Del. Jolene Ivey does a Cartwheel to help the Arts
Lawmakers get out their dancing shoes
Fourth annual gala benefits Mount Rainier performing arts center
Click here to watch the video
Though they may be better known for their ability to pass legislation, elected officials did cartwheels, handstands, splits and generally cut a rug Saturday evening, all in an effort to help raise money for the arts.
At the end of their house and locking routine - performed to music by Mr. V and Cameo - County Councilman Will Campos (D-Dist. 2) of Hyattsville did a handstand and Del. Jolene Ivey (D-Dist. 47) of Cheverly did a cartwheel after successfully making it through the choreographed finale of Joe's Movement Emporium's fourth annual gala concert.
Along with Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Dist. 20) of Silver Spring and Del. Kriselda Valderrama (D-Dist. 26) of Fort Washington, the officials showed off their rhythm and hip-hop dance skills at Joe's in Mount Rainier as about 75 people laughed and clapped along.
BosmaDance, an Alexandria, Va.,-based troupe, performed ‘‘Sky Kisses Earth” and women from Arachne Aerial Arts performed gymnastic moves on the trapeze. But for its fourth annual gala concert, Dancing with the Political Stars, Joe's also reached out to some less practiced performers. Four state delegates and a county councilman volunteered their time to perform and help raise money for Joe's, a center that offers performance arts classes and rehearsal space for artists.
‘‘If they can teach a bunch of politicians to dance just think what else they can do,” Ross said. ‘‘We had a couple of really good instructors. ... They took a bunch of politicians and taught them about dancing.”
‘‘I had been wanting to put politicians on stage to show how cool and how dedicated our local leaders are in regards to the arts,” she said.
Kidd said Mizeur volunteered to participate and asked her colleagues to join her. Mizeur's partner, Deborah Mizeur, is president of Joe's board of directors.
The politicians proved to be a draw for the fundraiser. Adrienne Francis of Mitchellville, who identifies herself as a supporter of Del. Jolene Ivey (D-Dist. 47) of Cheverly, said she learned about the program from Ivey. As a supporter of the arts she said she knew about the service Joe's provides to the community.
‘‘It's critical for our children to be exposed to all art forms and Joe's gives them options that they're not going to find on the street,” Francis said.
Joe's moved into a new $3.7 million, 20,000-square-foot former warehouse in January 2007. They are in the process of renovating a 3,200-square-foot performance space that would seat 150 people.
Kidd said the money that was raised will go toward completion of the theater and to support the programs offered at Joe's.
‘‘I hope we can walk away tonight feeling that this theater will be finished soon,” she said during the event. ‘‘I hope you're inspired to kick up your heels, spin around or pat your knee.”
Maplesden said he has attended many events at Joe's.
‘‘It was a great event,” he said. ‘‘I like to support arts in Prince George's County because so much goes on in D.C. and Montgomery County and you don't see as much in PG.”
Other performers included resident artists Gamelan Mitra Kusuma Orchestra, Silk Road Dance Company and Joe's Moving Company.
Kidd also announced that Joe's would dedicate Studio 3 to Sen. Gwendolyn Britt, who died suddenly in January.
‘‘She helped bring forth this building,” she said. ‘‘And I'm excited because that's the studio that I teach in.”
Britt's husband, Travis Britt, was in the crowd.
‘‘I really enjoyed [the performance] tonight. It helped me to not focus on my own problems for a while,” he said.
E-mail Maya T. Prabhu at mprabhu@gazette.net
posted by Barry O'Connell at 8:38 PM
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