How Boise Became Dancers’ Home Sweet Home

When the internationally renowned contemporary dance company the Trey McIntyre Project (TMP) needed a permanent home in 2008, they chose Boise, Idaho, a place where they felt they could thrive artistically while building a new type of community-integrated organization. Many in the industry thought they were crazy. But the city of Boise has since become TMP’s greatest cheerleader and inspiration, leading to a 2010 New York Times headline, “Dancers Adopt a City and Vice-Versa”.

Executive director and principal dancer John Michael Schert has led the charge in creating a company uniquely engrained in its community, with over 40 local partnerships and educational initiatives, inspiring Boise to declare the company its official Economic Development Cultural Ambassador.

In a recent conversation with John Michael, we discussed the creative thinking and hard work behind TMP’s big move and recent innovations. Most young companies seek to emulate what’s proven successful elsewhere, but a clearly defined value system has led John Michael and artistic director Trey McIntyre to forge something almost entirely new. They’re constantly asking the hard questions about purpose and place that usually only come up in times of crisis at larger institutions. The result is a nimble, forward-looking organization.