Emerging Arts Leaders DC's Creative Conversation: Fundraising in the Millennial Age

Hey,

So last week I had the pleasure and privilege of joining a panel put together for this year's Emerging Arts Leaders DC's (EALDC) annual Creative Conversation. This year's topic? Fundraising in the Millennial Age.

A quick disclaimer, just in case you didn't my post from August: I was asked to join the steering committee of EALDC and accepted. I started my tenure a couple of months ago. Since then I've co-hosted one of our monthly First Friday lunches, and I ended up on this panel after volunteering adding my own two cents to the conversation, as someone who has successfully implemented two Kickstarter campaigns to produce Capital Fringe shows.

But I digress. Our hosts for the evening were two of my fellow committee members, Tim Mikulski (Communications and Content Manager at Americans for the Arts) & Emily Travis (Communications & Government Affairs Associate at the Association of Performing Arts Presenters. Emily was also our moderator for the evening, and a wonderful one at that.

And so let me introduce my fellow panelists. Going from left to right, after Emily, we had Shannon Siemens, the assistant director of membership at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts as well as one of the foundations' liaisons with their Club 66 (young professional) membership program. Then there was me in the middle, next to whom sat James Li, entrepreneur and co-founder of a relatively new fundraising platform Encore. And last, but certainly NOT least was Ryan Holladay, a trustee of the Awesome Foundation's DC Chapter, manager of new media of Artisphere, as well as half the electronic music due known as Bluebrain.

Emily kicked off the convo with a question to Shannon, getting a sense of the state of fundraising, and she shared her experience and insights, particularly with demographics and retention rate. This was a perfect segue to discussing Wolf Trap's club 66 program, and was a great way to set the context for the evening, Fundraising in a Millennial Age.

James added to the conversation, and how Encore is helping to fill a need and bridge a gap. He provided some great information from the recent Millennial Impact Report, which you can check out at their blog. One phrase he used, which I love and relates to similar conversations about brandraising (thank you Big Duck!), was "top of mind". My takeaway was how important it is to stay present and relevant between the arts & cultural events which are the heart of any arts organizations' programs.

Social media inevitably came up and some of the major points included making sure that one had goals and that you focused on good, quality content, and not necessarily some of the easier to grasp, quantifiable stats.

Honestly, with the diversity of panelists and experiences, it's really hard to share everything that was discussed and covered. I say this as I attempt to even think about how I can share a nugget of what Ryan contributed, and I can't. His and everyone else's experience was a healthy serving of humble pie, for me.

Even what notes I managed to take probably only covered 10% of the conversation. So I'll skip to the end of the panel section, and try to paraphrase what I thought was important to leave the evening with.

I reiterated how important it is with social media to be transparent, to integrate those tools with an overall communication plan, and to really cultivate those one-to-one relationships and interactions. Social media is ultimately just a tool, not a strategy.

So after the panel, we broke off into small groups each given a different scenario of an arts organization in crisis, and they had to develop a solution based on the evening's conversation.

And this was just as important, if not more so, than the panel, otherwise it's not much of a conversation.

Overall a great evening with over 20 attendees. Looking forward to future ones, like the one I'm working on now.

After the First Friday Lunch I co-hosted, where there were a number of development people present, they expressed interest in a workshop/training/whatever much like many that the Foundation Center in Washington offer, but specifically for those at arts organizations. I went on to contact them, and talked with Kim and, although their training calendar is full through the rest of the calendar year, we're looking into a spring offering.

I've even touched based with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and have word from their Executive Director that they are certainly on board for whatever we work out. I thought it'd be great to hear from them, not just about granting opportunities, but leveraging those grants to go after other sources of funding.

Anyway, really excited to be part of this team at the Emerging Arts Leaders DC and this community of artists and arts organizations in the DC Metropolitan Area. Glad to have had the opportunity to participate as a panelist in our Creative Conversation, and stoked to bring other similar events to local arts professionals, to help us all move forward,

- J Street JR

The Peter Fox Project

Hey there,

So after a hiatus, today I was inspired to blog because I had to share a wonderful example of the arts community in DC.

His name is Peter Fox. Today is his birthday. I got to meet and perform with him while singing with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington. That was back in 2007. And it was right when he was pivoting to pursue his music professionally. I remember talking to him about it, as the work he was in was not as fulfilling as his art was.

While Peter was already a pillar in the local arts & LGBT community, it was wonderful and inspiring to see him take that to the next level. Check out this clip from Aids Walk 2010, just a little over a couple of years ago:

It hasn't even been a year since he left us, gone too soon. He succumbed to cancer. And while he isn't here in body, his spirit is still with us, and his energy continues to change the world.

Friends set up a fundraiser, which you can support on Crowdrise, called the Peter Fox Project:

On January 2, 2012, we lost one of the most beautiful souls to have entered our lives. Peter Fox touched everyone he encountered, and we - his family, friends, and fans - have partnered up with the Sitar Arts Center to continue his love, light, and legacy. Peter has always wished he had began his music career sooner, so this partnership with Sitar is just and appropriate. 

This annual fundraising campaign aims to raise $30,000 each year to ensure that Peter's love for music will help underprivileged, artistic and musically gifted youth in Washington, DC continue their talents.

So whether you knew him or not, I hope you consider joining Team Peter and supporting the work of the Sitar Arts Center through this fund.

Peter: You are missed and loved,

- J Street Jr,

Comparing 10 DC Theatres on twitter: Report

Hello,

So I blogged about the method I went about to measure the social media efforts of theatres on Twitter at my AWayofLife0 blog (and if you came here via that, you can scroll down to after the under construction sign), particularly regardingthis endeavor. I looked at various data to compare 10 of DC's multitude of theatre companies. The theatres were chosen by a number of subjective factors, ones I was familiar with, established companies, Helen Hayes nominees, and is by no means comprehensive, but just within the scope of my own personal capacity.

Also, if anyone's with a theatre which was not included, and would like to be considered for when I do this report again in the future, please contact me and let me know. If you have any questions about the metrics or reasoning, after reading the other blog explaining all of it, absolutely message me. This is DEFINITELY a work in progress, and my main goal is to provide information and context that will help any and everyone do social media to the best of their capacity.

This isn't a matter of who's doing social media right and who's doing it wrong. I just want to make that clear. Everyone's doing something right to some degree. As I mentioned in the other post, ultimately any individual theatre's social media success can only be based on their own goals and measurements.

That being said, the ten theatre companies I took a look at were Arena Stage, Metro Stage, Olney Theatre Center, Round House Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre, Theater J, Synetic Theater, & Woolly Mammoth Theatre.

I break down rankings based on presence, relationships, and influence. I then provide the overall ranking at the end. Check it out:

Rankings based on presence, one's static and fluid appearance (i.e. selection of profile & background image and tweet frequency) were:

1. Woolly Mammoth Theatre
2. Shakespeare Theatre Company
3. Theater J
4. Studio Theatre
5. Arena Stage
5. Metro Stage
5. Round House Theatre
8. Signature Theatre
9. Olney Theatre Center
9. Synetic Theater

Rankings based on relationships (i.e. following/follower ratio and percentage of active followers) were:

1. Metro Stage
2. Theater J
3. Woolly Mammoth Theatre
4. Shakespeare Theatre Company
5. Arena Stage
6. Signature Theatre
7. Olney Theatre
8. Studio Theatre
9. Synetic Theatre
10. Round House Theatre

Rankings based on influence (i.e. Klout and Peer Index scores) were:

1. Shakespeare Theatre Company
2. Signature Theatre
3. Arena Stage
3. Olney Theatre
3. Woolly Mammoth Theatre
6. Round House
7. Metro Stage
7. Theater J
9. Studio Theatre
10. Synetic Theater

And here are the overall ranking combining the previous three categories:

1. Woolly Mammoth Theatre
2. Shakespeare Theatre Company
3. Theater J
4. Metro Stage
5. Arena Stage
6. Signature Theatre
7. Round House
8. Studio Theatre
9. Olney Theatre
9. Synetic Theater

Again, this is a ranking and not a scoring. There is no objective standard of social media proficiency which I used to measure and score these theatre companies against. And while there are some metrics which are somewhat objective, this ranking is based on how each theatres' scores compared to the others.

It is also an attempt to rank engagement, which might not be a theatre company's goal with their Social Media. If you're main goal is driving website traffic and ticket sales, then this ranking will probably be of little use to you. However, I would make the case that effective engagement in addition to broadcasting content that's on message and part of your overall marketing strategy, creating a place for dialogue and conversations, however brief, can actually compliment and even help with any other goals you might have.

An interesting tidbit is that Shakespeare Theatre Company and Signature Theatre are the social media veterans of this group, joining twitter over four years ago. But the "noob", Woolly Mammoth Theatre, which joined just a little under three years ago (it'll be three years on 9/1, actually), has risen to the top in terms of social media savvy, according to these rankings.

One consideration for future reports will be to include the quantity of followers, adjusted to not include fake or inactive ones, in the scoring system used to rank. The only issue I have with this is that so much of this can be dependent on anything from location, to whether a theatre is engaging not just local and regional tweeps, but national ones, as well, and quantity in and of itself does little to provide useful, meaningful context.

Finally, for tweeps in the DC area, if you follow any of these companies (if not all of them), does this more or less reflect what you've observed their engagement to be? Any surprises or questions with these rankings? Anything you recommend I take into further consideration? Is any of this even useful? If you haven't read my blog breaking down what went into this, please check it out.

I would personally be curious as to how much this does or doesn't reflect on a theatre's social media capacity, strategy, goals, and desired outcomes. And I'm definitely up to discussing this with any person in charge of such channels, either for these companies or others, if you have questions, input, or just want to grab coffee and chat.

Let me know, and keep an eye out for future reports,

- J Street Jr

P.S. Just in case you aren't following any of the theatres from this ranking, and would like to, here you go (in alphabetical order):

• Follow @ArenaStage
• Follow @MetroStage
• Follow @OlneyTheatre
• Follow @RHT_roundhouse
• Follow @ShakespeareinDC
• Follow @sigtheatre
• Follow @Studio_Theatre
• Follow @SyneticTheater
• Follow @TheaterJ
• Follow @woollymammothtc

1st meeting sitting on Emerging Arts Leaders DC's steering committee

Hey there,

So i was asked to join the Steering Committee of the Emerging Arts Leaders DC (EALDC)...and I said yes.

Last night was my first night acting in an official capacity, during the first steering committee meeting of the 2012-13 year.

I had attended EALDC events before, the main ones being several First Friday Lunches. It's an opportunity to grab a bite, chat, and network with other arts professionals in the area. EALDC also partnered with AU's Emerging Arts Leaders Symposium, an annual event that happens the day before Americans for the Arts' (AFTA) Arts Advocacy Day.

If you're not familiar with EALDC, we are:

a volunteer-led initiative that provides professional development, networking, and information relevant to emerging arts professionals in the metropolitan Washington, DC area

And I was personally loving my fellow committee members, both veterans, as well as the other noobs like me. Anyway, I won't go on too much about what we discussed in the meeting. What was exciting was how quick "orientation" was and before I knew it, we were beginning to plan for the year, from First Friday Lunches, to Creative Conversation ideas. And, with the latter, the one we tentatively settled on was Philanthropy specifically regarding younger donors. This will be happening sometime late October, early November.

Creative Conversations are a special event dedicated to getting a discussion going. Last year's was held at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and titled Cultural Participation in a 2.0 World.

So I'm stoked!! This is the kind of work that I've been wanting to jump into more, particularly with regards to this side of the arts conversation. And the whole time I couldn't help but look around at the table and be glad that I have the opportunity and privilege to work with this tremendous and dynamic group.

And although this particular organization started out as a DC thing, the group was actually titled The DC Forum when it first started several years ago, it is now part of AFTA's Emerging Leaders Network:

The Americans for the Arts Emerging Leader Program works to identify and cultivate the next generation of arts leaders in America. It is an ideal way for new leaders to share their interests with others as they continue to develop their skills and their commitment to the arts. The Emerging Leader Program targets professionals who are either new to the field, with up to five years of experience, or are 35 years of age or younger.

So if you're in the area, and interested in attending our events, definitely be in touch, and you can start by following or liking us on Facebook or Twitter:

• Follow @emergingartsdc

And here are my fellow committee members, as well as any orgs we're associated with (as applicable):

• Tim Mikulski, EALDC Co-chair, Communications & Content Manager at AFTA
• Follow @tim_mik
• Follow @Americans4Arts
• Sunny Widman, EALDC Co-chair, Program Manager at National Arts Strategies
• Follow @ArtStrategies
• Corinne Baker, Audience Engagement Manager at Washington Performing Arts Society
• Follow @WPASinDC
• Ellen Chenoweth, Managing Director at Dance Exchange
• Follow @Dance_Exchange
• Chelsey Christensen, Development Manager for Individual Giving/Marketing & PR Coordinator at Imagination Stage & Forum Theatre
• Follow @chelseydc
• Follow @I_Stage
• Follow @forumtheatre
• Ethan Clark, Independent Arts & Arts Education Consultant
• Follow @clarkethan
• Helen Gineris, Events Manager at Cultural Tourism DC
• Follow @HelenJG7
• Follow @dcculture
• Angela Goerner, Development Director at Hamiltonian Artists
• Follow @hamiltoniandc
• Megan Pagado, Digital Communications & Outreach Manager at the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County
• Follow @andmegansaid
• Follow @creativemoco
• Christi Esterly Schwarten, Executive Director at the Fairfax Choral Society
• Follow @fairfaxchoral
• Emily Travis, Communications & Government Affairs Associate - Association of Performing Arts Presenters
• Follow @apap365

As you can see it's quite the spectrum of arts organizations. And it's reflected in the people I'm excited to sit on the steering committee with, in our broad range of experience and perspective.

So that being said, hope to see you at event soon. And I'll definitely post about the upcoming Creative Conversation in October,

- J Street Jr

The Normal Heart at Arena Stage

Hello,

So I saw The Normal Heart at Arena Stage last week and wanted to share some thoughts about it. Actually had a lot of thoughts to share, so had to divvy it up between my two blogs. This one's looking at it from an arts management and local arts community perspective, but you can check out the other, more personal one as well.

If you aren't familiar with The Normal Heart, here is Arena Stage's blurb for it:

Tony winner George C. Wolfe, (Angels in America) directs Larry Kramer’s Tony Award-winning Broadway production of The Normal Heart. Fueled by love, anger, hope and pride, a circle of friends struggle to contain the mysterious disease ravaging New York's gay community. Dismissed by politicians, frustrated by doctors and fighting with each other, their differences could tear them apart - or change the world. Hailed by critics as “riveting” (Newsday) and “a great night at the theater” (New York Times), Kramer's masterwork is an outrageous and totally unforgettable look at sexual politics during the AIDS crisis and remains one of the theater’s most powerful evenings ever.

When you walk into the space, and approach the Kreeger, you will actually see patches of the AIDS quilt, hanging on the wall. Apologies, as the image is somewhat blurry.

This is significant because the Aids Memorial Quilt is on display in Washington, DC this year. This partnership is a wonderful example of an opportunity that just made sense.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Arena Stage has also partnered with a number of other organizations for a series of relevant events throughout the run of the show, anything from free HIV screenings, to a series of panels throughout July.

All this is done in alignment with their mission:

Arena Stage is a national center for the production, presentation, development and study of American theater.

as all of this is certainly part of the production and presentation of this particular theater piece for the audience. The experience doesn't start when the house lights go down or end when the final bow is taken.

This is not to say that Arena Stage is the first theatre to do this. But rather than being an option or something to aspire to, I believe curating an experience beyond the stage will increasingly become a necessity as younger generations become future audiences.

But I digress. The Normal Heart runs until July 29th. I highly recommend anyone in the DC area not only see it, but try to attend one of the panels as well.

- J Street Jr


P.S. Check out the official trailer, below.

It's Capital Fringe time

Hey there,

It's that time of the year, Capital Fringe Festival time. I stopped by Fort Fringe yesterday evening, home of the box office, the Baldacchino Gypsy Tent Bar and several of the official festival venues within a block or so.

The Capital Fringe Festival Box Office

Disclaimer: I actually worked at the festival as the PR/Marketing intern while in grad school at AU for Arts Management. I've proceed to produce a show every year since '10 at the festival, including this one. That being said, if you're interested in following that, please check out my AWoL Productions blog.

Now if you're not familiar with Capital Fringe, it's an opportunity for artists and companies to produce and present work for a generally adventurous audience. Half the time, you don't know what you're going to get and it can be pretty exciting. One thing to keep track of during the festival is the board in the box office.

The "Board" inside the Box Office

Anything you need to know about shows in the festival (i.e. cancellations, sold out shows) will be posted here.  I do recommend connecting with the festival on Facebook and/or on Twitter as well. Shows aside, the other awesome part about the festival is just hanging out in between shows, reuniting with old friends and making new ones.

Most of this community gathering happens under and around the tent, with a bar that has food and drink, the tent which also houses a performance stage.  And, if you haven't got a chance to check it out yet, take a look at this year's shows online.

The festival runs July 12 to 29. And if you already knew about the festival, are there any shows you're already looking forward to?

- J Street Jr

Follow @JStreetJr

YPT's New Play Festival at Gala Hispanic Theatre

Hey there,

So hearing several spots for an upcoming event on WAMU (the official radio station for it, actually), reminded me to follow-up on an arts organization that participated at this year's Intersections Festival.

Young Playwrights' Theater presents their New Play Festival at the Gala Hispanic Theatre, in Columbia Heights. If you're not familiar with YPT, their mission is:

Young Playwrights’ Theater teaches students to express themselves clearly and creatively through the art of playwriting.

This upcoming Monday, 4/23, and Tuesday, 4/24 at 7:30pm, professional actors will be presenting the work of 12 student playwrights involved with YPT's In-School Playwrighting Porgram.

Definitely check out the links above for more information, but just take note that the plays presented on Apr 24 will be of a more mature nature, which might not be appropriate for children younger than 13 years old.

You can call 202-387-9173 for more information. And if you're on social media, you can like YPT at their FB page or follow them on Twitter. In fact, for those on FB, you can RSVP at their event page!

I will not be able to make it, as I will be in rehearsal both nights, but hope you can. And if you do, would love to hear from you about it,

- J Street Jr

Artist Snapshot: DCDD's Chad

Hey there,

Earlier this month, I posted about DC's Different Drummers. Well they're wrapping up March with their spring concert, My Favorite Things, tonight!!  And one of the musicians playing tonight took some time to share a little bit about himself.

Chad Koratich plays the Alto and Baritone Saxophone and has been a member of DC's Different Drummers since 2002. Without further ado, here's Chad:

JR: When did you start playing (on your own & with DCDD)?

Chad: I first started playing the saxophone and studying music in 5th grade. That was... gulp... 1981... 31 years ago. The school band director came to our music class and talked about the band and asked who was interested. I had no idea what instrument to pick but I knew that my mom loved the saxophone so I chose it. I played all through elementary, junior high, high school and college. Being a gay adolescent, even though I hadn't come out to even myself yet, was very rough. I was bullied all through school... and music was my shelter. Had it not been for band, I can't imagine what high school would have been like for me. After I graduated from college I joined the Army and didn't touch my sax again for about 8 years.

Then a miracle happened. I met Matt Swearman (our current President) who was at that time a fairly new member of DC's Different Drummers. We became fast friends and through that he found out I played sax. He told me about the band and invited me to a rehearsal. So, I dug my sax out of the closet and played around with it a bit and realized I was still pretty decent. I decided to take him up on his offer. That was, and forever will be, one of the best decisions of my life.

JR: What is one of your favorite memories with DCDD?

CHAD: I remember that first rehearsal with the symphonic band to this day. I played for a few measures and then stopped. I was in complete amazement at how great the group was and became emotional, choking back tears at the fact that I knew I had found something special... a group of adults like me, who were gay and loved to make music. DCDD became my haven, a place where I could be openly gay and do something that I loved and had missed for several years. Shortly thereafter, DCDD became my family... and Matt Swearman... well, he bacame my best friend.

JR: What inspires you to play?

Chad: What inspires me to play? That's easy, these very people. They are - in a word - AMAZING! I have MANY fantastic memories over the 10 years that I've been with the band. My favorite time every year is band camp. Yes, a bunch of adults go to band camp. It happens every September or October before our fall concert. We road trip to Elmer, NJ and take over the Appel Farm Art & Music Center for the weekend. We have concentrated rehearsal time but also plenty of time to relax, have fun and strengthen friendships. I owe so much to this amazing group and as long as I live in DC and can play my sax... I will be a member of DC's Different Drummers, one of my most favorite things!!!


So many thanks to Chad for taking some time to answer a few questions!! And, if you're looking for something to do in DC tonight, check out DCDD's My Favorite Things at the Columbia Heights Education Campus, and say hi to Chad and the rest of the folks in the Capitol Pride Symphonic Band and Capitol Pride Winds.

You can buy tickets here. And bookmark DCDD's calendar to keep up with any future events they've got going on!!

- J Street Jr

Arts' intrinsic value at Arena Stage tomorrow

Hello,

So tomorrow, a dissemination tour comes through the metropolitan DC area, specifically Arena Stage (which you can follow on Twitter and like on Facebook, and you should, if you don't already).

The tour is to share finding from a recent report released by Theatre Bay Area, located in San Francisco, titled "Counting New Beans: Intrinsic Impact and the Value of Art". Now I had't heard of a dissemination tour before and, at first, by the more I read about the report as well as the tour and partnering organizations, the more I realized that there's no other word which could've more appropriate, or more timely.

At the nonprofit I work at full-time, we represent artists and provide art & cultural programming to communities around the DC, MD & NoVA. A conversation that keeps coming back is how to make our artists and their programs more marketable, and one tactic is arts integration.  And the Kennedy Center has a wonderful resource on Arts Integration.

Anyway, this realies on an extrinsic argument and value on art, in that it is useful in pursuit of learning other subjects and skills. This is grossly oversimplifying the issue, but I'll leave it at there for now.

And if it's not arts education, one other popular extrinsic argument is the economic impact of the arts.  Even in a recent Huffington Post article, DC Advocates for the Arts board chair, Robert Bettmann made a compelling but single-minded argument that simply addressed the financial issues related to government support for the arts in DC.

Theatre Washington also organized an online petition recently, to restore funding to the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, with the text focused on, well...funding. Don't get me wrong, this was a well-executed and concise call to action, with just enough detail to inform.

To Theatre Washington's credit, they do so much more than that online petitions (if you're not familiar with the organization), and although their flagship program might be the annual Helen Hayes Awards, in terms of visibility, their effort to promote the art of theatre in the area is a year-round one.

So the dissemination tour of "Counting New Beans..." is coming to DC in association with Theatre Washington, and is at Arena Stage, tomorrow, from 10am-1pm. And I'm fortunate enough to work at an organization that allows me to attend events like this, both for the org and for myself.

I'm not sure if they're still taking RSVP's, but if you're interested, you can send an email to dtaylor@theatrewashington.org.

If you're there, please say hey!! And keep an eye out for a blog this weekend, about the event.

- J Street Jr

DC's Different Drummers

Hey,

So I can't think of a better way to kick-off the post-Intersections blogging than with the group that helped wrapped up the festival, DC's Different Drummers, with one of their ensemble groups, DC Swing!

As is my style, I won't try to say anything that isn't better said already:

In addition to creating fine music, our goals are to have fun, play with pride, work together, and educate others. Although we have differing backgrounds, experiences, talents and abilities, we share the goal of excellence in music.

I can say, from what I heard at the closing Tea Dance party, they certainly seem to be accomplishing their goals.

Here's another clip of their Marching Band participating in last week's DC Pride parade:

So definitely check out their website for more info, and like them on Facebook!

If you're interested in participating, check out each ensemble for instructions on how to contact 'em.  And if you're particularly interested in DCDD's Marching Band, they've got an open house coming up April 9th, so mark your calendar.

Also if you're interested in seeing an upcoming performance, mark March 31st on your calendar as well. Their Capital Pride Symphonic Band and Capital Pride Wind Ensemble will be at the Columbia Heights Education Campus for their spring concert, My Favorite Things!.

You can also keep track of them through two of our wonderful, local LGBT publications, Metro Weekly with the DCDD tag (I think there might be others, but this is the most recent one I found),  as well as Washington Blade's DC Different Drummers tag.

And if you ever want to really get to know an organization, get to know the leadership. I actually got to meet Matt Swearman, DCDD's president, at last Sunday's tea dance (can't believe it's already been a week), and WB's Joey DiGuglielmo did a piece profiling Matt last November, so definitely check out Queerty: Matt Swearman.

Also, hoping to get in touch with some of the musicians, as well as their special guest conductor, former Artistic Director, K. Scott Barker for the concert on the 31st, so keep an eye out for more blogs about this wonderful local community musical organization.

- J Street Jr

Intersections: Final lobby vlog

Hey there,

It's pretty self-explanatory:

Until next year, for the festival.

But keep an eye out for upcoming posts as I keep up with what various artists are up in the area :-)

- J Street Jr

Hey,

Just a clip from the Kogod lobby on this final family saturday at this year's Intersections festival, at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in DC.

Artists who work with kids deserve a very special award, especially young kids. Beyond having to have a tremendous amount of energy just to match them, they're a hundred times tougher than any adult audience to keep engaged. Kudos to every teaching artist who work with youth,

JR

Intersections Artist Snapshot: Amanda Aldag

Hey there,


Another Intersections artist snapshot on this penultimate day of this year's festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Amanda Aldag is a local vocalist who will be performing today with Euphonism, one of two a cappella groups featured in this afternoon's show.

Intersecting A Cappella Imagine doo-wop meets pop meets gospel meets R&B meets Motown when two fantastic DC a cappella groups share the stage.

I actually have the pleasure of having met Amanda through my day job at Class Acts Arts, which represents a number of artists and companies. One of the groups on our roster is Snowday, another a capella group Amanda is involved in.

And, if you haven't observed by now, the DC area performing arts scene continues to get smaller and smaller, and I LOVE it. With that, I'm glad to introduce you to Amanda:

JR: When did you start singing?

Amanda: I started singing when I was about 7 in the school choir. I participated in every music club that my schools offered but always was most at home singing. I first got involved in a cappella in college where I was part of an all-female group.

JR: How did you become involved w/ Euphonism?

Amanda: I was one of the founders of Euphonism. A few months before, I had just moved to DC after having lived in Japan for several years. I was finally getting settled in at my new job and learning my way around and really missed singing. None of the existing groups were holding auditions so when I saw an ad on Craig's List about a new group getting together, I jumped at the opportunity.

JR: What inspires you to sing?

Amanda: Singing makes me happy in a way that nothing else does. In the few brief periods in my life when I was not singing there was definitely a void. Singing has always come pretty easily to me, but creating music completely a cappella adds an extra challenge for me. Plus, the community is one in which I feel supported and inspired.

JR: What is one of your favorite Euphonism memories?

Amanda: So many memories to choose from! We laugh a lot in rehearsal which I know means a lot to all of us. After a tough day I know that a few hours with the group is enough to make me smile again. Lately we've been offered bigger and bigger opportunities which has been really exciting, like our recent performance at the London A Cappella Festival. Being a part of that event was one of the most thrilling things I've done as a performer. But, even better, was the time the group spent together over the week we were there. It was a wake up call to me about how lucky I am to have these 6 wonderful people in my life.

JR: What are you an Intersection of?

Amanda: Euphonism is an intersection of pure vocal harmonies and fun, cutting edge technology. We've merged traditional vocal stylings with some really unique electronic effects for a exciting show!

Very grateful for Amanda taking the time to share this with me. As you can probably imagine, she's pretty busy. Keep up with her on Twitter (which is where I snagged her awesome singing photo from, hope you don't mind, Amanda!!), as well as Euphonism. If you're more of a FB person, like their page here.

You can catch Amanda and Euphonism, today at 4pm!! Buy tickets here, RSVP here on FB, do so in THAT order, and hope to see you at the Atlas later on today. And whether or not you go to the show

-- JR

Intersections Artist Snapshot: Carolyn Kamrath

Hey there,

Here's an artist snapshot of dancer Carolyn Kamrath. Now, funny thing is Carolyn and I go back about 6 years. We first met at the American Dance Festival summer of '06. It wouldn't be too long before our paths crossed again, at American University's Arts Management program.

What's great is that living in the Brookland Artspace Lofts, I live right next to Dance Place, one of the organizations she's involved with.

JR: When did you start dancing?

Carolyn: According to our home videos, I’ve been dancing since I could walk! Just ask my Dad for a sampling of my early choreographic hits in our living room. I started formal classes at age 3 and have been dancing ever since – including as a dance major at GWU.

JR: How did you become involved with DancEthos & Dance Place?

Carolyn: Tiffany Haughn, the Artistic Director of DancEthos, was one of my college professors. She asked me to dance in one of her works for CrossCurrents Dance Company and a few years after that we formed DancEthos together. In addition to dancing for DancEthos, I do a variety of administrative work and choreograph for the company (check out my latest piece in our show at Dance Place June 23-24!).

I am also the Marketing Director for Dance Place. I started as a summer intern in 2007 and came back as a staff member while I was in grad school at AU for Arts Management. I’m very excited that Dance Place is presenting Illstyle & Peace Productions from Philadelphia as part of INTERSECTIONS on March 9-10 – besides being awesome dancers who are captivating to watch, they are very kind and loving people who we love to have around!

JR: What inspires you to dance?

Carolyn: I think movement as a form of expression is just ingrained in me. I’ve always danced – it’s always been completely natural to me and creates a sense of wholeness in my life. These days I find so much inspiration in how other people’s bodies move, especially non dancers. I continue to be curious about the body itself, let alone all of the interesting concepts that can be portrayed through dance!

JR: What is one of your favorite moments w/ any of the companies/organizations you're involved in?

Carolyn: Every rehearsal with DancEthos is hilarious, heartfelt and fun. Too many favorite moments! But recently I have loved revisiting a duet with Tina Fratello for our INTERSECTIONS performance of Unsung. We have a really honest connection when we dance this duet that is so fulfilling. I hope the audience this weekend enjoys it too!

JR: What are you an intersection of?

Carolyn: 

So yeah, it's a small world and it keeps getting smaller, especially the dance community in the area.

You can catch Carolyn, with DanceEthos as well as alight dance theater and Glade Dance Collective, today at 4:30pm, at Intersections.

With only a handful of tickets left, you can buy tickets here.

- J Street Jr

Intersections Artist Snapshot: Eddie Jeffries

Hey there,

Bringing you another artist snapshot, this time with Eddie Jeffries performing with Dissonance Dance Theatre. I met Eddie through the dance community in the area and he is actually one of my students in a piece I'm choreographing at Montgomery College.

When he saw that I was at Intersections a lot this year, he told me that he was performing with DDT. That's not my only intersection with the company. Back when I was an undergrad dance major at UMD, I took a choreography class and met Shawn Short, DDT's Founding Artistic Director.

Yeah, it's a small world. And with that, here's a bit about Eddie.

JR: When did you start dancing?

Eddie: I have been dancing for about 3 years. I started training in a musical theatre style followed by hip hop, other styles of jazz, modern and then ballet. I took my first official ballet class last year at Montgomery college when I began my study as a dance major. Since working with Dissonance Dance theatre I found a interest and appreciation for the art of ballet.

JR: How did you become involved with Dissonance Dance Theatre?

Eddie: I heard through a friend about an opportunity to be apart of the dawn project, so I went and did some research about Shawn short and was amazed by his work. So I contacted him with my bio and told him how interested I was, then came in for the first day of class! The dawn project is "A program created by Shawn Short, where he meets young African American boys and men where they are, affirms their interests and builds their artistic and entrepreneurial leadership." I have attend every 6 hour class/rehearsal on Sundays for the past three 2 & 1/2 Months. So i worked hard to Become understudies in some of his pieces and glad I was cast in one of his dance that will be performed at intersections.

JR: What inspires you to dace?

Eddie: I am my biggest motivation to continue in my passion for dance. I have always had strong interest in all form of art and this has become a passion and career interest for me.My everyday life and experiences inspire me to dance and continue to learn. Those experience helped me become who I am today. The stereotypes of African American male dancers being successful in the dance world gives me the drive to push myself. Dance is my outlet. It gives me a way of attaching my feelings to convey it through movement and send messages to anyone without speaking.

JR: What is one of your favorite DDT memories?

Eddie: My favorite memory with Dissonance was being able to be apart of their photo shoot. It was an awesome experience and my first time ever getting an opportunity like this. In that very same day it was like a wake up call for me because I realized this is what I want to do and this is where I'm going to work to get here. The company was very helpful and I learned alot from them. They are all beautiful and talented dancers and people, which makes the experience even better

Cinema

Having a packed house last night, you've got only one more chance to catch Dissonance Dance Theatre at this year's Intersections, with Cinema, at 2:30pm.

If you can make it, you can buy tickets here.

- J Street Jr

Intersections Artist Snapshot: Jimmy Page

Hey there,

Here's a brief glimpse into the life of Jimmy Page, member of DCypher, one of Joy of Motion's Adult Dance Companies. They are also performing at Intersections tonight at 9:30pm (as was the last artist I blogged about), with Access Granted:

Joy of Motion Dance Center's adult hip-hop company unleashes their passion for jazz, tap, modern and pop-fusion AND their amazing hip-hop moves. Dance Party to follow!

So as opposed to the previous two artist friends I featured, I can't say I remember exactly how we met, probably out on the dance floor of some club and/or through mutual friends. But Jimmy was someone who gave me a run for my money, not that they teach you how to dance at clubs to electronic dance music and pop, but I'd say I could hold my own.

Anyway, all I can say is that I'm so proud to be able to call Jimmy a friend, and am thrilled with everything he's been able to pursue and accomplish with DCypher. And it's a pleasure that I'm able to share a little bit more about him, with you all.

JR: When did you start dancing?

Jimmy: If you were to ask my parents I'm sure they'd say, "As soon as he could walk!" I have seen footage of myself in a diaper with two hands on the TV screen stomping my feet as Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video plays. From the age of 8 or so I did Tae Kwon Do pretty exclusively because I was attracted to the idea of dancing as a unit and acrobatics combined with learning and memorizing choreography and performing it in front of large crowds. TKD taught me how to be committed and work through adversity and, most of all, to lead by example. Ultimately, most of the dancing I did was in clubs, freestyle circles, and at school dances where I would arrive (fashionably late, of course) and break it down the best I knew how. Developing your own style and personality is something I think most teens can identify with and I was lucky enough to have found my voice. Along with my passion for photography and filmmaking, dance had completed the puzzle.

JR: How did you become involved w/ DCypher? (this was a bit of a rhetorical question :-D)

Jimmy: After hearing about the DCypher "hip hop" auditions from you, though excited to participate, I realized I had never taken a formal dance class or audition in my entire life. The DCypher auditions were that class. I simply reminded myself that I wasn't going there to impress anyone, but to simply express myself and that's exactly what I did. A few days later, I had made the team, as well as what turned out to be a second family.

JR: What inspires you to dance?

Jimmy: Being surround by some of the most creative and energetic people is one of the gifts of being on a team like DCypher. Before practice, during, and even after (if we still have the energy) we share ideas, thoughts, and opinions on anything related to dance, or entertainment for that matter. I respect and admire those I have met through DCypher as I have become acquainted with other staff and dance teams in the Joy of Motion umbrella. I draw inspiration to dance from the feeling I get when I am absolutely losing myself in that moment when you know that, even if for a few moments, the song that is playing was made for you. I love that I am learning true choreography as I have plans to apply my own techniques to the love of film and music videos.

JR: What is one of your favorite DCypher memories?

Jimmy: Once a year, DCypher gets invited to the Culture Shock Ottawa Showcase. Passports in hand, DCypher drives the 8+ hours up the east coast and, throughout, we just make each other laugh and sing silly songs in the car. This all culminates into an indescribable experience where suddenly you are sharing dressing rooms with some of the most dynamic and talented dance crews you have ever witnessed. Being able to hang out with Culture Shock San Diego, DC, Ottawa, Toronto, and others was nothing short of a dream come true. And my favorite part? Stepping on stage to the cheering and applause from the biggest audience I have ever danced for and being privileged enough to leave my mark on that stage. I look forward to dancing in Canada once again later this summer!

JR: What are you an Intersection of?

Jimmy: I am the intersection of creativity and spontaneity.

Honestly, I can't help but smile a little that I was able to bring Jimmy along and introduce him to the opportunity. And, in case you were wondering, I did audition as well and did not make the initial cut. However, the neat thing was that they invited and encouraged me to take company classes and had expressed interest in having me be a part of their family. And I would definitely like to still take 'em up on that and audition again in the future!! :-D

Anyway, dancers like Jimmy and companies like DCypher are just one of the many reasons why I love being a part of the diverse and thriving dance community in the Metropolitan DC area. And even though I didn't make the cut, I'm just as thrilled to be able to support 'em from the audience and cut a rug with them and the other audience members at the dance party after tonight's show!!

You can buy tickets here. And check out the video below for an even more in-depth behind the scenes of DCypher, w/ Jimmy,

- J Street Jr