$2 admission. Whoever volunteered to bring baked goods sets them out. Har- vey shows up with his fiddle, sits on the fold-up chair on the stage. Bob sits at the piano. ‘Line up for a contra,’ barks Don, in a clipped, Yankee accent. ‘First dance is Monymusk.’ Then everyone just joins in.”
Auditioning for
the Role of a Lifetime The next level of volunteer arts partici- pation may involve an audition and a greater commitment. At the same time, these pursuits offer prime opportuni- ties to expand artistic skills and join in something bigger than one’s self. Since 1873, the Cincinnati, Ohio, May Festival has served as a shining ex- ample of community showmanship (May
Festival.com). Chorus auditions are held in January, rehearsals begin in September and concerts routinely sell out by May.
Music critic Nancy Malitz com- ments, “It’s that special, tiny sliver of the year when everybody stretches. When hundreds of amateur singers accelerate the tempo by devoting every night to rehearsal and every day to thoughts of the concerts to come… when audiences look their finest, clap their loudest.” Lawrence Coleman, a chorus mem- ber for 15 years, has found that singing and networking with other May Festival vocalists has paid off in surprising ways. “I’ve recorded and had other singing engagements and opportunities, all be- cause I’ve been connected to the chorus and the people in it,” he says. Coleman also sings with the rhythm and blues gospel group Fo Mo Brothers, perform- ing at area churches and the Midwest Regional Black Family Reunion. Coleman remarks, “I have friends in the chorus from very different walks of life. We come together for the single purpose of making great music. People of differing backgrounds and schools of thought can do more than coexist. It’s confirmed for me that we can learn to celebrate our differences when we have a common goal.”
Even those that don’t feel inher- ently artistic can find venturing into an art form unexpectedly rewarding. Channeling an inner Elizabeth Bennett or Mr. Darcy is commonplace in Bay Area English Regency Society waltzes and “longways” dances, in Palo Alto, California (
baers.org). Alan Winston, a computer systems administrator and
“When I’m not doing any plays, things just don’t go right. This is my justification. This is my opportunity to just be me.”
~ Eva Jones, foster parent and member of Community Actors Theatre, Oak Park, California
veteran dance caller, observes that these patterned dances appeal to math-sci- ence-logic-computer types. “It’s a great place for people that live in their heads to get out and be social,” he says. Appropriately, the dances all feature choreography from Jane Aus- ten’s era. Depending on the theme of the dance—like the sophisticated Cyprians Ball or spirited Return of the Regiments Ball—the ambience may be elegant or rowdy, explains Win- ston. Dances are taught beforehand to music such as George Washington’s Favourite Cotillion, an 1808 tune per- formed by musicians playing a clari- net, piano and recorder. Many wear period costumes, while others come in jeans. Winston is usually bedecked in a wine-colored waistcoat with tails that he found on eBay. Plein air painters forsake the indoors to take their paints, easels and canvases outside. Plein-Air Painters of America regularly paint in groups in the fresh air and then hold an exhibition; an- nual workshops help teach techniques (
p-a-p-a.com). At the recent seventh annual Florida’s Forgotten Coast event, in the state’s Panhandle, billed as America’s Great Plein Air Paint-Out, featured artists set up alongside amateurs eager to learn more (
PleinAirfl.com). Whatever one’s newly discovered or longtime treasure, individuals engag- ing in a group arts activity forge strong social bonds, keep ethnic arts tradi- tions alive, learn new things in new ways and experience joyous personal growth.
… All while creating something wonderful.
Judith Fertig regularly contributes to Natural Awakenings. She’s an award-winning cookbook author at
AlfrescoFoodAndLifestyle.blogspot.com.
36 Collier/Lee Counties
swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com
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