Peggy Soomil

“My life has been a journey across the U.S.,” says choreographer Peggy Soomil, who grew up in a five-story tenement a mile from the Empire State Building. She took her first ballet class at age 5, studied modern dance in her teens and auditioned for Julliard at the suggestion of her gym teacher. “It was a tough place to be,” she says. “Out of 100 who started, only five of us graduated.” She spent four years as a member and soloist in the Anna Sokolow Company, and six years with her own Peggy Cicierska Dance Company. She left New York in 1975 for a year in Cleveland with members of her company, then joined forces with dancer Kim Arrow for performance and teaching gigs in numerous Western cities, from Boulder to Bellingham, until 1983. She taught choreography at UCLA and earned an MA. She married Steve Soomil, a musician and composer, in 1984 and they adopted Dan, a Peruvian child. They departed L.A. in 1991 and found a house on a wooded South Eugene hillside. “Six months later, we started this studio,” says Soomil, who currently teaches dance and conditioning classes for adults three evenings a week in the pentagonal room among the tall firs. Check YouTube for some recent videos of her choreography. Soomil’s husband, Steve, who shared the studio space, died of cancer in 1998. Her son Dan is a student at LCC.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!