Having been a resident of Brookline for the past 13 years (1992 Graduate of Brookline High School), and a dance and martial arts instructor for the past 10 years, I have noticed more and more how there are not enough community and culturally inclusive offerings in the town of Brookline and its surroundings. Our proposal is to found a community center where members of Brookline and the surrounding towns could attend lessons in dance, martial arts, fitness, and other recreational activities, at affordable prices, as well as be provided with hosting services for community events, and practice facilities for local dance companies and the like. The city of Cambridge, for example, has been successful in such community services. Notably, the Dance Complex provides a full array of arts offerings from around the world. In Brookline, the Brookline Academy of Dance, formally Ballet, Etc., as well as the Brookline School of Music, continue to provide great dance and music offerings, and the Brookline Arts Center tailors to the visual arts. Yet, the competition for teaching and practice space is fierce, and the talents and rich culture of many local arts educators remain untapped. In light of the growing demand, creating another venue for the many talented teachers would not only provide great job opportunities, but also expose the community to more culture, and increase the level of integration. There are currently very few cultural offerings that tailor to the Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Latin, and Jewish communities, and other entities in Brookline and its surrounding towns.
The property being acquired, 115 School Street, is ideally located between
Brookline High School, Pierce School, the Brookline Public Library and Town
Hall, and a large residential community. It is also highly accessibly by public
transportation (two D-Line, several C-Line T Stops, and a #66 bus line stop
at Harvard Avenue near School St. - all within two to seven minutes walking
distance) and has ample parking. As such, providing morning classes, after school
programs for kids, and evening classes, as well as afternoon and evening functions
and dances would greatly enhance the community. The architectural renovation
& development currently being drafted will result in three large (800 to
1140 Sq.-Ft. each) and fully furnished studios, supplemented by dressing rooms,
full baths, kitchen & bar facilities, office and storage spaces. An extensive
automated multimedia system will be installed to provide high quality audio,
visual, and computerized capabilities. In addition modern furnishings will be
provided to allow for full wheel chair accessibility to all three studio levels.
After three months of hard work, my two partners Olaf Bleck and Vlad Selsky,
and I, our many community supporters, perspective faculty and staff, and future
clients, are feeling the excitement. Provided that our current schedule is maintained,
the property will be acquired by the end of January, the architectural renovation
town Planning Board proposal will be submitted shortly thereafter, ground breaking
and renovations will commence in mid-February, and the center's grand opening
will take place during the week of April 13 - 19, 2003. Our currently contracted
startup session of 120 hours of weekly classes consists of Kung Fu, Tai Chi,
Chi Kung, Genuine Bussey Style and other forms of self defense, Tap, Jazz, Hip
Hop, Urban, Modern, and Ballet dance, contact and performance improvisation,
theatre, drama, dance history, 5 Rhythms, Irish Céilí and Step
dance, Middle Eastern & Belly dance, International/World dance, Flamenco,
Hatha Yoga, Pilates, Salsa, Tango, and other Latin dances, fitness, stretching,
and strengthening, for all age ranges, and musical theatre, creative movement,
Jazz, pre-ballet, and Yoga for kids. The schedule is rapidly growing with the
large demand for teaching space, and includes class offerings between 6:00 a.m.
and 10:00 p.m., and after hours (past 10:00 p.m.) and weekend events and workshops.
We are still in need of additional faculty and other types of activity leaders in order to meet our goals of providing at least 200 hours (of the 420 maximum possible hours) of offerings per week. As such, our 3rd round of faculty and event/workshop activity leaders/promoters interviews is about to commence. We should note that although our center's offerings will be provided to the community at discount rates, we have created a business model that will leave ample room for instructors to make very good profits. Our pro-instructor oriented agreements allow instructors to use the studio facilities for flat, scaled, and/or percentage based fees, custom-set in accordance to class income and student enrollment. All money handling for our regular offerings will be done by the studio's administration, and we will also advertise and promote all class and event offerings throughout the surrounding communities using extensive Internet tools, brochures, TV and radio programming, and more. As such new instructors and art forms will be greatly promoted, and available to more diverse sections of the community.
Both Mr. Bleck's and my companies, and our partner Mr. Selsky, have been committed to community and cultural enrichment through the arts, and are very excited at the prospect of opening this community center in Brookline. Having done most of the leg work, this project, however, remains contingent on our ability to raise the necessary startup capitol, and we are accepting charitable donations of all sizes (the BCCA is a non-profit corporation), and/or equity investments (into the LLC being set up to purchase, renovate, and lease the property to the BCCA). The BCCA is in need of $ 80,000 for equipment and startup expenses (to supplement the ~ $ 120,000 equipment aquired and startup costs incurred by the Mr. Marshall, Mr. Bleck, and Mr. Selsky, to date), $ 200,000 for construction/renovation expenses, and $ 140,000 for property purchasing down payment. We will be greatly appreciative of your support in helping us raise these funds, and in joining our staff of educators, and spreading the word around. To schedule a faculty interview, inquire about studio space availability, make a donation or investment, and for more information, questions, comments, or suggestions, please call Dan Yonah Marshall at (617) 970-1444, or E-Mail Dan_Y_Marshall@Prodigy.net, or log onto www.BCCAonline.com. Donations will be tax-deductible and may be made out (by check) and sent to the Brookline Community Center for the Arts, Inc., 115 School Street, Brookline, MA 02446. (We are currently updating the BCCA web site to include credit card processing capabilities for donations.)
Best Regards, and Best Wishes for a Happy and Successful New Year,
Dan Yonah Marshall, Olaf Bleck, and Vlad Selsky.