Press Contact
Jonathan Elliott
Marketing and Communication Associate, Discover Jersey Arts
ArtPride New Jersey Foundation
609.479.3377 x303 | jelliott@jerseyarts.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2010
ART MATTERS Dance Flash Mob
Presented at Jersey Gardens Mall
Young Dancers Perform in Support of Arts Day 2010
(ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY) -- Over 35 dance students from Montclair State University, Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and Kean University participated in a hip-hop dance "flash mob" performance at Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth on Saturday, April 10. Noted hip-hop choreographer and dance educator Jay T. Jenkins (House Party, dance and choreography work with Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Chaka Kahn, Salt N Pepa) choreographed the event. The performance was organized by ArtPride New Jersey in honor of ARTS DAY 2010, to be held on April 29 in Trenton.
The performance was greeted with surprise and enthusiastic reaction from mall-goers, who interacted with ArtPride staff and volunteers following the event. Staff and volunteers distributed materials that showcased the economic impact of the arts in New Jersey and encouraged mall-goers and arts lovers to further engage in support via text message alert system (text "ARTS" to 25827) and the Arts Day website (http://www.JerseyArts.com/ArtsDay).
"These young dancers displayed tremendous talent and dedication," said Ann Marie Miller, ArtPride NJ Executive Director. "The key message is that art matters to New Jersey, and Mr. Jenkins and his students portrayed this beautifully."
The New Jersey nonprofit arts community annually generates $1.2 billion dollars to the State's economy, supports, 80,000 jobs, serves 4.5 million schoolchildren, and enlightens and entertains audiences of 18 million.
A viral video of the flash mob will be posted online and distributed through social media networks and other avenues beginning Wednesday, April 14. For further information on Arts Day 2010 and personal involvement in arts advocacy and support, please visit http://www.JerseyArts.com/ArtsDay.
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ABOUT ARTPRIDE
ArtPride New Jersey promotes the value of the non-profit arts industry to New Jersey's economy, our children's education and our overall quality of life through a variety of programs, partnerships and services. Find out more at http://www.artpridenj.com.
ABOUT DISCOVER JERSEY ARTS
Discover Jersey Arts (DJA) is a cosponsored project of the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts working in partnership with other cultural service organizations statewide including the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, South Jersey Cultural Alliance, New Jersey Network and New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism. The project's mission is to increase the awareness of and participation in the arts in New Jersey. JerseyArts.com supports this mission by providing a central clearinghouse of information on New Jersey's cultural scene. For more information, please visit http://www.JerseyArts.com.
