With Fuzion Dance Artists’ Second Annual Summer Dance Festival dawning tomorrow, artists, fans and enthusiasts alike await another week of presentation and performance from the latest in the world of contemporary and modern dance. Under the guidance of Fuzion artistic director Leymis Bolanos Wilmott, the festival has become a yearly celebration and showcase of not only local performers, but also visiting and touring talent. This year is no exception, with the inclusion and arrival of Bubble Dance, the latest show from co-creators Shannon Healey and Debbie Maciel, seeing the pair perform within the closed confines of a racquetball court and exploring notions of identity, personal space and perception.

The concept began little over a year ago, when the Bates Dance Festival in Maine booked Healey and Maciel but overbooked the venue and ran out of conventional performing space. The pair spotted an unused racquetball court and with it an opportunity. “If we want to dance, why wait for a stage?” said Maciel, and necessity being the mother of all invention, the pair set to revamping and restaging their show for a new and innovative space, finding a perfect fit for the themes of perception and space they already enjoyed. “Why not create an opportunity?” said Maciel. “We took all of those things, put them in the racquetball space and it all came together.”

Marrying the concept to the space, Maciel and Healey found a natural analog between the walled space, the physicality of its glass divisions and illusion of privacy, and the experience they wanted to give the audience. “We create a bubble and the audience is not let in – they’re watching us,” said Healey. “They see us at a distance and as the piece progresses we let them know a little more about us and into our bubble.”

The notion of personal bubbles plays a role between the performers as well, with some portions of the show designed as a duet and others as solo performances. But within the racquetball court there is no off- or backstage, so Healey and Maciel are always performing in a sense, even when not the focus. Whether making room for the other or even during costume changes, the two remain onstage and in the audience’s eye. “It’s all a part of the dance,” said Healey. “It all reveals something to the audience.”

“We’re creating a relationship where we can make the audience feel they’re outside of something,” she continued, “and then break that throughout the piece.”

Bubble Dance will be performing three shows between July 29-31 as part of Fuzion Dance Artists’ Second Annual Summer Dance Festival at New College of Florida. Tickets are $15 and reservations are recommended due to limited space given the nature of the show. 

Pictured: Shannon Healey and Debbie Maciel of Bubble Dance Co. Photo by: Jonathan Hsu.

Florida’s philanthropic world was dealt a blow this year first by a rancorous legislative session and then by vetoes on more than $461 million in line items from the state budget. But leaders say it's time to step in and fill the void left when government won’t provide expected funds.

Bob Rosinsky, president and CEO of Goodwill Manasota, said philanthropic leaders have to find new ways to meet needs that won’t go away even when funding does. “We don’t have the resources we want and the needs are great, so how do we maximize the resources we’ve got? We have to look at ways to work together to optimize the money currently spent,” he said. Rosinsky also said citizens need to hold government leaders responsible. “When I talk to people in business, social services or government, I would suggest one of the the things we could do is we could vote a little more intelligently. Look beyond 30-second commercials and start really assessing what the people we are electing will do.”

The matter was a hot point of discussion at the most recent installment of SRQ Media Group’s SB2 series. A panel on “Helping People” was held Thursday morning at The Francis.

Sonia Santiago, vice president of youth and family services for the YMCA, said Southwest Florida in particular can sometimes feel punished for its successes. “We are the No.1 foster care system in the state and we were slated to get more than $1 million, and that was reduced and we only received $200,000,” she said. “That’s a perfect example of being successful and it ending up hurting you.”

Jaime DiDomenico, president of CoolToday, said when he heard about the vetoes, he felt the responsible reaction for businesses engaged in corporate giving was to step in and fill the void. If state leaders decide to cut contributions to charitable efforts and give tax cuts to businesses, those businesses should look at ways to contribute more. “We shouldn’t say these are extra dollars in our pocket,” he said.

Erin McLeod, senior vice president of The Friendship Centers, was hopeful that would be the result. Discussion of philanthropy purely in terms on funding, she said, could be disheartening in and of itself, and companies can all look at ways to give time and resources. Some businesses incentivize philanthropy on the part of employees, and she’d like to see a boost in that practice. “More that part of the corporate responsibility strategy for each company,” she said.

Tom Waters, president and CEO of Easter Seals of Southwest Florida, said the private sector should look at the recent moves by government as a chance to step up. “These impacts are great and there needs to be a partnership between government and us,” Waters said. “But this is a great opportunity for us to come alongside and make a difference.”

Photo: Bob Rosinsky, Sonia Santiago and Tom Waters were part of the SB2: Helping People panel held Thursday. Photo by Wyatt Kostygan 

The back-to-school season is upon us and college students are beginning to pack. Perfect for a going away gift, these hand-made wallets and keychains are available in a wide selection of schools. Fugates on Main Street carries the Smathers and Branson needlepoint accessories, which also include belts and phone cases in matching patterns. For those not going off to school, designs are also available in a range of preppy stitches including fish and American flags.  

Fugates Company, 1476 Main Street, Sarasota, 941-702-5816

The law firm of Icard, Merrill, Cullis, Timm, Furen & Ginsburg P.A. had nine attorneys receive Supreme Court pins for their individual volunteer efforts at the Pro Bono Awards Luncheon hosted by Legal Aid of Manasota Inc. The Icard Merrill attorneys who were recognized for their individual pro bono service are Mike Foreman, Art Ginsburg, Tom Icard, Anthony Manganiello, Lindsey Meshberger, Troy Myers, Alyssa Nohren, Julie Simonson and Rob Young. The firm itself was recognized with the Pro Bono Innovation Award for its role in creating the Family Law Guardian Ad Litem program. 

Icard Merrill

Kellogg & Kimsey, Inc., has officially broken ground on Sansara, a luxury condominium development at 300 S. Pineapple Ave. in the Burns Square neighborhood of Sarasota, FL. The company has been involved in residential development, construction and management in the Chicago, Michigan, Florida and Caribbean markets. The Zen inspired 10 story, 17 unit residential tower designed by Hoyt Architects includes an amenities deck with a pool, private spa, cabanas, outdoor seating area, fire pit and bar in addition to a fitness center. The project is scheduled for completion by August 2016. 

Kellogg Kimsey

Trevor D. Harvey has joined the Sarasota YMCA board. The board is composed of 19 members who set strategic direction and policy to guide the Y’s work to strengthen community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Trevor D. Harvey is the student development advisor at State College of Florida and an active volunteer in the community.  

Sarasota YMCA

Community Youth has appointed three new members to the organization’s Board of Directors.  The new board members are:  Nicole Coudal, Ken Marsh, and Lindsey Meshberger. Coudal is currently the Creative Operations Officer with Ballyhoo Designs,. Marsh is the Temple Administrator with Temple Emannu-El and Meshberger is an attorney with Icard Merrill. Community Youth Development is a premier youth development organization in Sarasota County that positions youth for success through leadership and volunteerism. 

Community Youth Development

Sutter Roofing has announced that regional sales manager, Michael Black, has been promoted to Director of the Service & Maintenance Division.  He will now assume the management responsibility for all service departments company-wide.  The Service Managers and staff will immediately report to Michael for customer account questions or issues, billing procedures, and operations while still managing schedules and work flow at the local level. 

Sutter Roofing

SWAT Networking, Manasota Chapter, has announced a new leadership team. They are Director, Lori Devine of Fairway Funding; Associate Director, Sarah Kempf of We Insure Group; President, Jennifer Lee of Modern Wealth; Vice President, Sarah Lowry of Keller Williams; Treasurer, Luan Morrow of Easy Transition Advisors; Secretary, Beth Vandroff of Yarnell Moving & Storage Solutions; Publicity, Fern Grace of Abacus Web Services and SWAT Sister, Jacquie Riker of Visionary Healing Arts. 

Swat Networking

Yesterday, SRQ Media hosted SB2: Helping People at the Francis in downtown Sarasota. Highlighting the minds behind the mission of charitable organizations, this event focused on how the community can actively support and give back to at-risk groups in Sarasota and beyond. Moderated by Wes Roberts, the event kicked off with a message from Bob Stanell of CS&L CPAs, the series sponsor of SB2. CSL&L CPAs is dedicated to enacting change within the community through the support of organizations specializing in service. Jaime DiDomenico of CoolToday, the event sponsor, drove home the importance of giving back by emphasizing "Taking Care of People", the company’s 2015 initiative. The panel was comprised of some of the community's most influential non-profit representatives, including: Erin McLeod of Friendship Centers, Bob Rosinsky of Goodwill Manasota, Sonia Santiago of Sarasota YMCA and Tom Waters of Easter Seals of Southwest Florida. Stay tuned for a recap of yesterday's event and photos.