Ready to Support the Arts

By Vincent F.A. Golphin

"The crowd in Florida State University's Ruby Diamond Auditorium jumped to its feet shouting and clapping. From the floor to the galleries, Garth Fagan Dance wowed more than 1,000 excited Tallahasseans. That happened on February 20, the second night of the inaugural "Tallahassee: Seven Days of Opening Nights" arts festival. The crowd roared and whistled nearly five minutes. The ecstatic outburst was a sight to behold. In many places the response might be considered common, but for many in Tallahassee, the revelers size, diversity and exuberance was a welcome surprise.

FSU hosts top-ranked arts programs, but Florida's capital city once never imagined its potential to become an Athens-like arts and cultural center. Insiders in music and dance circles know that the school draws students from places such as Rochester's Eastman and New York City's Julliard music schools, but FSU wants everyone to be aware of its arts presence. President Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte told a local newspaper that the goal was "to break away from the stereotype that this is a backward place."

Despite the museums, galleries, theaters and concert halls throughout the town, residents once sought "culture" south in Gainesville, north in Atlanta and even far north in New York City. The crowd's thunderous applause confirmed home folks are now ready to support the arts in Tallahassee.

"I thought it was incredibly spontaneous," said Donna McHugh, executive director of FSU's Community Relations and Events office and coordinator of "Tallahassee: Seven Days of Opening Nights." "There were people there with (little) children. Sometimes the children don't take to that sort of thing (contemporary dance), but it was great."

Tony award-winning choreographer Fagan and dancers Norwood Pennewell, Steve Humphrey, Natalie Rogers, Chris Morrison, Sharon Skepple, Bill Ferguson, Nicolette Depass, Lutin Tanner and Aisha Benjamin accepted fans' compliments with grace. The Rochester, New York, artists have heard many such plaudits before, but for "Seven Days of Opening Nights" organizers, the dance company's victory signaled an historical milestone.

Tallahasseans embraced the city's first major arts celebration. Several people at the reception that followed the performance, including FSU ballet Professor Anjali Austin, said area residents have never seen anything like Fagan's blend of African rhythms with the deft precision of contemporary dance.

"It has been an incredible experience," McHugh said, looking back on the February 19-27 arts celebration. The event's headliners included actors Danny Glover and Felix Justice, The Canadian Brass, a film premiere, and an art exhibition and lecture by painter Judy Chicago. Those were backed by performances by local groups such as the Florida State Brass Quintet and the FSU Jazz Ensemble.

"We'd never done anything like this before," McHugh explained. She said the event — led by D'Alemberte, brokered largely by staff from the university's music, film, theater and art departments — was drawn together in less than six months. "It should take a lot longer, but the response from the community for each event was phenomenal."

That word was used repeatedly throughout the festival, but most often after "An Evening with Langston and Martin," recitations by film star Danny Glover and Felix Justice, a thespian renown for his interpretation of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches. It was the blending of the dissident and the dreamer, as the actors shared the words of Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes and the late civil rights leader. The poet railed against the injustices of segregation and glorified black culture, while King's words still challenge listeners to envision a better world. The actors said they chose Langston's and Martin's words because their hopeful messages are needed in our time.

The festival moved the university into previously unprobed sectors of the Tallahassee area. One of the by-products of having world-class talent such as the Fagan dancers and the Canadian Brass in town was the chance for outreach. "We look for performers who will interact with our students and faculty," said McHugh. "Some performers are wonderful as stand-alones, but they don't have that breadth to go beyond."

Gil Lazier, dean of the theater school, drove home the point. He said next year the festival planned to bring in pianist Andre Watts as a headliner. It didn't work out. "Unfortunately, he is not going to be performing concertos," Lazier said. "He will be doing solo recitals. We had indicated we really have to have someone who'll perform with our orchestra, a jazz ensemble or one of our bands. We said, 'Well, some other year for Mr. Watts.' The reason we did that is because it's very important to get people to hear our musicians."

Austin, who was the FSU liaison with the Fagan dancers, said the dance department focused tightly on bridging the gap between artists, community and the university. One of the key interests is to get artists such as Fagan Dance to do appearances outside the campus.

The troupe went to Tallahassee Ballet. "It's a little bit avant garde to have a contemporary company going out to teach a class for a local ballet company," she said. On Wednesday, February 24, Fagan's ensemble went across the valley to the historically black, Florida A & M University to conduct a class for all of the students. The group also presented a special training session for the FAMU dance company, Orchesis. On February 26, about 150 middle and high school students from the low-income Disc Village neighborhood were bussed to FSU's Montgomery Gym for a dance demonstration.

"We can get to a lot more people, more easily that way," Austin said. "We expose them to ourselves, also to the university, so they will feel more comfortable on the campus." The audience was diverse in age and race-another plus. "We did not go out in any other way to comp tickets for any other demographic," McHugh said.

Beverly Spencer, vice president for university relations, said, "The diversity happens naturally on this campus. We did not sit down and say, 'We've got to have one of this, one of that and one of the other.' Our people look for performers that we believe are outstanding and in which there will be interest in our community."

Charles Wright, executive director of the county's Tourist Development Council, cited that kind of draw as a plus. He said "cultural tourists" are an increasing market. "Lots and lots of people are coming to the festival from outside Leon County," he said. "Most of them are willing to spend big bucks on the arts and we are willing to do everything we can to make that happen."

Festival admission was modest. Single-event tickets ranged from $10 for to $30. Series passes ranged from $15 to $50. Ticket categories include students, seniors, the general public and Garnet and Gold patrons. McHugh said only 150 seats were sponsored. Those went to "at-risk" youths. "They were all interested in performing and we wanted them to have a chance to see Fagan as well as Felix and Glover," she explained. Most of the performances took place on the easily accessible FSU campus. During evening performances, city trolleys ferried guests without charge to and from parking lots.

"Seven Days of Opening Nights" was a dream for the university, city and Leon County officials. Many said the reality was so uplifting they can't wait to do it again. Next year's dates are February 16 to 26. For details or information, contact the FSU Festival of the Arts. The mailing address is "Seven Days of Opening Nights," Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1350. The telephone number is 850-644-1001. The web site is www.fsu.edu.