Young crowd

Recently we got to sit down and listen to and speak with some younger members of the Arts Alliance audience. Their ages ranged from 15 to 25, both young men and young women, some are still in high school, one just out, one a college student, and one a working adult. They all had some dealings with the Arts Alliance, most recently at ArtSoup, our community arts festival that took place June 23-24.
The conversation was about opportunities for younger people to hear music, see art by a younger crowd, and generally a report card of how the Elk River area is doing in providing arts experiences for the generation that has grown up with computers and ipods.
Of course the Twin Cities was IDed as a significant draw for them, both for visual arts and music. They don't see any real concerted effort to provide them a place to participate, watch, or be seen in the local area.
They gave us some great ideas about how to improve ArtSoup and maybe have more participation by their generation. We talked about how they learn about events and how they decide whether they will go or not go. They all knew about the new park downtown and how downtown has a chance to be a place to do things, if the right venue or event took place.
The Arts Alliance recognizes that much of what we have been doing lately has been skewered to a slightly older age group. This isn't always by chance, as we need to pay for our events, just as everyone else. The opportunity to engage a younger crowd however is too important to not consider some chances. We know that if we don't hook young people before they leave high school on the importance of seeing live music and theater or seeing real art work, the chances are their lives will be less full and they and we will regret it.

The Arts Alliance has two opportunities this fall season to engage the young crowd.
On October 6 we have comedian C. Willi Myles headlining. Opening for him is singer-songwriter Laura Harley.

C Willi Myles takes everyday life challenges and applies humor to them. He has opened for many of the top musical and comedy acts throughout the country and performs regularly at casinos and in concert with some of the biggest names in entertainment. The New York Times has been quoted as saying Willi Myles "leaves them hurtin' with laughter and wanting more!" With extremely funny non-offensive stories and jokes, Willi makes everybody laugh. What happens when you take a guy from Alabama and you move him up to Minnesota and let him experience his first winter including ice fishing? One thing that happens for sure is a lot of laughs and a unique look at living in the Midwest.
See his website: cwilli.com

Critics and fans alike rave about the "crystalline beauty" of Laura Harley's voice. In a time when the airwaves are jammed with the static of a world on the brink, Laura cuts through the noise. Her captivating voice, evocative lyrics, and unforgettable songs have brought her devoted fans and critical acclaim throughout her musical career. At a high-school battle of the bands, Laura’s singing caught the attention of guitarist Teddy Kim, who was looking for a collaborator. The two cut a demo under the name Sliver and burst onto the Minneapolis club scene. Sliver became a buzz act when the local college radio station obtained a copy of their demo and put it into heavy rotation. That year, before releasing a record, Sliver was voted Minneapolis' best new band in a ballot sponsored by the prestigious First Avenue Club. They went on to release two critically-acclaimed CDs, tour nationally, and chart on the college music charts. Later she and Teddy began a new musical collaboration seeking new perspective. Her 2006 self titled CD had critics outdoing themselves with praise. “Sounding like a snowcapped Sade, Harley (a trained life coach) strives for meaningful messages and inner explorations amid rich, subtle arrangements. Even empowerment anthems “Champion” and “Sing Out Loud” never lose their cool, but that’s in tune with Harley’s vision to make soothing, contemplative pop."
--Minnesota Monthly
see her website: lauraharley.com

Later on, December 1, we have Joe Chvala and the Flying Foot Forum.
Some might accuse Joe Chvala (pronounce like Koala) of being slap happy. They might be right. Joe and his collaborators use their own bodies, floors, walls, slinkies, and other inanimate objects as percussion instruments. Add movement that brings the tempo to a whirling beat or to a quiet whisper and you have an evening of fun entertainment and beauty in motion. The Flying Foot Forum is a vibrant and bold percussive dance/theater company that fuses percussion and percussive dances with many other forms of music, dance and theater, telling unusual tales, creating a wild variety of characters, and exploring universal ideas in inventive and exciting new ways. "Creating beautiful images is relatively commonplace among those who make dances; being able to make a direct visceral link with the audience is far more rare and precious. Chvala has this talent, plus the capacity to create innovative and unexpected movement."
- Pittsburgh Tribune Review
see their website: flyingfootforum.com


We have season tickets on sale now. Individual tickets will go on sale after Labor Day. This year we are offering a special Family Pak: 2 adults + one student(under 18)= $30; each additional student(under 18) $5. Normally adults are $15@ and students are $6.

Call the Arts Alliance office for more info: 763.441.4725