SARATOGA SPRINGS — “Art with Heart and Hope” is an annual pop-up exhibition celebrating the healing power of art for those living with life-altering medical conditions and caregivers. This year, the show will take place on Thursday, May 21 at the Universal Preservation Hall.

If you are an artist living with or caring for someone living with a rare disease, serious illness, or disability, here is an opportunity to share your art.  Deadline is March 30

QUALIFICATIONS: 
• Artist must live in the Capital Region, New York and be at least 18-years-old.
• Artist must either live with or care for someone living with a physical illness, disease, or disability.
• Artwork must be able (and ready) to be hung on a wall.

HOW TO SUBMIT:
Submit a photo of your artwork, along with a title, dimensions, medium, and a description (approx. 100 words) of how you use art to move beyond your personal battle to art@beyondmybattle.org

Beyond My Battle (BMB) is a Saratoga-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization helping people reduce the stress of serious illness, rare disease, and disability. Through emotional support and educational resources rooted in mindfulness, awareness, and compassion, BMB works to cultivate emotional awareness and provide an engaged, resilient approach to life with health-related uncertainty. 

Visit the website beyondmybattle.org. For questions, email: art@beyondmybattle.org

GLENS FALLS — The 26th anniversary season of the Adirondack Theatre Festival (ATF) runs June 12–Aug. 7, with performances at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Downtown Glens Falls.

The summer season of fully produced new works features four Mainstage shows and four special events, including a large-scale musical celebrating 100 years of broadcast radio, a hysterical Seinfeldian comedy, a bilingual musical drama set across two continents, and a gorgeous love story about the pain of letting go. 

The 2020 Season kicks-off with Douglas Lyons and Creighton Irons musical, The Moon & The Sea, running June 12-20. ATF will present Apropos of Nothing by Greg Kalleres June 30-July 8, and the groundbreaking bilingual musical from Cheeyang Ng and Khiyon Hursey takes stage July 16-23.

The final mainstage show of ATF’s 2020 season is a Golden Era musical from the Tony-nominated and Emmy-winning writers/director of ATF’s 2018 hit, Front Page Flo.  Tuning In, by Larry Kass, Sara Kass, & George Pinney, directed by George Pinney, runs July 31-Aug. 7.

Flexible Subscription Packages ranging from three passes to seven passes are on sale now, starting at $99.  Individual tickets are on sale April 7.  Packages and tickets to individual shows may be purchased by calling 518-480-4878 or visiting the Wood Theater Box Office.  For more information on the full season, including detailed show descriptions and video trailers, visit www.ATFestival.org.

Founded in 1994, Adirondack Theatre Festival is a professional not-for-profit summer theatre located in Glens Falls. During its 26-year history, ATF has launched more than 35 world premieres and produced 25 new play workshops. Each summer ATF produces a nine-week season of theatre for an audience of more than 9,500 using professional artists from New York City and across the country. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 33rd annual Flurry Festival runs Feb. 14-16 in the Spa City. Festival headquarters are at the Saratoga Springs City Center and Saratoga Hilton Hotel, and additional performances and workshops will take place at Parting Glass Pub, Putnam Den, and Excelsior Springs. 

The Flurry winter weekend for dancers and music lovers of all ages features more than 300 performers, four venues, and over 250 events.

Alongside the traditional weekend of non-stop contra and swing, programming includes dance styles such as Tahitian, French, Balkan, African, Indian, German, Irish, Scottish, English, and more. Many styles have instruction available for beginners and up; there is no need to bring a partner to take part in the fun.  North American dances will include non-stop contra with and square dancing, Cajun and zydeco, American tap, Appalachian clogging, country line dancing, Native American and Cuban.

Tickets are available at the door all weekend long. To see a full schedule of events and learn more about the festival, visit: www.flurryfestival.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Three young girls sat equidistant around a U-shaped table, hard at work shaping clay pots in the C.R.E.A.T.E. Community Studio. Instructor Jen Horn stands at the center, digging through a box of ceramics tools.

The homeschool students are here for the Homeschool Art Class that Horn runs every Wednesday. 

Heather Hutchison, Julie Lewis, and Aili Lopez — C.R.E.A.T.E. founders and three-fourths of the operations staff — sit in front of a wall saturated with local art. 

C.R.E.A.T.E. opened two spaces in 2017 — on Broadway and in Schenectady. After two years, their Saratoga office moved to 70 Beekman St. with Living Resources. 

The non-profit provides wellness activities and expressive art instruction to the public, with a focus on underserved communities and people with mental health needs. C.R.E.A.T.E. does not currently provide art therapy services, but plans to one day and has their roots there. 

Some of the classes offered on a weekly basis include Lopez’s teen group every Monday, which pulls in a consistent group of students, and Wednesday’s healing art hour — perfect for homeschool students or people on their lunch break. Other events can be found on their website.

Besides the activities and classes done on site., C.R.E.A.T.E. also holds “suitcase programs” in which they go to places like the local library, Healing Springs Recovery Community Center, or Project Lift, which provides free after school programming. 

Suitcase programs allow C.R.E.A.T.E. to reach communities that may not be able to find them on Beekman. And it is grants, from places like The Kimberly Beth Kennedy Family Foundation in Saratoga, that make this possible. 

Other outside programs included a fundraising event recently conducted in collaboration with the Beekman St. Arts District and Frederick-Douglass Lodge. According to Lewis, about 65 people went to create alongside eight artists — many from Beekman — who donated three hours of their time and even some of their materials.

Currently, a collaboration between SUNY Empire State College and CREATE Community Studios depicts an exhibit featuring more than 120 pieces on display at the college’s 113 West Ave. campus. For more information, go to: createcommunitystudios.org. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Caffè Lena has launched The Caffè Lena School of Music – which starts on March 10 for children ages 7 to 12-years-old.

A cornerstone of the School of Music is to ensure that children who are considtered at risk have access to a community focused musical outlet. Full scholarships, including instruments, are available for any family that qualifies for free or reduced school lunch.

Unlike more formal music lessons, lessons at Caffe Lena will be in a group setting and teach children how to play by ear and play with others. Initial offerings include group lessons on guitar, fiddle and ukulele, along with Jam Sessions for the whole family, The Caffè Lena School of Music introduces children to a lifetime of making music for fun, relaxation and social connection.

Skill Building Class Session 1: Tuesday, March 10 to May 19      (no class on April 14). Introductory Rate: $70 for 10-week session paid in full in advance or $10 per class. Doors open at 3:45 p.m. During the skill building session students will learn correct posture and how to hold the instrument, fingering patterns, chords, how to play by ear and how to follow and compliment others. Each class will focus on a well-known popular folk song. The final 15 minutes of class brings all the students and instruments together to play as a group.

Saturday Family Jam: 10:30 a.m.to noon starts March 14. Free for students and a $5 suggested donation for adults. Come with family and friends to practice what you learned!  All levels welcome.

To learn more and to register visit www.caffelena.org/events-calendar/music-school

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Arts has announced that its Executive Director, Dr. Joel Reed, will retire at the end of March 2020.

Reed was appointed to his current position at Saratoga Arts – then known as the Saratoga County Arts Council – when its founder Dee Sarno retired in January 2007. Reed began working for the organization in June 2003 as its Associate Director after moving to the Saratoga Springs area from Syracuse. Saratoga Arts has seen significant organizational growth and presented a series of new programs since Reed joined the organization, while developing its traditional strengths in community arts education and exhibiting the work of regional visual artists.

During Reed’s tenure, Saratoga Arts took on new projects including: its adoption in 2009 of First Night Saratoga from the YMCA of Saratoga Springs; the commissioning and installation in Saratoga Springs’ High Rock Park of Tempered By Memory, the large-scale sculpture created from World Trade Center Towers steel; the expansion of the regrant program it offers in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts, from $51,230 for projects in Saratoga County to $123,010 which will be awarded this year for arts programs in Saratoga, Fulton, and Montgomery Counties; the continued growth of its education program, which offers classes, workshops, and school break program for over 1200 artists of all ages annually; and the development of programs with regional health centers to facilitate the acquisition of significant art collections by local and regional artists.

Saratoga Arts’ Board of Directors is engaged in a search for its next Executive Director; more information about the position and how to apply can be found at www.saratoga-arts.org/join-our-team. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The second annual BallsFest Pajama Party will take place at the Adelphi Hotel downtown, from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8. 

BallsFest, a major non-profit created by Frank DeBlasi in response to his battle with testicular cancer, provides yearly programming to families affected by childhood and young adult cancer. 

 Once families receive their diagnosis, BallsFest gets to work. They partner with the Melodies Center for Childhood Cancer at Albany Medical to provide year-round support through therapeutic activities for children in treatment, providing a fun distraction and relief to the stress they’re facing. Perhaps most importantly, these activities give children a chance to socialize with each other and form connections. 

BallsFest also hosts activities outside of the hospital. According to Angie Silipigno, BallsFest Executive Director, “families come together and have fun away from the hospital to gain support from a group of people who really understand what they’re going through.”

The funds from the Pajama Party’s ticket sales — as well as donations made at other events throughout the year — are used to purchase the materials needed for said hospital visits and activities. BallsFest also uses the money to cover all the costs associated with community-based events so that everything is free for families. During the holiday season, the organization also uses some of the money to put together Thanksgiving Bags. BallsFest seeks sponsorships throughout the year for assistance in funding these programs.

“We want to be able to always say yes when a need comes up,” says Silipigno. “Versus no, that the resources aren’t available.”

According to Silipigno, last year’s event had a great turnout. “I think the comfort level of people in their pajamas tied into the energy level,” she says. “The dance floor was full of people.”

Tickets cost $100, and the purchase includes food prepared by the Adelphi’s chefs, as well as an open bar. Silipigno promises a few surprises built into the night. Tickets can be purchased at: ballsfest.org/tickets/pajamaparty20.

Photos by Lydia Huibregtse.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —  Nacre Dance Group is pleased to announce the second annual Empire State Youth Dance Ensemble (ESYDE) performance at the Spa Little Theater on February 29 at 2:30 and 7 p.m. 

Nacre Dance Group’s mission is to elevate dance through education, performance and opportunity.  This program of Nacre Dance Group provides pre-professional training and performance opportunities in classical and contemporary modern dance to a select group of talented teenage dancers in the capital region.

The performances slated for February 29 (2:30 and 7 p.m.) at the Spa Little Theater in Saratoga Springs will showcase dancers from three area dance studios:  Dance Force in Schenectady; Dance with Ginny Martin in Glenville; Isabelle’s School of Dance in East Greenbush; as well as additional area dance students selected through an open audition process.

Each studio will represent a piece of choreography that transports the audience through the early years of modern dance to current contemporary work.The program includes modern dance classics Air for the G-String (1928) by Doris Humphrey and Floor Plastique by Ted Shawn. For the 2020 season, Nacre has been working with the American Dance Legacy Initiative’s Repertory Etude Project  (Rhode Island) to present “Rooms Etude” and “Battleworks Etude.” Etudes are short dances based on signature works of American choreographers. The Rooms Etude (arranged by Lorry May) is based on Anna Sokolow’s masterpiece, Rooms. This piece is a study in character and intention and provides dancers with many of the tools of the actor. Battleworks Etude (Choreography by Robert Battle, arranged by Erika Pujič) is a powerful tour de force that includes movement elements from four of Robert Battle’s signature works–Flock, Jewel Lost, The Hunt, and Rush Hour—representing the early years of Battleworks Dance Company (2002-2010). 

Nacre Dance Group builds new traditions in dance by showcasing contemporary choreographers of today. Students have been working with choreographers Anthony Alterio and Na’Keisha Barber on new choreography that bring a neo-classic style to the stage.  Anthony Alterio holds an M.F.A in Dance from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI and is Assistant Professor of Dance at SUNY Fredonia. Na’Keisha Barber attended Slippery Rock College, PA and is an independent choreographer based in NYC.

Tickets are $20/general admission; $15/students and seniors and can be purchased at nacredance.org/tickets  For more information, please contact Beth Fecteau, Artistic Director, at 518-817-3833 or Nacredance@gmail.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Caffe Lena founder and owner Lena Spencer and legendary 1980’s Capital Region band Blotto are among the 2020 inductees in the recently created Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame.

The “Eddies” were created in 2019 by Jim Murphy and Salvatore Prizio of Schenectady-based Proctors Collaborative to celebrate professionals working in the area’s music scene. “Eddies” is named for Thomas Edison, who conceived the phonograph and relocated his Edison Machine Works to Schenectady. 

Lena Spencer was founder and owner of Caffe Lena from 1960 until her death in 1989.

Blotto was active 1978-1984, in addition to subsequent reunions. They sported pseudonyms on recordings and on stage; their songs were played on radio’s “Dr. Demento Show” and the video for “I Wanna Be A Lifeguard” was played on MTV’s first day on the air in 1981. 

The induction ceremonies will take place at Universal Preservation Hall, on Washington Street in Saratoga Springs on March 9. The venue is slated to have its grand reopening 10 days earlier. UPH will also site the Eddies Hall of Fame and will feature a plaque with the likeness of each inductee, as well as videos about all who are enshrined. Future plans include exhibits of local music memorabilia.

The induction ceremony includes a dinner and live music. The event is open to the public; tickets are $50 and are available at universalpreservationhall.org

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Twenty-four musical groups – 16 of whom will be staging Saratoga Jazz Festival debut performances – will appear at SPAC in June. 

The two-day lineup includes: Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Kool & The Gang, Ranky Tanky and Tiempo Libre, Taj Mahal, Drummer Omar Hakim’s “supergroup” Ozmosys, and “centennial celebrations” of the music of Charlie Parker and Dave Brubeck – the latter featuring performances by the Brubeck Brothers with Mike DeMicco and Chuck Lamb. 

The 43rd annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival takes place Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28 at SPAC. 

 Nile Rodgers & CHIC, who headline Saturday night’s event pioneered a musical language that generated chart-topping hits like “Le Freak,” and sparked the advent of hip-hop with “Good Times.” A typical CHIC set includes mega-hits written, co-written and/or produced by Nile Rodgers, including “Get Lucky” (Daft Punk), “Like A Virgin” (Madonna),
“We Are Family” (Sister Sledge), “Let’s Dance” (David Bowie), “Upside Down” (Diana Ross) and many others. 

Sunday’s amphitheater headliner Kool & The Gang are best known for their hit singles “Celebration,” “Cherish,” “Joanna,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Too Hot,” “Hollywood Swinging,” “Ladies Night” and “Fresh.” 

Acts will be staged during the daylong shows both inside the amphitheater, and atop a second outdoor performance space, known as the Charles R. Wood “Jazz Discovery” Stage. 

Founded in 1978 by jazz impresario George Wein, Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival is the fifth longest-consecutive-running jazz festival in North America. 

 Tickets are currently on sale to SPAC members. Tickets of the general public will be available online at www.spac.org beginning Feb. 11. Prices vary. For ticket information, and a full lineup of artists, go to: www.spac.org.