Our Founders
About Thunderbird Dance Camp Founders Peggy Schlegel and Betsy Schott
Peggy Schlegel grew up wearing white patent leather boots and twirling her baton in Portland, Oregon. In 1974, she was busy coaching dance team at Clackamas High School and raising three small children of her own. Sylvia Blair, the founder of the Thunderbird Camp, reached out to Peggy and invited her to become a teacher. Blair had initially envisioned Thunderbird as a summer camp to teach baton twirling and performance skills. By the mid-1970’s, majorettes and their batons were becoming an endangered species and high school dance teams were growing in popularity. The program began shifting toward serving the needs of high school dancers on teams within the Pacific Northwest. The summer of 1974 was Peggy’s first association with Thunderbird. In the early days, camp was hosted at Lewis and Clark College where teachers were required to “dress for dinner.”
Sylvia was always on the hunt for new energy and teachers. Enthusiasm arrived in the form of Betsy Schott, an up-and-coming, young dance team coach at Wilson High School. Betsy’s vitality and talent for teaching, her animation and lively spirit ushered in a new era at Thunderbird. “Dressing for dinner” was out, “fun” was in. Sylvia retired in 1986 and a new dynamic duo was born. Peggy and Betsy became co-directors and owners of the Thunderbird Dance Camp. It is a friendship and business that continues to thrive today.
During their first summer of partnership, Peggy and Betsy held one session of camp, hosting 150 dancers at the University of Portland. They hired ten teachers, who happily carried their boom boxes around campus from one gym and teaching venue to the next. Pencils were in high demand during those early years, mostly as an emergency tool for the ribbon that suddenly sprouted from the fragile cassette tapes filled with music. The cassette tapes were often comprised of recorded band music, and instructors taught basic drill and dance steps, preparing dancers for half time performances at high school football and basketball games.
Today, Thunderbird Dance Camp has grown to serve more than 1000 young people every summer. We have matured into a program that offers multiple sessions with up to 400 dancers participating in each camp. Today our teaching staff includes over 40 dance instructors each summer. In addition, each summer, we mentor over 40 young interns. Our curriculum includes many genres of dance, ranging from ballet, lyrical, modern, contemporary, hip hop, pom, kicks, jazz, military, and of course, the novelty. We have added master classes that feature some of the best instructors in the country. Throughout the day, we tuck in motivational sessions, technique classes, body labs, laughter, collaboration and team-building activities, and our ever-popular hand and camp dance. Our foundation is a sincere caring for each student, no matter his or her talents or abilities. We top it all off with courses and sessions geared for coaches that incorporate all areas of dance team and offer coaches throughout the Pacific Northwest region opportunities to develop new friends and discover much needed resources.
Our inside joke is “Thunderbird, the Camp that Runs Itself.” However, anyone who has been involved in any major endeavor knows that is not true. It feels that way to us because of the undying support, knowledge and commitment of key individuals through the many years we have shared together.
Join us at Thunderbird Dance Camp. We can’t wait to see you.
Most of all, welcome to the family.
