08/08/2026
I have stood in this space before. But this time, it felt different.
The truth is, I started Golden Hour five years ago as a pilot program — just Catherine and me, and a vision for a retreat for dancers. Then there was a year in between where it didn’t come together. I had ordered postcards, put out advertisements early, planned everything out — but the timing was off, and it just wasn’t happening. I remember wondering if this was ever going to work, if maybe the idea just wasn’t that good.
It taught me something, though. The idea didn’t go away, even after the defeat. It just needed more time. I needed more time — to get clear on what Golden Hour was actually supposed to be.
The following year, something shifted. Richard said he wanted to come out. Catherine was on board, excited — and nervous, same as me. Could I actually make this work? Running a local business is one thing. Taking a leap of faith on an idea like this — bringing different studios together to train side by side — is a daunting thing to attempt in a small rural community.
And the thing is, I haven’t done any of it alone. Generous local sponsors, anonymous donors, other studio owners willing to take a leap of faith with me — including IG3 Media, who so graciously sponsored this year and helped make it possible to bring faculty here from across the country. It’s all culminated, year after year, into this moment.
It hit me hardest when we were all sitting together at the KOVC The Voice of the Valley radio station, recording for Voice of the Valley. I’ve stood in that room so many times over the years, promoting Golden Hour. But this year, I got to sit there with the instructors themselves Richard Elszy Catherine Borrone Ballet Nancy Xyooj — hearing them talk, in their own words, about why they keep coming back to Valley City. These aren’t just guest faculty anymore. They’re friends that are family.
Golden hour is still developing each year but what remains at its core is the training, the heart and the mentorship.
Five years. A pilot program, a year of feeling defeated, and now this. Golden Hour. 🌅
