 In spring 1965 she choreographed and produced the first all-ballet performance featuring area amateur dancers.The show proved so popular that Northlanders wanted to encourage the young dancers.In December 1965, twenty ballet supporters in the Duluth area formed a board of directors, with Jan Gibson as the first president, establishing the Duluth Civic Ballet with the intention of providing instruction in ballet and using the area's students to form an amateur performing company.