Dianne E. Vapnek

Dianne Vapnek, a longtime resident of Santa Barbara, died peacefully at home on June 26, 2026. Dianne will be remembered as a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, and as the founder and director of SUMMERDANCE and DANCEworks, which brought acclaimed modern dance companies and choreographers to Santa Barbara.

Dianne’s lifelong love of dance began when she visited Jacob’s Pillow in the Berkshires, near her childhood home of Holyoke, Massachusetts. She attended college at the University of Miami, earning her BA degree in 1962. She later earned an MA degree in recreational therapy, with a special interest in dance therapy, from the University of Georgia. She taught modern dance in Athens, Georgia.

Attracted by the natural beauty of Santa Barbara, Dianne and her husband, Daniel Vapnek, purchased a home on Plaza Rubio, across from the Mission Rose Garden in 1995. In the early 2000s, they moved to a house on Garden Street designed by the modernist architect Thornton Ladd.

Eager to contribute to Santa Barbara’s vibrant cultural scene, Dianne launched SUMMERDANCE, a new festival of contemporary dance, in 1997. During its decade of operation, the festival became an integral part of the town’s cultural landscape and an important place on the national dance scene. From 2008 to 2018 Dianne presented DANCEworks in collaboration with the Lobero Theatre. Nationally known choreographers spent a month in Sant Barbara creating a new work which was performed at the Lobero.

Dianne is survived by her loving husband, Daniel, her three daughters, and five grandchildren.

Donations in memory of Dianne may be made to the Lobero Theatre, https://www.lobero.org/support/. A memorial service will be held at a later date.