the world.
Thinking about the number of hours my daughter spent with her over the years it’s no wonder she was someone that made a big influence on who she is today.
Ms Glenda was a strong women who knew what she wanted and would never take no for an answer. This is the kind of role model the young women need.

I will forever smile when I put in my makeup and think of her always giving the dancer the best advise so they looked beautiful to the audience under the bright lights.
“More rouge!”

Glenda Brown.... you will be missed ❤❤❤ - RIP - my heart aches to know a cherished soul is not here anymore. I am thankful I got to see you last February when I was SW Adjudicator. You left a great legacy of dancers, choreographers, and teachers that will go on the make you smile from above . Peggy and Doris will be happy to have a cocktail with you this evening. So many NARB Board of Directors Meetings -- Patricia Cantwell and I shared with you My love to you Vanessa Brown and your sister during this time.

You will be greatly missed Ms. Glenda. You were truly an amazing and inspirational person. I will never forget the many "girls, girls" we would get. Please give grandma a hug for me. I know you both will continue your teachings from heaven. I love you!

Top Five Things I learned from Miss Glenda:
1) Know your self-worth
2) Composure, Composure, Composure
3) Blondes have more fun
4) Three pieces of lime and sweet and low can brighten any day
5) Wave....Touch Pearls
I will always love and respect you Miss, Glenda.

I wrote a long blog post about Ms. Glenda and her impact on my life, and on the lives of my kids and students...and there are still so many more wonderful memories with this amazing woman. And most of them are not of momentous life-changing events, but of everyday occurrences - sitting at her kitchen bar chatting over breakfast or a glass of wine...sitting with her outdoors at a restaurant in Destin or Park City or Innsbruck or Montreal enjoying the food, the scenery, and the company...laughing at the look on the faces of countless unsuspecting waiters and bartenders as she ordered "cheap white tequila on the rocks with 3 slices of lime and sweet'n low"...watching her masterfully manage a meeting room full of artistic temperaments armed with a pencil and a smile...singing...dancing...laughing. It was always such a joy to be in her presence, and I am immensely grateful that I got to experience so much of that.

Glenda-wisdom

Blondes really do have more fun, but exceptions may be made for brunettes with the last name of ‘Brown’.

‘Yanks’ are loved and accepted into the fold.

A smile on your face may not solve everything but it sure as hell is the best way to live.

Glenda’s natural talent for collecting and connecting all sorts of people was unique and inspiring.

Take ‘perfect’ off the table and do your best, it will be more than enough.

Traveling the world is a never-ending adventure and appreciation of people, places, and things.

Glenda proved you may not be able to walk on water, but you can certainly dance across it on a cruise.

Driving at 90 miles per hour, and conversing non-stop, while making eye contact with whoever is in the passenger seat is possible - but only if you are Glenda.

High heels will always be in style - otherwise people can’t hear you coming!

There is no such thing as non-stop travel because there are far too many people to stop and visit en route.

Glenda could be both generous and frugal, always counseling me to save money. She told me not to go to the grocery store more than once a week because I will just pick up a lot of extra stuff I don’t really need.

Learning new skills is simply doing one thing after another until you have mastered it.

Problems arise to be solved, not worried about. It is God’s way of challenging us.

It’s always important to look the part - never leave the house without make-up.

Decades before recycling became a national trend, Glenda could re-use a mailing envelope three times!

Year’s before I married a Brit, Glenda showed me that it was possible to “Keep Calm and Carry On” (and do it with a smile!).

Energy is renewable. Glenda proved it daily with her massive work schedule, running numerous companies with a special talent for having fun while doing it.

‘Difficult’, ‘cannot be done’, ‘no-one’s ever succeeded’ are all phrases that were music to Glenda’s ears, because she never met a mountain she didn’t want to climb.

Glenda had your back - always, always, ALWAYS! And if you happened to fall forwards or sideways, she would have that too!
 
Numerous accomplishments and many national accolades never gave Glenda as much pleasure as her family, who were always her guiding light.

Matchmaker. Because I was known for dating some less-than-great characters, whom Glenda advised against, she insisted on meeting and approving my fiancé - so Stephen flew to Houston for just that purpose! (no pressure). As he was a Brown, the inspection was a foregone conclusion.

‘Melody Maids’ (if you haven’t heard of them, look them up). This is where, as a young woman, Glenda literally found her voice - and never stopped using it.

Need a break from the non-stop powerhouse that was Glenda? Put on a movie and she will be asleep before the opening credits have run. Otherwise, be prepared to stay up into the wee small hours hearing stories told and re-told and laughing until your ribs hurt. But do not expect solicitude the next morning after only four hours of sleep, because Glenda will already be out and about - hair and make-up done, high-heels clicking, and new plans in place for the workday ahead.

Glenda could eat anything, enjoy it to the fullest, and she never forgot to thank the cook (including college cafeteria food).

Runs to CVS could be turned into an adventure. Sunglasses for fifty cents? Glenda would buy them all and commission a choreographer to use them in a ballet.

In my 50+ years in dance, I have never known such a great supporter, advocate, and promoter of Emerging Choreographers as Glenda was. Dedicated to nurturing and employing young choreographers she talked the talk and - more importantly - walked the walk.

Glenda stepped up and founded RDA when NARB disintegrated and took over the chronically money-losing Chorography Project that was scheduled for cancellation, making it solvent and profitable. She accomplished this over several years for no pay because “it had to be done”.

Crazy? Yes - who else would buy a prefab building for a new studio after hearing a radio ad whilst driving in the middle of the night? And Glenda didn’t even own a property to put it on. Yes, crazy! Crazy smart, crazy gutsy, CRAZY.

Glenda understood forgiveness and taught us all how to forgive.

Lastly - “nothing is impossible”.

Thank you, Glenda, for all the hugs, being my mentor, friend, adopted mother, counselor, sage, advocate, and guiding light. I shall always have - and continue to live - a better life because of you.

Ms Glenda,
She always created true inclusion of people of all hearts, minds and bodies.. TRUE art does that, and
Ms Glenda was a true artist in many of our lives...
through dance, choreography, performance, teaching, mentoring and for those privileged, as family and friends.
And yet no matter where our roll was in her life, she ALWAYS made us feel accepted, respected, appreciated and above all Special.
She opened many doors for many and her beautiful mentor ship continues to grow...
much respect and love for Ms Glenda.
From one of your dance moms whose baby started out as a bon Bon many many years ago...
Lovingly yours always

What a good Melody Maid friend Glenda was to many and especially to me. I loved and visited with her through the years. She was so full of life and talent. God is getting a special angel. ❤️❤️❤️

Vivacious, generous, savvy, smart, kind, empathetic, joyous, perceptive, visionary, determined with a ‘can-do’ attitude, holder of boundless energy, favored of the parking gods!!!, Texas Rose, Glenda Walters Brown, whose zest for life was and remains without equal.

Tanzsommer 2001 brought Glenda and Vanessa into my life. For my students, this was a life-changing opportunity. That is what Glenda provided unselfishly for all who were fortunate enough to cross her path. She shared generously, including her wisdom on a good breakfast: yogurt, fruit, and walnuts - you see, walnuts are the key, they keep you from getting hungry before lunch! I learned this while staying at her home. As a result, I think about her most mornings.

When the Glenda Brown Choreography Project needed a transition, I arranged for UMKC to be a new home, probably a selfish gesture on my part, because it brought Glenda and Vanessa to KC every summer, and I was assured of laughing harder than I thought possible during our after-class toasts.

At the end of the two-week sessions, Miss Glenda hosted the Project’s showcase. The respect and love that participants and staff had for her was always palpable. Miss Glenda cared deeply about dance, but she cared more deeply about her dancers.

Glenda was skilled at pivoting in life and making lemonade out of lemons. I marveled at her unbreakable spirit, something that lives on.

I have a million Miss Glenda stories, from how she taught me at 8 years old that criticism is really a compliment in disguise, to asking me “Where are your lips?” if I showed up to rehearsal without makeup, to how she let me spend the night at her house when my dad was hospitalized close by, to how she literally held my stepmother together during my father’s funeral. A million stories about her big old Cadillac, her Texas sized personality, her laugh, her trips, and her love.

But, my favorite story took place around 20 years ago during Tanzsommer, the Austrian dance tour Dad and Gail coordinated. We were having dinner with the Glenda, Vanessa, and my family. Knowing all the players involved, I’m sure we were getting a bit loud with our laughter and conversation. Into this melee walks a young girl around 12 years old. She walked up to Miss Glenda and reminded her she had taken ballet from her several years before. Of course Glenda remembered her and there were hugs all around.

Can you imagine that? A dancer from Beaumont, Texas had such talent, passion, love, and spirit that even eating dinner halfway around the world, she found someone whose life she had touched. How many hundreds of us did she teach to never give up, to try harder, to chase our dreams, to love one another, and to keep on dancing no matter what happened?

I’m sure she is taking charge in Heaven now, just like she did in life, sharing her passion and love with everyone. I love you, Miss Glenda! Rest In Peace.

I have a million Miss Glenda stories, from how she taught me at 8 years old that criticism is really a compliment in disguise, to asking me “Where are your lips?” if I showed up to rehearsal without makeup, to how she let me spend the night at her house when my dad was hospitalized close by, to how she literally held my stepmother together during my father’s funeral. A million stories about her big old Cadillac, her Texas sized personality, her laugh, her trips, and her love.

But, my favorite story took place around 20 years ago during Tanzsommer, the Austrian dance tour Dad and Gail coordinated. We were having dinner with the Glenda, Vanessa, and my family. Knowing all the players involved, I’m sure we were getting a bit loud with our laughter and conversation. Into this melee walks a young girl around 12 years old. She walked up to Miss Glenda and reminded her she had taken ballet from her several years before. Of course Glenda remembered her and there were hugs all around.

Can you imagine that? A dancer from Beaumont, Texas had such talent, passion, love, and spirit that even eating dinner halfway around the world, she found someone whose life she had touched. How many hundreds of us did she teach to never give up, to try harder, to chase our dreams, to love one another, and to keep on dancing no matter what happened?

I’m sure she is taking charge in Heaven now, just like she did in life, sharing her passion and love with everyone. I love you, Miss Glenda! Rest In Peace.

I was saddened to hear of Glenda's passing. I will always be grateful to her for inspiring our daughter, Jennifer, to embrace her passion for dance. My elderly aunt loved ballet so I would take her to Allegro's Christmas productions of the Nutcracker. It was so special to see a beautiful, professional ballet without having to go downtown. My most treasured memory was taking her to the Nutcracker just three months before she passed. Glenda will always hold a special place in my heart.

About a month ago, I learned that Miss Glenda had passed away right as we were running out the door to my daughter Sarah's regional gymnastics competition. It hit me like a punch in the gut, and as I cried privately in my bathroom before I pulled myself together to get on the road, I was admittedly perplexed that someone who's so far removed from my daily life now could elicit such grief.

I grew up dancing with Allegro Ballet from the time I was 4 until I was 15. For those formidable years, when my parents weren't present, Miss Glenda always was. Not as a parent, but as a caring, firm and influential adult who shaped me into who I am today.

In the summer before the sixth grade I got an invitation to join Allegro Ballet as an apprentice. The letter came in the mail and I can still vividly remember my excitement opening the letter up in the entry way of my home. As I launched into expectations of what I wanted to do, my parents slowed my roll. I hadn't been the best student up to that point, in fact I think I spent half of the fifth grade grounded for grades, and they made it clear than more dancing and more hours at the studio meant my grades needed to go up. Way up. So I did the work and never had a grade issue again, so I could be at the studio dancing as much as possible. I learned then that I had to take care of the must dos before I got to do the extras. And really I didn't know a single dancer in the studio that wasn't also a student. It was part of the culture of excellence she cultivated.

Dancing though meant more expenses including some to travel to festivals and choreography conferences. These are the trips I did instead of summer camps, and Miss Glenda always made them extra fun, like the time she took us to Pamona Beach and Disneyland when went to California. These also weren't in the scope of my parent's budget. I'm not even sure how it came to be, but Miss Glenda agreed to let me clean the studio on the weekend to help earn funds to make all these trips possible instead of her usual cleaning crew. She'd meet me there on the weekends while the studio was quiet and empty and work in the office, while I cleaned the entire studio from top to bottom. I learned then the value of the experiences I was seeking, and I also realized how much she worked at actually running and growing her own business, creating opportunities for more dancers and choreographers through her passion. It's a savvy I still admire today.

As a part of the company, we performed through out Houston and at different festivals around the Southwest. The preparation before each performance had a distinct ritual with some barre work to warm up, getting in full costume and then interlocking hands as Miss Glenda would lead us in the Lord's Prayer and pray for our safety while we danced. While I did grow up going to church, this is how I actually learned the words to the Lord's Prayer, and I still hear her strong and melodic voice when I say it today. This ritual I have also carried forward, praying with each of my daughters before every gymnastics meet they have ever had specifically and carefully for their safety and gratefulness for the opportunity to perform.

That Saturday as we got to the gymnastics meet and sat in the car for a quiet moment, I told my girls why I was sad and we prayed together for Sarah's meet and her safety. The edge of their 12 year old impatience gone for a moment as they started to understand why that moment and ritual was so important to me.

No doubt, Miss Glenda also taught me the love of dance, how to be on stage and not fidget, and the importance of doing a bun without a hair out of place, which has proved to be a valuable skill for this gym mom, but it was the other lessons that resonated with me when I thought about her impact on my life. She was larger than life to me as I was growing up, and I constantly sought her praise and approval. Though it's been years since I danced, it's still a part of who I am today. I was so pleased to bring my own daughters to meet Miss Glenda at Allegro's performance of the Nutcracker several years ago. I hope at some level she knew that she was the real reason we were there. Though I was grown I still wanted her to know me and see me, forever the student seeking the approval of a favorite, beloved teacher.

Glenda was a sweet face to see where I worked at the bank and over the years have loved getting to hear about Stars of Tomorrow and her cruise trips. I am seriously considering putting my son in ballet in hopes he would have a teacher like Glenda, but I know it won't be the same. I never took a dance lesson in my life and i feel like i missed out living so close to the studio. She will be missed so much by everyone at the bank and myself. Much love to Vanessa and Kai Jai.

I was privileged to meet Glenda and her lifelong friend Audrey on a cruise to Singapore. Sharing a dining table with her for three weeks and learning about her life and experiences was such a joy. She persevered with trying to teach me some dance steps which was alas a lost cause. I remember Glenda coming to dinner one evening having fashioned her two Cunard diamond pins as earrings. Such a wonderful classy lady. I’m sorry I won’t be able to share any more Cunard cruises together. Rest in Peace x x