Obituary of Marcia J Chapman

Chapman, Marcia J., of Edina, MN. passed away peacefully at home with her daughters present on July 6, 2023. Born in Minneapolis, MN, on August 10, 1942. Marcia was predeceased by her parents, Herb and Virginia Halmers, and her husband Paul. She is survived by daughters Deirdre (Jan Levy) Chapman of London, England, and Eileen (Tony) Kamp of Edina, MN, grandchildren Eric, Wyatt, Arlo, Ailsa, Savannah, sister Becky Stanchfield, nephew Cor, family and friends. Throughout her life, Marcia danced, performed, taught, and inspired. In 1962 she was one of the founding dancers in the Contemporary Dance Playhouse, which in 1969 became Minnesota Dance Theatre. Using both her BA in education from the University of Minnesota and her skills in dance, she directed and taught at the affiliated school until 1987. In 1989, she founded Ballet Arts Minnesota with Bonnie Mathis and ran BAM until its merger with MDT in 2006. Under her direction, The City Children’s Nutcracker Project was created in collaboration with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Dept. This project provided dance and performance experience for hundreds of underprivileged children who otherwise would not have been exposed to dance and ran from 1997 to 2006. She received the Classic Lake Conference Award in Fine Arts for this work in 2004.

She inspired many through her passion for dance. The vigor, energy, and love she carried into the studio, and her commitment to nurturing the young, enabled hundreds to feel able to pursue their own passions in life, whether in dance or other fields altogether. Her love of dance as an art form helped the dance community of Minneapolis to survive, develop and mature over her more than 50 years of involvement. She was also a devoted mother and wife. In her later years, she lived with her daughter Eileen and cared for her husband Paul until his death in 2022.

She loved spending time with both family and friends and was a dedicated member of the 2nd Church of Christ Scientist, Minneapolis. As a way of honoring the passion and life our mother embodied in all of her interactions, we will be holding a memorial and celebration of life on Saturday, Dec 30th, 2023. We know that many of you may want to be a part of this sharing of memories and experiences of Marcia’s life.

If anyone would like to contribute with a story, message, dance, musical selection, reading, or photograph, please contact deirdrechapman@gmail.com and eileenk.art@gmail.com. We would like to celebrate our mother’s life in a way that will bring warmth, joy, and love to all.