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2021 SPECIAL SESSION I

21103741D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 724
Offered February 2, 2021
Celebrating the life of Tony E. Colden, Jr.
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Patrons-- Bourne, Scott, Adams, D.M., Bagby, Carr, Convirs-Fowler, Delaney, Hayes, Helmer, Heretick, Hope, Kory, Rasoul, Reid, Simonds and Watts; Senators: Boysko, Howell, Lucas and Saslaw
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WHEREAS, Tony E. Colden, Jr., an esteemed dancer, dance instructor, and choreographer and a beloved member of the Portsmouth and Richmond communities, died on January 13, 2021; and

WHEREAS, born and raised in Portsmouth, Tony Colden began dancing at the age of five with the former Gail Harts Dance Company, now the Gail Harts Performing Arts Group, where he cultivated a love for dance that would motivate him the rest of his life; and

WHEREAS, a graduate of Churchland High School in Portsmouth, a magnet school for the visual and performing arts, Tony Colden went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in fine arts for dance and choreography at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he contributed to various on-campus and off-campus performances and led multiple Greek-letter organizations as an instructor and choreographer; and

WHEREAS, Tony Colden worked with Starr Foster Dance and the Studio 4 Dance Agency on productions in Richmond while teaching dance and choreography with Henrico County Public Schools for more than seven years; and

WHEREAS, with an eye toward the future of dance and supporting the youth in his community, Tony Colden was a cherished coach and dance instructor at both Virginia Union University and the Chesterfield Dance Center in Midlothian, where he taught the elite youth dance team dELIRIUM; and

WHEREAS, guided throughout his life by his deep and abiding faith, Tony Colden grew spiritually at the Third Baptist Church in Portsmouth, where he performed in the youth choir and served in many other capacities, and later was a devoted member of The Life Church in Richmond; and

WHEREAS, Tony Colden will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his parents, Karen and Tony; his brother, Dallas; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Tony E. Colden, Jr., an accomplished dancer and choreographer and treasured member of the Portsmouth and Richmond communities, whose passionate dedication to his craft inspired countless lives; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Tony E. Colden, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.