Last Week's Meeting
Cate Greyjoy, artistic director of Ballet Western Reserve, shared good news of BWR’s 60th anniversary season.
BWR will stage a large-scale, professional quality, classical production of “The Nutcracker” on the Powers Auditorium stage during the first weekend of December.
While BWR’s “Nutcracker” production has become a local holiday tradition, this performance will be set to live music by the Dana Ensemble of Youngstown State University’s Dana School of Music, Greyjoy announced.
Also, BWR alumnus and Youngstown native Austin Dabney will be the male lead dancer of the production.
Greyjoy, who arrived in Youngstown one year ago, said BWR has maintained a “steadfast” virtual presence during the pandemic, as well as offering in-studio instruction at the Morley Building in downtown Youngstown. From its beginning in 1962 as the Youngstown Festival Ballet Company, BWR has trained students who have advanced to Dance Theater Harlem, American Ballet Theater, Cleveland Ballet, Boston Ballet and other prestigious companies.
Ballet “may be a career for some, but dance is community,” Greyjoy said. “Each class is an opportunity to be challenged. The shared struggle to achieve an idea can and will affect change.”
In other news, Dave Stillwagon announced that profits from RCY’s outdoor Groundhog Craft Beerfest in July totaled $12,038. Dave and President Josh Prest will be succeeded as co-chairs by Samantha Turner and Kevin Chiu. The next Groundhog Craft Beerfest will be Jan. 29, 2022, inside Stambaugh Auditorium.
New Rotarian Kader Makanera was doubly recognized for attending the weekly meeting on his birthday and receiving his round membership badge from President Josh.
More pictures from last week's meeting here.
Next Week's Meeting
United Returning Citizens (URC) is a start-up, non-profit corporation that serves the Youngstown, Ohio Tri-County area. URC was originally founded for formerly incarcerated citizens, but upon offering our services to this large demographic we found that an even larger demographic needed the services that we offer, thus, extending our services not just to the formerly incarcerated, but to the entire community which has been affected by mass incarceration.
Our organization provides job search and training, life and financial literacy skills and transitional and stable housing primarily for citizens reentering society from correctional facilities. As there is a well-established correlation between joblessness and homelessness, and the overall impact on daily existence, we seek to provide a holistic approach to enable all citizens who are otherwise disadvantaged and disenfranchised to become productive contributing members of society.