Eclectic Edge Ensemble

Our Breakfast (for Dinner) at Tiffany's fundraiser is only a couple weeks away! In addition to a great meal, you will also have the opportunity to win fabulous silent auction items including...

Saints Baseball Tickets

Theatre Tickets all over the Twin Cities

Nutrition Packages

Yoga sessions

and much, much, more!!!!!

Do you have your tickets?

What: Breakfast (For Dinner) at Tiffany's                      

When: Friday, April 19, 2013
                                   Dinner at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
                    

Where: East Side Neighborhood Services
                                     1700 2nd Street NE, Mpls 55413
                    

Why: All proceeds support Eclectic Edge Ensemble!
                    

Cost: $25/person
                                $40/couple
                                $10/child 12 & under
                    *Cash or check only - All donations are tax-deductible
                    

Reservations: 
                                Email eeedance@gmail.com by Monday, April 15th
                    Please include:
                                        - Your name
                                        - Contact number
                                        - Number of people in your party
                                        - Which dinner you plan to attend (6 p.m. or 8 p.m.)

With the EEE fundraiser only weeks away, it is important to remember why we need to support the arts in our neighborhoods. I want to share a very good article I came across at The Americans for the Arts blog, ARTSblog by Randy Cohen titled "The Top 10 Reasons to Support the Arts (from Arts Watch)."

Reason #10: "True Prosperity...The arts are fundamental to our humanity. They ennoble and inspire us—fostering creativity, goodness, and beauty...."

Reason #9: "Stronger communities…University of Pennsylvania researchers have demonstrated that a high concentration of the arts in a city leads to higher civic engagement, more social cohesion, higher child welfare, and lower poverty rates...."

Reason #8: "Health and well-being…nearly one-half of the nation’s healthcare institutions provide arts programming for patients, families, and even staff...." 

Reason #7: "21st Century workforce...creativity is among the top applied skills sought by employers. 72 percent of business leaders say creativity is of high importance when hiring. The biggest creativity indicator? A college arts degree...."

Reason #6: "Improved academic performance…longitudinal data of 25,000 students demonstrate that students with an education rich in the arts have higher GPAs and standardized test scores, lower drop-out rates, and even better attitudes about community service...."

Reason #5: "Arts in the schools = better SAT scores…students with four years of arts or music in high school average 100 points better on their SAT scores than students with one-half year or less...."

Reason #4: "Creative Industries…the creative industries are arts businesses that range from nonprofit museums, symphonies, and theaters to for-profit film, architecture, and advertising companies...."

Reason #3: "Arts are the cornerstone of tourism…arts travelers are ideal tourists—they stay longer and spend more...."

Reason #2:"Arts are good for local merchants…the typical arts attendee spends $27.79 per person, per event, not including the cost of admission on items such as meals, parking, shopping, and babysitters...."

Reason #1: " The arts are an Industry…arts organizations are responsible businesses, employers, and consumers.  They spend money locally, generate government revenue, and are a cornerstone of tourism and economic development. Nonprofit arts organizations generate $166 billion in economic activity annually, supporting 5.7 million jobs and generating nearly $30 billion in government revenue. Investment in the arts supports jobs, generates tax revenues, and advances our creativity-based economy...."

I praise the dance,

for it frees people from the heaviness of matter

and binds the isolated to community.

I praise the dance, which demands everything:

health and a clear spirit and a buoyant soul.

Dance is a transformation of space, of time, of people,

who are in constant danger of becoming all brain,

will, or feeling.

Dancing demands a whole person,

one who is firmly anchored in the center of his life,

who is not obsessed by lust for people and things

and the demon of isolation in his own ego.

Dancing demands a freed person,

one who vibrates with the equipoise of all his powers.

I praise the dance.

O man, learn to dance,

or else the angels in heaven will not know

what to do with you.

- Saint Augustine

I don't know about you, but I definitely do a little "cold dance" as I make my way to the car in sub-degree temperatures. This beautiful piece by the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in New York City is slightly different from my little dance, but breathtaking all the same. Enjoy.

Choreography by Benoit-Swan Pouffer. Music: The Cold Song by Klaus Nomi.