Local restauranteur Cosmo Meens gets hip hoppin’ with Roberta Bierman

Credit: benmoorephoto.com

Artsy type - June 4

Creating creative dollars

With two artsy fundraisers on the horizon—Dance Victoria’s Stars on Stage Unplugged June 6 and Intrepid Theatre’s Tour de Cork June 14—we thought it might be a good time to take a look at the state of arts organization fundraisers in the city.

The recent Unforgettable gala for the Victoria Symphony and Pacific Opera Victoria managed to rake in an impressive $200,000 for the two local arts groups, but what about smaller organizations like Intrepid and Dance Victoria? Well, even throwing a fundraiser can sometimes be a risk, says Intrepid board member Carolyn Birch.

“It’s a bit of a gamble because we’d be dipping into money that we need to throw something that may or may not be a success,” she says. “That’s always a challenge.”

Birch stresses the need to hold events that have added value for the patron beyond just supporting an organization in the current economic situation.

“People are a bit more careful about how they spend their money,” she says. “Before, they might go to a fundraiser just because it’s a fundraiser. Now, I think there’s great importance in having a fundraiser they can really get something out of, whether it be an experience or an opportunity to have something that they don’t previously have access to. Plus, the arts have such a long-standing history with cocktails.”

That’s part of the reason Intrepid has decided to put on a wine tour of the Cowichan Valley as a fundraiser. For $125, folks get a private bus tour of four different wineries (complete with an onboard sommelier) lunch and winery discounts. Having a more out-of-the-box fundraiser like this may also attract new audiences to Intrepid events such as the Fringe or Uno.

“They could be drawn to the activity you’re doing and then get to know about the company and want to invest in that, personally or financially,” she says.

For Tony Cheong, the development manager for Dance Victoria, creating community through fundraisers like Stars On Stage—which has folks like Belfry artistic director Michael Shamata, firefighter Murray Chunyk and restaurant owner Cosmo Meens paired up with local dancers for a friendly competition—is just as important as raising money. He also says finding something that appeals to a wide range of people is key.

“What we tried to do is to make it somewhat related to our organization—hence the dancing theme—and also try to deliver something with a broader appeal,” he says. “This is like Dancing with the Stars, which is popular on TV. We’ve got members of the community and friends and family come cheer them on, so it does broaden out the appeal that way.”

Keeping things fresh is important, too. Stars on Stage is in its third year, and Cheong says Dance Victoria has decided to change things up a bit by holding the event in the Victoria Arts Connection ballroom as opposed to its old home in the Royal Theatre.

“The dancefloor goes right up to the edge of the first row of seats, so it will be a great view,” he says, adding that the event typically raises about $15,000, which goes towards Dance Victoria’s community programs. “It’s the full event— the competition, we’ve got a silent auction, we have the afterparty—so there’s a lot going on during the evening.”

Cheong also mentions the importance not just of fundraiser sponsors, but of volunteers—which is how he started out with Dance Victoria before joining the organization last August.

“With all of the fundraisers, whether it’s the Belfry or anyone else’s, it’s the volunteers who put in a lot of work to make these things successful,” he says “In our case, it’s not only the volunteers that are working there the day of the event, but it’s also the community—the community dancers and the dance instructors who have spent the last three months learning these routines.”

----------------
Tour de Cork
departs 9:30am Sunday, June 14
Tickets $125
250-383-2663
intrepidtheatre.com

-----------------
Stars on Stage Unplugged
7pm Saturday, June 6
Victoria Arts Connection, 2750 Quadra
Tickets $70 • 250-386-6121
dancevictoria.com

Jazz history repeats

Let’s just say that local jazz vocalist Joe Coughlin should ban “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” from his repertoire, at least for a while. Long considered the finest straight-ahead jazz singer in Canada, the 50-something Coughlin recently flew back from Toronto waving the 2009 National Jazz Award for vocalist of the year. This is the second year in a row that Coughlin has won the prestigious trophy, and it is beautifully timed to coincide with the release of his latest CD, a live recording from Vancouver titled Low Down West Broadway. Anyone who wants to hear jazz standards such as “My Foolish Heart” and “I Love Being Here With You” sung just about perfectly should book a table at Hermann’s for June 5-6, when Coughlin and his hot band will be holding court and doing a little celebrating. Just one of those things? I don’t think so!