Shaker Arts Council

Shaker Heights arts organizations host benefit concert
to heal and support the Ludlow neighborhood on March 9, 2008.

On Sunday March three organizations (see sponsors) came together to produce a concert to show support for the Ludlow community and its surrounding neighborhoods. Some scenes from the event, “In Concert with Ludlow” are shown below.

As Jane Wood, former editor of the Shaker Heights magazine, wrote in her widely read weekly email letter This Week in Shaker: 

“In Concert with Ludlow,” which concluded at 6:45 p.m. Sunday .... was a stunning success. The packed house heard powerful poetry from Kelly Harris, witnessed acrobatic agility from the Verlezza dancers and heard William Clarence Marshall deliver a moving rendition of Ol’ Man River. If you weren’t there, you should have been."

The concert featured Verlezza Dance staging its renowned “Tobi Roppo” dance, student groups from Shaker Heights and Cleveland, and other local professional performing artists. The closing presentation was a dramatic reading of “America the Beautiful”. Appropriately, this concert was the first community event in the High School’s newly renovated auditorium. 

Proceeds will be used to enhance youth programs and foster inter-community collaboration for the benefit of Ludlow and its surrounding area.

For more information, contact: Marcia Romano, Shaker Arts Council
Phone: 216-561-7454    Email: ludlowconcert@shakerartscouncil.org

The spirit of the concert was well captured by a story on the front page of the March 13 Sun Press. To read it on the web, click here.

For the concert program, click here.

Now, scenes from this memorable concert.
Photos by Caydie Heller.  www.hellerphotography.com

 
 

THE LUDLOW NEIGHBORHOOD

The Ludlow neighborhood includes portions of both Cleveland and Shaker Heights, and the area is recognized nationally as one of the first communities to initiate and maintain a stable integrated neighborhood. This concert celebrated the continued support and success of this achievement in the face of an attack on resident Kevin McDermott as he walked in the neighborhood on New Year’s Eve.

Shaker Heights is known nationally for its excellent schools, cultural diversity, and distinctive neighborhoods. No less important to its success is a commitment to these values among its residents. Representatives from all Shaker neighborhood associations and the Cleveland neighborhoods of Buckeye, Larchmere, Mount Pleasant, and Shaker Square were in attendance to show they are in concert with Ludlow.

The concert featured Verlezza Dance staging its renowned “Tobi Roppo” dance, student groups from Shaker Heights and Cleveland, and other local professional performing artists. The closing presentation was a dramatic reading of “America the Beautiful”. Appropriately, this concert was the first community event in the High School’s newly renovated auditorium. Proceeds will be used to enhance youth programs and foster inter-community collaboration for the benefit of Ludlow and its surrounding area.

Learn more about the Ludlow neighborhood.

 

HOW TO SUPPORT THIS CAUSE


Even if you couldn't be at the concert, it's not too late to show your support for the Ludlow Community.  Your tax-deductible gift to the Shaker Arts Council will be passed on to the Ludlow Community Association.

Make an online contribution
Give now, securely, using PayPal or a credit card

Send a check
Make your check payable to Shaker Arts Council.
Mail it to PMB 232, 16781 Chagrin Blvd. Shaker Heights OH 44120

 


SPONSORING  ORGANIZATIONS
 

Shaker Arts Council
SHAC is a volunteer-directed non-profit organization whose purpose is to enrich the cultural fabric of Shaker Heights by establishing the arts as a vibrant and integral part of the community.

SHAC thanks everyone who attended and supported In-Concert with Ludlow. Together we demonstrated that the ideals and indomitable spirit that makes Shaker unique are still alive and well ...... and growing.
 

Verlezza Dance
 A professional modern dance company in Shaker Heights that celebrates diversity, inclusion and the human spirit through dance.

Sabatino Verlezza writes "It is an honor to be in the company of those who believe deeply in community. In the spirit of democracy, we offer these dances as another way of speaking freely, with our energy, our bodies and our hearts.”
 
Ludlow Community Association
Formed in 1957 from block club meetings to ease tensions as African-Americans moved into Shaker Heights' Ludlow area, it became a national model for integrated communities.
 
 

A message from the Ludlow Community Association

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

We are so grateful for the unforgettable experience of this concert and would like to thank all who made it possible, including:

  • Our friends in Shaker Heights and Cleveland who came together to celebrate a future of neighborhood collaboration.
  • The organizers who made this memorable concert happen.
  • The outstanding, talented performers who gave us the best American art in a spirit of freedom and hope.
  • The supporters who generously provided the resources and the spaces that allowed this event to unfold.
  • And to all who gave their time, energy, focus or funds.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Now the real work begins, working for the future of our youth and the future of our community.

The Ludlow Community Association

Visit us at our brand new website www.LudlowCommunity.org
 
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