For nearly four decades, Pam VanGilder has helped shape Ballet Memphis into more than a performing arts organization. She has helped build a community grounded in movement, education and belonging.

When she arrived in Memphis in 1980, Pam was dancing with another company. But by 1985, she saw an opportunity.

“I told Dorothy (Gunther Pugh), if you give me a couple of dancers to work with, I can build an education program,” she recalls. “And that’s exactly what we did.”

What started as a small opportunity quickly grew. Working alongside founder Dorothy Gunther Pugh and a small group of dancers, Pam helped develop what would become a nationally recognized education initiative—one that brought Ballet Memphis into classrooms and connected students to dance in new ways.

“We were in the classroom with students, working with teachers,” she said. “Teaching sixth-grade boys how to understand and appreciate Swan Lake and watching them come alive through it is what the program was all about.”

Over the next several years, that work expanded across public, private and rural schools, reaching students throughout the region and helping establish Ballet Memphis as a leader in community-based arts education. The program evolved over time, but its impact remains part of the organization’s foundation, shaping how Ballet Memphis continues to think about access, engagement and the role of the arts in the community.

That philosophy deepened when her personal life intersected with her work. After the birth of her daughter with Down Syndrome, Pam saw another need and went to work.

She developed summer arts camps that brought together children with and without disabilities, pairing them with specialized educators and creating an inclusive, creative environment.

“We integrated everything — dance, acting, music, visual art,” she said. “We had 75 campers and staff at one point. It was something really special.”

The program didn’t stop at camps. It expanded into schools and into the broader community, becoming another example of how Ballet Memphis could serve as a connector across different groups and experiences.

Then, in 1997, everything changed.

A serious car accident left Pam unable to work for nearly a year. But during her recovery, she discovered something that would shape the next chapter of her career: Pilates.

“I decided I wanted to keep people moving until their last breath,” she said

That idea became the foundation of her work at the Ballet Memphis Pilates Center, where she has spent decades teaching, training instructors and helping people of all ages stay active and engaged with their bodies.

Now approaching 70, Pam continues to teach and continues to learn.

“My most senior client is 93,” she said. “I’m watching them age, and it’s reinforced what I believe: we don’t have to run marathons forever, but we do have to keep moving.”

Her impact has extended beyond individual clients. The Pilates program at Ballet Memphis has become a licensed training center, preparing new instructors and ensuring that her philosophy continues through the next generation.

And that next generation is already taking shape. Pam is actively training new instructors to carry the work forward, while she continues to lead advanced courses and explore new programming, especially focused on aging and movement.

“I’m a lifelong learner,” she said. “I want to keep studying how movement affects aging so I can keep building programs that help people stay strong and resilient.”

Throughout it all, Ballet Memphis has remained central, not just to her work, but to her life.

Her children have grown up with the organization. Her family has been deeply involved. And today, she describes herself with a mix of pride and humor:

“I feel like the grandmother of this organization,” she said. “I’m a fierce protector of everyone in this building.”

That sense of care reflects the broader mission she’s helped shape.

At Ballet Memphis, four pillars — company, school, community outreach and Pilates — work together to create something bigger than any single program. It’s an ecosystem built on the belief that movement belongs to everyone.

“Everyone is a dancer. Everyone is a mover,” Pam said. “There’s a place for all of us here.”

As Ballet Memphis celebrates 40 years, Pam’s story is a reminder that the organization’s impact goes far beyond the stage. It lives in classrooms, in studios, in communities and in the people who keep moving forward because of it.

Last week we gathered Pam's family, friends, and colleagues to celebrate the incredible legacy she has built over her decades here and, while she will pull back, we are so glad to say that she will still be here to lend her expertise and passion for movement. Pam will continue to work with clients and as an Instructor Trainer for Ballet Memphis Pilates + Wellness as we further grow the program.