If I am the mother, Cliff is certainly the father of Still & Moving Center. Once we found the space in 2010 and I asked Cliff whether we should lease the upstairs or the downstairs, he answered: “BOTH! Your studio is going to be growing anyway and it’s easier to remodel everything all at once.” And with that statement he doubled my visualization, and then he launched the 6,000 sq ft build-out.
The original space at 1024 Queen Street had 6 support posts upstairs interrupting what was supposed to be our biggest dance room. To fix the problem, Cliff installed four steel columns up through the back and the center of the building, from the ground level to the roof, supporting two 24” steel beams to support the ceiling. No small feat! Then he devised a unique design and constructed a sprung, mango wood dance floor. Voila, he created our beautiful Barefoot Ballroom.
Allowing me to design the rooms, the fixtures and the decor, Cliff built a lovely place for us to fill with mindful moving arts coming from around the world. With our company, Prometheus Construction, he continued to support Still & Moving Center financially as she got onto her feet… just as a dad would his child.
The word ‘patron’ comes from the Latin word pater, meaning “father,” and the Greek word patēr giving us the root pater or patr. Cliff definitively deserves the title “patron”, meaning benefactor, or even defender, of the arts.
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