Tag Archives: Cincinnati Arts Association

April 17, 2013 · 12:00 pm

DANCING FOR THE STARS 2013 Announces Winners

CAA_Dancing For the Stars

Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Seelbach
and Dance Pro Doreen Beatrice
Crowned New Dancing for the Stars Champs

CINCINNATI, OH – Chris Seelbach (Cincinnati City Councilman) and his dance pro Doreen Beatrice (Step-N-Out Studio) received a near-perfect score of 39 (out of 40) from the four judges on Saturday, April 13, at the Music Hall Ballroom, taking first place at the Cincinnati Arts Association’s seventh-annual Dancing for the Stars. With an audience of more than 750 guests (a new attendance record), the sold-out event raised over $80,000 to benefit CAA’s Overture Awards – the nation’s largest locally-run high school arts scholarship competition.

Dr. Dora Savani, M.D. (Infectious Disease Specialist, St. Elizabeth Physicians) and Aaron Ordaz (Independent Dance Instructor) took second place; and Sherry Gruden (Community Volunteer; wife of Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Coordinator, Jay Gruden) and her dance pro Jeremy Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati) placed third.

The remaining five dance pairs included:

  • Bob Herzog (Anchor, Local 12 WKRC) and Leigh Bradshaw (Cincinnati Ballroom Company)
  • Robert Killins Jr. (Program Director, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation) and Bonita Brockert (Independent Dance Instructor)
  • Hengameh Nassef (Administrator, Cincinnati Neurological and Spine) and J. Patrick Clements (Step-N-Out Studio)
  • Amy Scalia (Publisher, Cincy Chic) and Brian McNamee (Cincinnati Ballroom Company)
  • Mike Selker (Chief Financial Officer, LaRosa’s) and Terri Ann Atkinson (Dare to Dance)

Inspired by the hit ABC-TV show Dancing with the Stars, Dancing for the Stars 2013 featured eight Cincinnati celebrities paired with some of the area’s finest professional dancers in a competition program, at which the audience vote propelled the winners to victory. The competitive dance for the evening was the Samba, and each dance pair had 90 seconds to woo the crowd and the judges.

Event emcees were Chris O’Brien & Janeen Coyle (“Married With Microphones,” 103.5 WGRR-FM). The four competition judges were Terry Foster (Dancing for the Stars 2010 alum; RN, St. Elizabeth Health Care; community volunteer), Mandy Franceschina (Managing Director, Step-N-Out Studio; creator, Broadway Blast), Desiree Mainous (Arthur Murray Dance Studio – Cincinnati), and Jenell Walton (reporter, The List; Dancing for the Stars 2008 winner).

The Dancing for the Stars 2013 Committee: Dr. Tracey Skale, M.D , Chair (winner, Dancing for the Stars 2011), Christina Bolden, Terry Foster, Sue Gilkey, Jim Howland, Ginger Loftin, Rosemary Schlachter, and Phil Schworer.

Dancing for the Stars 2013 Presenting Sponsor: Stock Yards Bank & Trust

Dancing for the Stars 2013 Sponsors: Arthur Murray – Cincinnati, Carey Digital, Cincinnati Ballroom Company, Dare to Dance, Heidelberg Distributing/Ohio Valley Wines, Step-N-Out Studio, Bonita Brockert, and Aaron Ordaz.

Currently in its seventh year, Dancing for the Stars has become one of the most-anticipated fundraising events of the season. Since the event’s debut in 2007, seventy-two local celebs have ‘danced for a cause’, and the impressive list of past champions includes: 2007 – Dr. O’dell Owens (President, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College; former Hamilton County Coroner); 2008 – Jenell Walton (Reporter, The List; former WCPO-TV9 Anchor and Reporter); 2009 – Phil Schworer (President – Cincinnati Bar Association / Environmental Lawyer); 2010 – Donna Speigel (Owner, The Snooty Fox); 2011 – Dr. Tracey Skale, M.D. (Chief Medical Officer, Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services), and 2012 – Regina Russo (Director of Marketing and Communications, Cincinnati Art Museum).

In addition, Dancing for the Stars 2013 featured:

  • Dinner-by-the-bite provided by A Catered Affair, AmandaCakes, Brio Tuscan Grille, Chef’s Choice Catering, Eddie Merlot’s, Funky’s Catering, Jeff Thomas Catering, Kroger, Palomino, Skyline, Tano Bistro & Catering, T.G.I. Friday’s Catering, Tres Belles Cakes, Valet Coffee, Vonderhaar’s Catering, Inc., and Whole Foods.
  • Silent auction
  • The swinging sounds of Sound Body Jazz Orchestra
  • Popular DJ and 103.5 WGRR personality Rockin’ Ron Schumacher
  • Pre-event wine tasting and meet-and-greet with the stars
  •  Open dancing before and after the competition 

Event highlights included:

  • A “Dirty Dancing” Samba to the song “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” by the first-place dance team of Chris Seelbach and Doreen Beatrice, who channeled their inner Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, complete with risky lifts and a flash-mob of six of Chris’ supporters who joined the dance during its final moments.
  • A traditional Samba by Brazilian-born Dr. Dora Savani, who wore an authentic, ruffled bronze dress that she purchased in Brazil, and who had family and friends travel all the way from Brazil to cheer her on.
  • A rip-roarin’ Western Samba to the popular country song “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” by Sherry Gruden and her dance pro Jeremy Mainous (the same song to which Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke danced to win Season 2 of ABC-TV’s Dancing with the Stars).
  • LOCAL 12 WKRC’s “Dance Friday” Bob Herzog, who began his athletic Samba with a “toe touch” leap from the stage (and multiple leaps afterward), and wore a much-talked-about, chest-hair revealing black shirt that was a hit with the judges and the audience.
  • Hengameh Nassef took control of the dance floor in a bright lemon-yellow, fringe-covered dress to the delight of her many international fans.
  • A sexy and chic Samba by Amy Scalia in a black-feathered mini-skirt, highlighted by an extended solo during which she was the only dancer on the floor for the beginning of the routine.
  • The out-of-character, but Samba-appropriate, pelvic thrusts by Robert Killins delighted the audience.
  • The seductive moves of Mike Selker to Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel,” which attracted a lovely trio of young women to Mike on the dance floor… during the dance!
  • A mesmerizing Classical Indian dance showcase performance by 2013 Overture Award winner, Angela Vettikkal, wowed the audience.
  • The sold-out event had an exceptionally responsive, raucous, and energetic audience, which included large cheering sections holding signs with various messages and making a loud racket with a variety of noise-makers (including air horns, screaming, stamping feet, etc.).
  • After the competition, the dance floor at the Music Hall Ballroom filled with the evening’s guests who danced the night away to music by DJ Rockin’ Ron from 103.5 WGRR.
  • Dancing for the Stars 2013 roving-reporter and man-about-town, Joe Rigotti, with his sly and humorous commentary about the competition’s fashion, celebs, and dance moves.
  • Emcees Chris & Janeen kept the crowd entertained between the stars’ dance routines.

THE OVERTURE AWARDS
The Overture Awards Scholarship Competition is the largest locally-run arts scholarship competition in the country. The program annually provides a $3,000 scholarship to six area high school students for education and training, with 18 finalists each winning a $500 scholarship. Each year, more than 450 students are nominated by their schools to compete in one of six artistic disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art or Vocal Music. There are three levels of competition: Regional, Semi-Final, and Final.

The Overture Awards was developed to recognize, encourage, and reward excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12. It also provides students an opportunity to share their talents and interests among their peers in a supportive environment outside of their individual schools. Now in its 17th year, The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation and Leadership Cincinnati (a Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce program).

CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves more than 700,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached more than 1.3 million students.

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April 15, 2013 · 12:40 pm

Jerry Seinfeld | Fri., June 21 | Aronoff Center

CAA_SeinfeldJERRY SEINFELD
TO APPEAR ON STAGE AT THE
ARONOFF CENTER
CINCINNATI, OH

FRIDAY, JUNE 21 at 7pm
TICKETS ON SALE

America’s premier comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, will be performing
his signature stand-up routine at the Aronoff Center.

Seinfeld has been hailed for his uncanny ability to joke about the little things in life that relate to audiences everywhere. Seinfeld now sets his sights on performing both nationally and internationally in 2013.

His tour will visit the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati on Friday, June 21 at 7pm.

Tickets available online at CincinnatiArts.org and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office or charge by phone 513-621-ARTS or 513-621-2787.

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April 9, 2013 · 12:57 pm

The Overture Awards NEXT POP STAR Competition | June 1 | Aronoff Center

CAA_Next Pop StarCincinnati, OH – Who will be Cincinnati’s next young pop star? The Cincinnati Arts Association’s Overture Awards has created an exciting new dance and vocal arts opportunity for Tri-state students in grades 9-12 – the Next Pop Star competition. The new program is scheduled for Saturday, June 1, 2013.

The Next Pop Star competition is designed for talented high school students who perform popular dance and music. A maximum of 25 dancers and 25 vocalists will be allowed to compete on a first-come, first-served basis before a panel of judges for no longer than five minutes each. Competitors are required to submit an application to register; no application fee is required. Once the application is received, the competitor will be contacted with a specific time to check in the day of the event. Applications from students who have competed in the Overture Award program will not be accepted.

A keyboard and a CD player will be provided; however, competitors may bring their own accompanist. Two winners, one dancer and one vocalist, will each receive a $300 prize. Three runners-up will each receive $100 each.

“This is a great opportunity for young artists who are not classically focused to compete for a cash award and recognition of their talent. We are working hard to connect with students who love the arts but are not interested in classical music or dance,” says Steve Finn, Director of Education for the Cincinnati Arts Association. “Like TV’s American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance, Next Pop Star is designed for young singers and dancers who enjoy performing current styles, such as hip hop, jazz, rap, R&B, folk, gospel, country, soul, or power ballads. Next Pop Star will give these performers – many of whom may never have had a private lesson — a chance to compete with other young performing artists in a fun, supportive environment.”

Applications and Guidelines:

For more information, contact Steve Finn at (513) 977-4163 or Sfinn@cincinnatiarts.org.

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April 5, 2013 · 10:50 am

Hal Holbrook in MARK TWAIN TONIGHT! | Fri., May 17 | Aronoff Center

Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain.

Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain.

CINCINNATI, OH –­­ Emmy® and Tony® Award-winner and Oscar®-nominee Hal Holbrook returns to the Aronoff Center on Friday, May 17 at 8:00 PM in Mark Twain Tonight! – his acclaimed award-winning one-man show which celebrates the humor, satirical wit, and timeless observations of Mark Twain. This must-see theatrical event is a presentation of Cincinnati Arts Association’s 2012-13 Season.

Hal Holbrook has never been able to quit Mark Twain and probably never will. He has toured the show in some part of every year since 1954, with over 2,200 performances, making 2013 the 59th consecutive year for this remarkable one-man show. Mark Twain Tonight! has become perhaps the longest-running show in theatre history. Holbrook adds to his Twain material every year, editing and changing it to fit the times, and has mined over sixteen hours of Twain with more coming all the time. He has no set program – he chooses material as he goes along.

Hal Holbrook.

Hal Holbrook

Holbrook’s Mark Twain characterization grew out of an honors project at Denison University, in which he and his first wife Ruby created a two-person show, playing characters from Shakespeare to Twain. Holbrook’s first solo performance as Mark Twain was at the Lock Haven State Teachers College in Pennsylvania in 1954. While hunting for a job in New York, the show was his desperate alternative to selling hats or running elevators to keep his family alive. The following year, Holbrook pursued the Twain character at night in a Greenwich Village night club and was spotted by Ed Sullivan, who gave his Twain national television exposure.

In 1959, after five years of researching Mark Twain and honing his material in front of countless audiences in small towns all over America, he opened at a tiny theatre off-Broadway in New York. He was a stunning overnight success, as stunning to Holbrook as anyone else. “The critics went wild.” (Associated Press). “Mr. Holbrook’s material is uproarious, his ability to hold an audience by acting is brilliant.” (New York Times). “Uncanny. A dazzling display of virtuosity.” (The New Yorker). “One of the treasures of the American Theatre.” (Life Magazine).

After a twenty-two week run in New York, he toured the country again, performed for President Eisenhower, and appeared at the Edinburgh Festival. The State Department sent him on a tour of Europe, during which he became the first American dramatic attraction to go behind the Iron Curtain following World War II. At 36-years-old, he was a star who had never appeared in a Broadway play, a nighttime television show, or a movie.

With his success came roles on Broadway; at the acclaimed Shakespeare Festival Theatre in Stratford, Connecticut; and with the original Lincoln Center Repertory Company in New York, among others. He continued to do Mark Twain every year, and in 1966, on Broadway, his second New York engagement won him a TonyÒ Award and a Drama Critics’ Circle Award. This was followed in 1967 by a ninety-minute CBS television special of Mark Twain Tonight!, which was nominated for an Emmy® Award and seen by an audience of 22 million.

Throughout his long career, Holbrook has continued to perform Mark Twain every year, including his third and fourth New York engagements in 1977 and 2005; and a world tour in 1985, the 150th anniversary of Mark Twain’s birth.

Hal Holbrook
Stage-and-screen legend Hal Holbrook was born in Cleveland in 1925, and enjoyed an illustrious and acclaimed early career in the theater, highlighted by his lauded one-man show Mark Twain Tonight!

In 1970, after a dozen plays in New York, he was brought to Hollywood to star in a controversial television series, The Senator, which won eight Emmy® Awards and was cancelled in one year. In the 39 years since then, Holbrook has done some 50 television movies and mini-series, been nominated for twelve Emmys® and won five for The Senator (1971), Pueblo (1974), Best Actor of the Year (1974), Sandburg’s Lincoln (1976), and as host and narrator of Portrait of America (1989). He has appeared in two sitcoms: Designing Women and Evening Shade, and has made guest appearances on The West Wing, the sitcoms Becker and Hope & Faith, The Sopranos, NCIS, and two episodes of ER in 2008. During the 2010-11 season, Holbrook appeared in Sons of Anarchy and The Event.

Equally at home on the big screen, Holbrook’s movie career began with The Group in 1966 when he was 41-years-old. Since then, moviegoers have seen him in nearly 40 films including Magnum Force, Midway, All The President’s Men, Julia, Capricorn One, The Fog, Star Chamber, Creepshow, Wall Street, The Firm, The Bachelor, Waking The Dead, Men of Honor, The Majestic, Shade, Killshot, Into the Wild (written and directed by Sean Penn, for which he received his first Academy Award nomination), and That Evening Sun (which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin in March 2009). In 2012, Holbrook was seen in Steven Speilberg’s Academy Award-winning film Lincoln and Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land.

In addition to his work on the screen, Holbrook has constantly returned to the stage: in New York (Buried Inside Extra, 1983; The Country Girl, 1984; King Lear 1990; An American Daughter, 1997); at regional theatres (Our Town, Uncle Vanya, Merchant Of Venice, King Lear, A Life In The Theatre, Be My Baby, and Southern Comforts, the last two with his wife Dixie Carter); and a National Tour of Death of a Salesman.

In September 2011, Harold, the first of two volumes of Holbrook’s memoirs, was published. He continues to work on the second volume, covering the years since Harold ended.

Media Partners
WGUC 90.9 FM
91.7 WVXU-FM

Cincinnati Arts Association SPONSORS

Season Sponsors: AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), The P&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, LOCAL12 WKRC, FIFTH THIRD BANK (Lifetime Endowment Partner)

“CAA PRESENTS” SPONSORS: Coldwell Banker/West Shell, Heidelberg Distributing, Macy’s, Ultimate Air Shuttle, Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA, Inc.

SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS: Cincinnati Bell, CityBeat, Cincinnati Herald, Furniture Fair, Millennium Hotel

CALENDAR INFORMATION

  • WHAT: Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight!
  • WHEN: Friday, May 17, 2013 – 8:00PM
  • WHERE: Aronoff Center for the Arts – Procter & Gamble Hall
  • PRICES: $65 • $50 • $40 • $30
  • INFO: Emmy® and Tony® Award-winner and Oscar®-nominee Hal Holbrook returns in his acclaimed award-winning one-man show which celebrates the humor, satirical wit, and timeless observations of Mark Twain. For more than 50 years, Holbrook has enthralled audiences around the world with Twain’s unique take on politics, culture and the world. Holbrook edits and changes his show to fit the times – he has more than sixteen hours of Twain’s material in his repertoire – and makes each performance a unique and memorable experience. A must-see treasure of the American theatre!

TICKET INFORMATION – on sale now

  • www.CincinnatiArts.org
  • (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
  • Aronoff Center Ticket Office
  • Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4157

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March 14, 2013 · 6:41 pm

ArtsPulse: Lunch Chat with Arts Executives | April 17, 2013 | Taft Museum of Art

Cincy Emerging Arts Leaders hosts
ArtsPulse
Lunch Chat with Arts Executives 

April 17, 2013 • 12:00-1:00 PM
Taft Museum of Art

CAA_ELNFor the third year, the Cincy Emerging Arts Leaders is offering an opportunity to join arts executives in an informal lunch discussion on April 17 from 12:00 noon to 1:00pm at the Taft Museum of Art. The discussion will cover the current and future state of the arts and how this impacts the role of arts administrators. Arts administration students, as well as those new to the field and current entry and mid-level arts professionals, artists, and young professionals interested in the arts, are encourage to participate. However, space is limited and registration is required (see below).

Participating Arts Executives:

  • J.R. Cassidy, Music & Executive Director, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra
  • Deborah Emont Scott, Director/CEO, Taft Museum of Art
  • Eric Vosmeier, Producing Artistic Director, Know Theatre of Cincinnati 

Cost: $15.00 (includes lunch & parking)

  • Make check payable to Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) or pay by Credit Card (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa).

To Participate:

Information:

  • Contact Kathleen Riemenschneider, Cincinnati Arts Association at (513) 977-4119 or kriemenschneider@cincinnatiarts.org. 

The Cincy Emerging Arts Leaders is an extension of the Emerging Leaders Network of the Americans for the Arts, affiliated with the Greater Cincinnati Alliance for Arts Education, and administered by the Cincinnati Arts Association. It supports the professional development needs of arts administrators and artists in the Greater Cincinnati area. The group first met in October 2006 as part of the Creative Conversations series that Americans for the Arts sponsors annually. http://www.facebook.com/CincyEAL.

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