07/13/2026
On Wednesday, July 8, 2026, Miss Cynthia danced to heaven.
Miss Cynthia became the full-time Tanner Dance costumer in 1978. She created, at a modest estimate, over 15,000 costumes and wore through the knees of innumerable pairs of her pants, cutting and hemming on the floor of the costume shop. Her skill lay in turning story ideas into a visual pageant. The marvelous costumes she designed and produced over the years captured the wonder of this organization. Miss Cynthia’s love of dance, her belief in children, and her passion for excellence in everything she did, embodied the core philosophy of Virginia Tanner and Tanner Dance. She believed that every costume should make a child feel special. Her uncountable sleepless nights ensured that result.
Cynthia’s costume designs endure, but her contribution transcends the stage, the lights, and the dance. She has shown generations how to lead and inspire to the highest standards of excellence and creative achievement. What lingers and transforms the Tanner family was her quiet generosity in both spirit and resources.
She offered hugs and scholarships, an endless stream of ideas and problem-solving strategies, a hand in friendship, and a shoulder to cry on. Think of the pins, thousands of them, locked in their sheaths to protect young skin. It slowed the work of hemming to use safety rather than straight pins, but it was the dancers, not the costumes that mattered most.
We at Tanner Dance are all grateful to have had Cynthia Turner in our lives, to have danced in her costumes, witnessed her artistry, and to have listened to and followed her sage counsel. Thank you, Cynthia; your legacy continues.
