Are We At Risk of Losing the Arts?
Last chance to support our Kickstarter.
Kickstarter for the arts? Is this what it has come to? Are the arts being forced to compete with entrepreneurial gadget makers, wide eyed video game developers and cat greeting card writers (yes, that is a thing). But a Kickstarter campaign for the development, promotion and presentation of a new ballet? In Calgary, Alberta? In a town where hockey and horses are more universally accepted, sonatas and symphonies take a back seat. Where the rise and fall of the price of West Texas Intermediate drives the fates of so many, do the struggles of the arts community to remain vibrant and relevant matter? Can a Kickstarter Campaign for a dance project be successful?
I used to think so. Now I am less certain. The concept of crowdfunding works by allowing individuals to contribute and become part of the success of something they believe in, something greater than themselves, to the benefit of society. The arts preserves our humanity, it inspires us and transforms us. But maybe contributing to the arts isn't tangible enough. I had high hopes that there were more dreamers, more believers.
“The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something” – Kurt Vonnegut
If you believe in the arts and want to be part of creating something, please read on.
Some of you may know that in my spare time, I am the chair of Jeunesse Classique Ballet Society. We exist to preserve, promote and present Classical Ballet to audiences across Alberta. We are embarking on an ambitious program to bring to the stage an entirely new production for us, reimagined in the setting of 1867 Quebec on the verge of Confederation.
Jeunesse Classique Ballet is a not- for-profit and charitable pre-professional youth ballet company dedicated to the preservation and presentation of classical ballet in Western Canada. Our dancers come to us each season through open auditions and range in age from 5- 25 years of age from a wide variety of dance schools across Alberta. Participation in our company affords the dancers the opportunity to expand their classical ballet training by offering full production performance experience.
For the past 28 seasons we have been staging and presenting full productions of classical ballets. Our diverse repertoire includes The Nutcracker, Les Sylphides, La Bayadere, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Peter and the Wolf, Giselle and most recently Coppelia. We have worked with the Calgary Girls Choir and the Calgary Youth Orchestra in our past productions.
For our 30th Anniversary in 2017 we are planning to mount and stage ‘La Fille Mal Gardee’, also known as ‘The Wayward Daughter’, the delightful comedic ballet about the young love between Lise and Colas who intend to marry. However, the Widow Simone wants Lise to marry the dimwitted, but extremely rich, Alain, and has arranged (with Alain's father Thomas) for a marriage contract between Lise and Alain. The Widow Simone does her best to keep Lise and Colas apart, but is unsuccessful in her attempts to do so.
We need to create from scratch, a complete new production: - new costumes, new sets, new props, new backdrops. All of our production pieces are lovingly crafted by a dedicated and talented group of volunteers but there are limits to their talents and their time. We intend to afford opportunities to theatre schools throughout Alberta with the design and creation of certain pieces to provide them with valuable hands on training. We are hoping to engage with schools and other youth organizations to educate and elevate the understanding and appreciation of Classical Ballet as a viable and worthy art form.
Our production of La Fille will be based largely on the Frederick Ashton revival of the ballet for the Royal Ballet in 1959. The lavish sets, costumes and backdrops of this version have become the traditional staging for most ballet companies around the world. With Canada's 150th birthday celebrated in the same year as our 30th Anniversary, we are planning on setting our production in 1867 Canada in the newly formed province of Quebec.
We are excited with the prospect of the creation this new production and its challenges. If you believe in becoming part of that creation, we hope you will support us.
Human Capital Specialist
8 年delightful, and so true!
Retired at Canem Systems Ltd.
9 年Congrats Michael ....success always follows great people