Bang the Drum

Community interaction through dance is such an incredibly broad "topic".  I envision the posts that will follow in the coming months will be a hodgepodge of event overviews, video, reviews (maybe), general musings, etc.  And they'll cover anything from education to performance, creative development to social change, and much more... there's just no limit when it comes to "community"... or dance... or interaction, for that matter.  

So, my first post is not specifically about dance.  It is about community, and something that is affecting all of the arts today.  I came across a Facebook post from an old high school classmate, now a successful musician.  It's best if you just read Warren Wolf's post yourself:

"Just read an email from a friend of mine about the sad state of jazz in Baltimore. For those who are interested in knowing what I'm talking about, Baltimore Office of Promotions has funded an festival for years called Artscape. In a nutshell, jazz music has been reduced to 1 artist this year, the Billie Holiday & Chick Webb competitions are no longer happening, no more Baltimore Jazz Alliance stage etc..... The Baltimore Office of Promotions has decided that Jazz isn't a big thing anymore, even though jazz at Artscape has ALWAYS done well. Very sad....and it's not just jazz music, but it's other arts such as dance, as well. My wife was just performing in this festival just two years ago and now dance isn't happening anymore. SMH, arts in Baltimore.....or is it everywhere?"

Well, as you can imagine, the comments came pouring in.  The discussion covered everything from the lack of funding for the arts, to the responsibility of the audience, the watering down or lack of accessibility of the art form of Jazz, to the education of the community.  These are all common themes heard time and time again in dance.  Almost every dance article I've read lately has been about the sorry state that we're in.  It is ridiculously depressing, and I don't really want to talk about it.  What interests me more is the response, the possibilities, the solutions. And Warren's post actually evoked something uplifting, which is what inspired me to blog about it.  It was a recurring comment found throughout the conversation thread.  It was a call for action.  If something is missing, go out and do it yourself.  So, here is Warren's response:

"replying to my own post about arts in Baltimore, so here's a simple solution that I plan on doing, for starters.......on Friday July 20, which is the first day of Artscape (let's hope it doesn't rain) probably around 5:00 or 6:00pm, I will be performing with a few of my friends (drums only, no vibes) somewhere near Penn Station. I'll make sure that my voice is heard and we will be, very much, visible. Gotta make a change!!!!!!"

I wish I could be there to hear those drums (I'll bet people will be dancing... I would!) I asked Warren for permission to write about all this, and for permission to use any video from his event.  So, stay tuned for more.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how all this turns out, and I'll definitely keep you posted.