Collage Dance Collective to Host 13th Annual Jazz Gala Fundraiser

Collage Dance - recently named one of the 50 largest ballet companies in the nation by Dance Data Project - will present its 13th Annual Jazz Gala Fundraiser, a fall brunch benefiting the Collage Dance Conservatory, on Sunday, October 29, 2023 at 2:00pm at the FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms.

With a VIP hour starting at 1:00pm, this grand event - one of the city's premier annual celebrations - features performances by the world-class Collage Dance Collective and the Collage Youth Ensemble, a select group of students from the Collage Dance Conservatory. Additional appearances will be made by acclaimed jazz artist and Memphis-native Wendy Moten (Season 21 runner-up of NBC's The Voice), soul singer Talibah Safiya, Carl Caspersen Jazz Trio, and Ensemble X, plus delicious cuisine by Chef Melissa Swearing and thirst-quenching cocktails. The Gala will additionally include photo opportunities, the Art of Movement installation experience, and a Silent Auction invitation with a catalog of more than 30 items from Memphis area businesses, with more experiences available for VIPs.

Executive Director Marcellus Harper remarks, "Over the years, outstanding community support and investment through fundraisers like our Annual Jazz Gala have helped us ensure youth can take part in the Conservatory's high-caliber dance training programs without risk of financial burden."

The Collage Dance Conservatory trains more students of color in a classical art form than any other non-profit in Memphis or the Mid-South. Since its founding in 2009, the Conservatory has trained upwards of 5,000 students, regardless of their ability to pay. Collage boasts the largest ballet program for boys in the city of Memphis and is pleased to be able to support subsidized tuition for 100% of its students. The 13th Annual Jazz Gala Fundraiser directly supports the expansion of the Conservatory's programming, scholarships, training, and impact.

The Collage Youth Ensemble (CYE) is a select group of talented students, personally invited by the Artistic Director, from the Collage Dance Conservatory. The CYE exists to further train students into professional dancers through additional classes, working with guest choreographers, performing outside of the regular Conservatory schedule, and traveling to major cities with a vibrant dance culture. Students selected for the CYE receive additional dance training at no additional cost for their families. The CYE proudly represents the Conservatory with performances throughout Greater Memphis and beyond.

Collage Dance recently appointed Anne-Carolyn Bird as its Development Director. Bird comes to Collage most recently from Ballet Memphis. Before she moved to Memphis, she lived in Washington, DC, where she worked for Washington National Opera (WNO) at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and stewarded the WNO Board of Trustees. She founded initiatives at WNO to build staff connection and morale, and to codify and implement policies on safety and anti-harassment. Bird was a founding member of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and fostered the formation of a new DEI Committee on the WNO Board of Trustees.

Bird says, "Through our robust scholarship program and subsidized tuition for 100% of our students, the Collage Dance Conservatory works to ensure that every student expressing an interest in dance is given the chance to train. I am personally excited to lead the continuation of this great community-centered work with vital and truly transformational support from gala attendees."

Collage Dance's thirteenth annual jazz gala is made possible through support from generous lead sponsors Bank of America, Orion Bank, Buckman Laboratories, Miller Dental Health, TRUST Marketing, Pinnacle Financial Partners plus individual support from the Scharff Family, Michael Lofton, Amy Walsh, Dr. Bors-Koefoed, and other supporters of the Collage mission.

Event Information

13th Annual Jazz Gala Fundraiser
Sunday, October 29, 2023 at 2:00pm (1:00pm VIP Hour)
FedEx Event Center, Shelby Farms | 415 Great View Dr | Memphis, TN 38018
Tickets: $150 for Main Experience, $250 for VIP Admission
Link: https://collagedance.org/contribute/gala/

Artists:
Collage Dance Company
Collage Dance Conservatory students
Wendy Moten
Talibah Safiya
Carl Caspersen Jazz Trio
Ensemble X

About Collage Dance
Collage Dance, recently named a "Southern Cultural Treasure" by South Arts and the Ford Foundation, and listed among the 50 largest ballet companies in the nation by Dance Data Project, is one of the largest Black-led performing arts organizations in the South and one of just a few professional ballet companies in the world with a roster of BIPOC dancers.

Working to inspire the growth and diversity of ballet, Collage Dance Collective showcases a repertoire of relevant choreography and world-class dancers representative of the communities we serve. The professional company has presented thirteen full-length seasons in Memphis, plus national and international touring presenting a diverse range of classical and contemporary choreography from George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Ulysses Dove, Joshua Manculich, Amy Hall Garner, Kevin Iega Jeff and more.

The work of Collage Dance Collective has been featured in media outlets including Huffington Post, Allure, Yahoo!, The Commercial Appeal, Afropunk, Dance Magazine and Pointe Magazine.

Its institutional arm, the Collage Dance Conservatory, trains more kids of color in a classical art form than any other non-profit in the region. More than 1,000 students each week study dance through Collage's in-school dance education programs and on-site at its new 22,500 square foot state-of-the-art facility, Collage Dance Center, opened in December 2020. The Conservatory's unified curriculum coupled with a rigorous culture of excellence, hard work, and high standards provides students with a first-rate experience. Students are challenged, nurtured and prepared for the rigors of a professional career on or off the stage.

Collage Dance also runs the Collage Dance Continuum, which seeks to dramatically increase access to dance and movement classes for Memphians, regardless of age, ability, disability, or body type. The Continuum is a collection of community engagement initiatives, collaborative partnerships, adult classes, and beginner courses for adults with no previous dance training. The Continuum offers affordable classes in a non-competitive, affirming environment with master teachers at the top of their craft.

Learn more at www.collagedance.org

Photo credit: Raphael Baker

To post a comment, you must register and login.