When I first told my parents that I wanted to start taking ballet, Noel was instrumental in helping my parents decide to enroll me at Washington Contemporary Ballet. That organization became a second home, the community became a second family, and the lessons learned there brought me to where I am today. During my summers training with PNB, Noel would come unexpectedly to observe me in class and then she would spend time afterward giving me notes on things I needed to improve on. I will always be immensely grateful to Noel for her support in my dance training from its inception and beyond. Two of her former WCB students asked if I could pass on the following sentiments.
From Gretchen DeGroot Lenihan: I am sad to say that I haven't been in touch with Noel Mason in more than 20 years, at least four times the number of years that I knew her . However brief the time, Ms Mason left an indelible mark on my adolescent years; she was a marvelous dance instructor and it is a privilege to have been one of her many students at Washington Contemporary Ballet. Ms. Mason was notable for her supreme elegance, her spectacularly articulated arms and feet, her sculptural hair, her technically demanding classes, and her sweet personality. She was an excellent instructional partner to Kay Englert, Ms Mason's cool and sensitive approach like water, balancing out Ms. Kay's fiery passion. Ms. Mason had a gift for precise and colorful description of how a step should *feel*, which helped dancers develop their quality of movement beyond the bare mechanics. We learned so much from Ms. Mason, but certain things will always stick with me: that one should imagine a fishhook pulling up one's sternum, a string out the top of one's head, a corset wrapping around one's ribs, and five joints instead of three in one's arms (that one will be with me forever!). Perhaps the best lesson I learned from Ms Mason, however, is the one that's carried through most of my life after dance: that quiet and steady does not equal weak, and that which appears the most soft and fluid requires the greatest amount of strength and control.
So thank you, Ms. Mason, for your lessons and compassion, and the gifts you gave so many young dancers. You have a place in our hearts, always.
From Heidi Byrnes: The first word that comes to mind is elegant. She was so elegant. And inside of that elegance she was a sneaky teacher. Meaning she knew we perceived her as not as hard as Miss K, but she proved us wrong every class. She also proved to be an amazing mentor. I’m so grateful, but I did not expect her to be a helpful voice in my early years as a parent. The letters we ended up exchanging in my late teens and early 20s proved to be just as important as all of the dance classes I had with her through my childhood. She was very encouraging in the respect that I should keep considering myself a dancer and an artist well being able to pull my weight as a single mom. How do you still have those letters? There’s something I think about often. She will always matter greatly to me and be extremely important. I’m so grateful for her.
