Chita Rivera To Be Honored At ENCORE OVATION: A Celebration Of Aging Through Art

On Monday, November 8, Encore Community Services will host Encore Ovation - A Celebration of Aging Through Art honoring Chita Rivera, legendary Broadway actress, singer and dancer, alongside the Times Square Alliance. The event will take place at Encore Community Services older adults center at 239 West 49th Street, New York, NY.

Encore Ovation is a celebration of the importance of artistic expression as individuals age, as well as an evening to help Encore Community Services, which serves older New Yorkers on the West Side of Manhattan, to grow the arts programming and to increase social connection among its members and residents. In addition to arts programming, Encore provides nutrition services, housing, and numerous supportive resources to aging adults.

"We're proud to honor the incomparable Chita Rivera, alongside the Times Square Alliance, at Encore Ovation in recognition of their unwavering advocacy for the arts, " said Jeremy Kaplan, Executive Director of Encore Community Services. "Arts play an essential role in aging happily and healthily, and we thank our supporters who help us provide arts programing to older New Yorkers."

Robert E. Wankel, Chairman and CEO of The Shubert Organization, Inc., is honorary chair of the event, and a tireless advocate for the arts. The Shubert Organization and The John Gore Organization are Production Sponsors and Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS is a Director Sponsor.

Chita Rivera, a true "triple-threat" whose stage career spans seven decades, is a two time Tony award winner (The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman) and also received the 2018 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement and a Congressional Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2009. In 1986, Rivera rebounded from a devastating leg injury she sustained after being struck by a New York City taxi, illustrating a devotion to her craft that exemplifies the healing power of the arts.

During the pandemic, the Time Square Alliance has worked diligently to keep the arts alive for all New Yorkers, with an emphasis on the aging. TSA ARTS was responsible for connecting Encore seniors with artist Christine Wong-Yap, and together they co-created the exhibit, How I Keep Looking Up - Flags of Resilience, which were unfurled on Flag Day in June 2021 and were on display in the heart of Times Square until August.

Both Ms. Rivera and the Times Square Alliance will be recognized with the Ovation honor: The Fr. George Moore Artistic Impact Award. Named after Encore's beloved co-founder and former pastor of St. Malachy's, the award is presented annually to artists who have dedicated themselves to the arts and to organizations that foster creativity. Father Moore, along with Sisters Elizabeth Hasselt and Lillian McNamara, and members of the Broadway community (including The Shubert Organization, Sardi's and the theatrical unions) turned the old Actor's Chapel in the basement of St. Malachy's into Encore Senior Center, where it still thrives today, giving back to over 5,000 aging New Yorkers each year.

Encore believes arts programming, in addition to other supportive services, are essential for older adults. More than 40 percent of Americans over 65 regularly experience feelings of loneliness, and these feelings can increase health risks and cause serious health problems, and which deter seniors from aging successfully in place. Since the global pandemic began, social isolation has become an even greater issue among the aging. Vulnerable seniors are denied the company of family, friends, and colleagues as they shelter in place.

During these trying times, Encore has helped its community to stay creative and socially connected through music, dance, visual arts, and creative writing. In addition, volunteers have helped seniors to find comfort through movies, sing-a-longs, or a good book. Encore has long known that the Arts are vital to community, companionship, and health. This has never been more true than in the present time, and Encore has integrated this principle into all the organization's programs. Expressive arts, including visual arts, music, dance/movement, acting, writing, and poetry, are powerful tools that positively impact the aging process. Encore is deeply committed to its seniors aging well through art.