Bill Wade defies the norm in sticking to a single job for almost three decades—and he's the first to acknowledge how rare that is.

"I've had the same job for 25 years," says the founder and executive artistic director of Inlet Dance Theatre in Clark-Fulton. "That's kind of a miracle these days."

Inlet will celebrate 25 years with its 25^th Annual Summer Performance at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights this Saturday, July 25.

The beginnings
Wade's path to starting Inlet began with his own career as a professional dancer. A former performer who toured the country in the 1980s, he landed in Cleveland and joined the former Footpath Dance Company in the Larchmere neighborhood before receiving a call that changed the trajectory of his life.

3 Women“I got a phone call from Cleveland School of the Arts and the principal asked me to come down for a couple weeks to teach classes for the dance department,” Wade recalls. "My two weeks turned into 11 years because I fell in love with the kids."

During those years, Wade launched an after-school program that evolved into an all-boys modern dance company, The Yard (Youth At Risk Dancing). The program gained national attention, landing features in the “Wall Street Journal” and “Dance Magazine” and earning the company a visit to the White House.

Forming a philosophy
It was Wade’s relationship with the students that shaped his philosophy toward dance companies and youth programming.

"The old school world of dance—ballet companies and modern dance companies—tended to use young dancers to further the dance agenda," Wade says. "I realized that these kids needed me to use dance to further their lives."

Wade’s insight became the foundation of Inlet's motto: “Using dance to further people.”

After 11 years at Cleveland School of the Arts, Wade made a pivotal decision. "I could continue making an impact in that one little building, or I could create a professional company of dancers that have the same paradigm as me and affect a far greater reach," he recalls, "which has certainly come to pass."

Twenty-five years later, Inlet is preparing for another national tour this fall, built around a new commissioned production. "What Do You Do With a Problem?" is the second installment in a series based on “New York Times Bestselling Picture Books.”

It follows the success of Inlet's 2018 premiere of "What Do You Do With an Idea?,” which has toured for eight years—performing for pre-K through eighth grade audiences bused into performing arts centers across the country.

Seven performing arts centers came together to commission the new production, with Playhouse Square serving as lead producer. This fall, Inlet will perform for 19 performing arts centers and more than 75,000 people.

Bill Wade, Inlet founder/artistic directorHuman-centered design
One of the hallmarks of Inlet's creative process is human-centered design thinking—a practice that puts the end user at the center of creation.

Wade and assistant artistic director Joshua Brown visited 10 elementary schools in the Lorain City School District with "What Do You Do With a Problem?"—reading the book to the audience and gathering feedback from students.

"That feedback from [the students’] vantage point helps us shape and influence the creation of the choreography," Wade says.

The process continued when Playhouse Square hosted an invited audience to the Mimi Ohio Theatre for a rough draft of the production. The event included a 30-minute question-and-answer session with structured feedback using Critical Response Process—a method for giving and getting feedback on creative work in progress.

"We have this huge list of things we're going to address once we get into September," Wade says. "We'll make our last 5% adjustments on the production, and we'll send it on tour."

That same spirit of community engagement extends to Inlet's home base: Inlet’s studio, the Estuary at the Pivot Center for Art, Dance and Expression, where Inlet hosts quarterly “sneak peek” events.

"We'll have a hundred people show up—all ages, from little kids to elderly—and they watch whatever it is that we're currently working on,” Wade says, adding that attendees use Critical Response Process to offer feedback via Post-it notes on the studio mirror. Those who attend a sneak peek often return for the premiere to see how their input shaped the final work.

Critical Response Process—developed by nationally acclaimed choreographer and educator Liz Lerman—is central to how Inlet protects both its artists and its audiences.

"It's a way to keep everybody safe and everybody engaged and enthusiastic about the art-building process as a community," Wade says.

The next chapter
Wade is developing a multimedia dance theater production with veterans, supported by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has been working with a cohort of veterans at the Cleveland Veterans Administration, building trust slowly before diving into their stories.

3 (Women)"There's a need to share and there's a need to express," Wade says, drawing on his own family's deep military ties—including a younger brother who was a Marine for 30 years.

The full process is expected to take three years and will culminate in a production telling veterans’ stories through Inlet dancers.

Inlet’s 25^th anniversary performance at Cain Park this Saturday will feature a retrospective of choreography from across the company's history and two world premieres by emerging choreographers with the company.

The highlight of the evening will be a collaborative improvisation—a Cain Park tradition—with Inlet alumni flying in from around the country to perform with current company members.

"It'll be very honoring for the people that have helped build this organization over these years," Wade says.

The performance begins at 8 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. General admission tickets range from $9.50 for students to $29.50 for adults, and there is currently a buy-one-get-one-free offer. Purchase tickets online or by calling the box office at (216) 371-3000.

A Twilight Reception fundraiser will precede the concert in the Cain Park Colonnade at the top of the hill with tickets at $50 per person. Tickets include reserved seating for the show, light hors d’oeuvres, behind-the-scenes footage, and insider access with the choreographers, and a champagne toast with Wade.

"It feels more like gratitude," Wade says of reaching the 25-year milestone. "It's humbling that I have this rare opportunity to do this as a career for my whole life."