Three of Columbus’ best organizations – Jazz Arts Group, BalletMet and WOSU Public Media – have developed an innovative and unprecedented collaboration to celebrate Columbus’ past, present and future through the first major presentation of the 200Columbus celebration – “Jazz Moves Columbus” (February 2-12 at the Capitol Theatre – Riffe Center).
These unique and creative multi-media performances will celebrate Columbus’ 200th birthday through music, dance and imagery with the artistic leadership of Byron Stripling (Columbus Jazz Orchestra) and Gerard Charles (BalletMet), working in tandem with executive producer Cindy Gaillard (WOSU). Using video and images as narrative, the audience takes a dizzying journey through Columbus’ “Cradle of Jazz,” weekend parties, historic neighborhoods, and dance halls while remembering the fragility of life, the civil rights movement, joyous Sunday morning church services, and a celebration of a bright future. The Capitol Theatre at the Vern Riffe Center will come alive with newly-commissioned choreography and music, providing an iconic kickoff to the year-long celebration in Columbus. With the corresponding images and stories that are a part of the acclaimed Columbus Neighborhoods documentary series, audiences will be transported back in time as well as catapulted toward a future vision through the performing arts.
This marks the third major collaboration between the CJO and BalletMet – the original “Jazz Moves” won the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s Artistic Excellence Award and was called “groundbreaking” by the Columbus Dispatch.
“Jazz Moves Columbus” will also include a collaboration with the Columbus Metropolitan Library and their highly regarded Columbus Memories project, to create a unique community experience at each performance. Each evening will be topped off with an ice cream social that celebrates the “sweet spot” that is our unique city and provides a post-performance gathering to meet one another and the stars of the show. Ice cream will be supplied by Columbus’ very own Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, voted the number one ice cream in the country!
Get Tickets <—– for Jazz Moves Columbus