Neighborhood Studios Announces Annual Fundraiser Gala

From Neighborhood Studios:

Plans are well under way for Neighborhood Studio of Fairfield County’s (NSFC) 2016 Annual Gala that benefits NSFC’s arts education programs, with special emphasis on its three summer camps. The event will take place on Sunday evening, May 1, at Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Westporter Robert A. Jacobs, Chairman of the NSFC Board, is this year’s honoree. The popular fundraiser will feature performers from the world-renowned Ailey II Dance Company.

“We’re delighted that the Ailey Company II will be performing at our Gala right after a successful two week run in New York City,” said Harold Levine. Mr. Levine, a long-time Westporter, is Chairman of the Gala and Chairman Emeritus of NSFC. Former Chairman of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company Foundation board, he has been instrumental in involving the world-famous dance group with NSFC in the past, as well as the featured performers in the upcoming event.

For more than forty years, Ailey II has merged the spirit and energy of the country’s best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today’s most outstanding emerging choreographers. Started in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, Ailey II embodies Alvin Ailey’s pioneering mission to establish an extended cultural community that provides dance performances, training and community programs for all people. Mr. Ailey personally selected the veteran dancer Sylvia Waters to lead this junior company. As its Artistic Director for 38 years, she developed Ailey II into one of America’s most popular dance companies. In June 2012, Ms. Waters retired and named her longtime associate Troy Powell as the new Artistic Director. With Mr. Powell at the helm, Ailey II continues to thrive as he brings a fresh dimension to this beloved company.

The critically-acclaimed Ailey II has a distinctive repertory that has included works by dance masters Alvin Ailey, Talley Beatty, Donald Byrd, Ulysses Dove, George W. Faison, Lar Lubovitch, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director Robert Battle and Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison, who shared stories of her remarkable career when she spoke at Quick Center for the Arts this winter. Gala attendees will be treated to several exciting new dances, as well as REVELATIONS, the Ailey favorite.

Robert Jacobs has served on the NSFC board since 2005 and was elected Chair of the Board this year. A Westport resident, he was a founder of Minuteman Newspapers and the Westport Sister Cities Association. He served as a member of the Downtown Planning Committee, advising on a master plan for downtown Westport. He was also on the board of the Westport Arts Center. An avid cook, tennis player and pilot, Bob and his family live in Westport.

Born in New York City, he attended Amherst College and received his Masters of Architecture from Columbia University. He practiced architecture as a partner in Belcic & Jacobs in NYC and currently has his own practice in Westport. He also serves as president of the Gomez Foundation for Mill House, the oldest Jewish dwelling in North America.

Organizing this year’s Gala are committee members: Claudia Cohen, of Westport; Cathy Colgan, of Norwalk; Laurie Gross, of Westport; Beryl Kaufman, of Trumbull; Eileen Wiseman, of Westport, as well as Chairman Harold Levine.

Event sponsors include: Alison Wachstein Photography; Barrett Outdoor Communications; Garelick & Herbs; Hearst Newspapers; Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation; Melissa Diamond PR; Moet Hennessey; Moffly Media; Peoples United Bank; and TracyLocke.

Tickets range from $40 for students and $75 for general admission to $150 for preferred seating. VIP seating is $225 and VIP seating and parking is $500. Reception guests at the $225 and $500 ticket levels will be treated to a cocktail hour provided by Garelick & Herbs, which will begin at 5:30. General admission and preferred seating will be available at 6:30. For additional information and to purchase tickets, call 203-254-4010 or visit www.quickcenter.com

NSFC is an award winning, multidisciplinary school of the arts founded in 1977 by the late Patricia Hart, a musician who was losing her sight. Today NSFC serves more than 1600 Greater Bridgeport youth, ages 4 to 19, each year – with after school programs and summer camps. Its mission is to provide a measurable platform for lifelong success through the delivery of arts education to children at risk, and to those with special needs throughout Fairfield County.

The programs use the arts as vehicles to build engagement in school, raise self-esteem, increase graduation rates and prepare young people for life beyond high school. Graduates have gone on to attend colleges such as Berklee College of Music, Art Institute, Parsons School of Design, Howard University, The New School, UConn, UMass and Yale. Several have become music or art teachers and perform on Broadway.

The organization regularly partners with social service agencies, the Bridgeport Board of Education and other surrounding Boards of Education for program referrals. Grants are provided by such agencies as The Fairfield County Community Foundation, the Edward S. Moore Family Foundation, the Perrin Family Foundation, and individual donations. NSFC was also a recipient of a COMING UP TALLER AWARD, given by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

At last year’s Spring Gala, Executive Director Frank Derico said, “The arts inspire us; the arts educate us; and the arts empower us. Every day at Neighborhood Studios, our talented faculty provides these experiences for the children we serve. We inspire them to dream big and set goals. We educate our artists about making the right choices, improving their literacy skills and preparing for college. And we empower the youth with the tools necessary to be successful in school and beyond.”

For additional information about Neighborhood Studios of Fairfield County, call Executive Director Frank Derico at 203-366-3300 ext.228 or visit here, To purchase Gala tickets, call 203-254-4010 or visit here.