The 12th annual Dance Makers concert run from Sarasota Contemporary Dance kicked off last night in the Jane B. Cook Theatre of the FSU Performing Arts Center, bringing the multitalented dancers of SCD to the stage for the first in a series of four daily concerts running through Sunday. Performing works from internationally acclaimed choreographers from across the country and beyond, such as Millicent Johnnie, Lucy Bowen McCauley, Rosanna Tavarez and Crystal Edwards, the annual concert celebrates the company, the choreographers, the collaborators, contemporary dance itself and, this year, a new home for SCD.

“It’s been a long process,” says SCD Founder and Artistic Director Leymis Bolanos Wilmott of the road to opening her own movement center in the Rosemary District this year. Previously operating out of the New College of Florida campus, where the company also hosted many of its shows, for the past three years Wilmott has focused her energies on finding a studio home for the company. Working with New College has been a “great partnership,” she says, and SCD will remain a presence on campus, “but to have our own home is crucial for the longevity of the company.”

Not only will it give the company a firm identity and foothold all its own, but a whole host of possibilities and new amenities. Situated in the Rosemary District off Boulevard of the Arts, the space brings the company itself a newly designed and sizable studio space, including SCD’s first (and much-anticipated) set of Marley sprung floors, as well as enough room to choreograph larger productions than prior years, and even host open rehearsals.

Yet, alongside the addition of new dressing rooms and office space, the inclusion of a lobby space seems to excite Wilmott most, seen as an opportunity to engage the Rosemary community. A planned grand opening on March 11 is set to do just that, with performances, sample classes and time to hear from members of the community as to what they want from their local dance studio and movement center. “It’ll be an opportunity for an exchange of ideas,” says Wilmott.

In the meantime, there’s still time to catch SCD’s annual Dance Makers concert at the Jane B. Cook Theatre of the FSU Performing Arts Center, happening tonight and Saturday night at 7:30pm and Sunday afternoon at 2pm. 

Pictured: The performers of Sarasota Contemporary Dance in Crystal Edwards' "The Toggle." Photo by Sorcha Augustine.

Some of the region’s top startups won recognition at the inaugural SRQ Localpreneur of the Year awards Thursday, shortly after business leaders gathered for a panel discussion on attracting the boon of a booming economy to the Gulf Coast. At the SB2 2018 State of the Region event, tourism and economic development players said the region continues to be strong in terms of tourism growth, and it continues to strive for economic diversification.

“The biggest competitive advantage is the place we have and the people it brings here,” says Mark Huey, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County. “Many of the businesses that do come here first engaged through the tourism industry.” Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County, said overall visitation to the region went up 6.5 percent in 2017, in spite of the impact of Hurricane Irma. “But what matters most to me is it was accompanied by a significant increase in visitor spending,” she says. 

Jeffrey Mayers, general manager for The Resort at Longboat Key, noted one fifth of jobs in Florida are directly or indirectly tied to tourism. “People come here as visitors many times first.” Indeed, Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, says boosts in visitation to the region not only mean jobs in the hospitality sector but potential to attract entrepreneurs. “What we don’t discuss enough is the conversion from visitor to resident to business owner,” he says. He noted that when new visitors come to the area, 84 percent book a second trip here in the next year.

Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, said those visitors are coming from more areas as well. About 70 percent of air traffic comes from visitors to the region compared to 30 percent local, and the key markets remain New York, Boston, Washington D.C. and Chicago, but the airport has recently announced Allegiant Air service to markets like Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Indianapolis, so he expects interest from the Midwest to steadily rise. At the event, Brian Mariash of Mariash Loather Wealth Management noted a distinct acceleration in the economic recovery, something that should benefit this region because of the disproportionate level of luxury amenities here. “That has been helped by the tax package passed recently,” he says, which makes it more enticing for states with high income tax rates to move to Florida.

At the event, SRQ Media announced the first winners of its Localpreneur of the Year Awards. The winners of the competition were selected by judges (and former Sarasota entrepreneurs now living outside the market) Jonathan Rose Companies Development Director Andrew Foley and ORA Interactive Chief Growth Officer Ray Villares.

The five winning entries in the competition this year were: Jim Abrams, BizZoom, Fyzical Therapy and American Dreams Restaurant Group; Jesse Biter, PropLogix and BOLD; Joy Randels, Applied G2 and Invision Communications; Brendan Ragan and Summer Dawn Wallace, Urbanite Theatre; and Mike Quillen and Mike Gowan, Gecko’s Hospitality Group. 

An elementary music teacher from Laurel Nokomis School and the music programs at Brookside and Woodland middle schools were honored by the Florida Music Education Association at the organization’s FMEA Awards Breakfast, held earlier this month at the Tampa Convention Center. The FMEA Awards are presented during the organization’s annual conference to recognize the efforts and accomplishments of exemplary music teachers, school and district administrators, businesses and others who have made an outstanding contribution to music education. Laurel Nokomis elementary music teacher Charles Allen was one of nine teachers statewide to receive the 2018 Music Education Service Award, awarded to music educators active in the field for 25 years or more. Allen was recognized for his 31 years of service. Two Sarasota County middle schools, Brookside and Woodland, were presented with Middle School Music Enrollment awards. The awards are given to music programs demonstrating high enrollment in music courses. 

Sarasota County Schools

CAN Community Health has announced a new slate of members for its board of directors. The board members will work closely with CAN President and CEO Richard E. Carlisle to establish the overall goals and provide specific direction for the organization. The CAN Board will be led by 2018 Chair Bob Trisolini. He is replacing 2017 Chair Eric Snider. Leona Collesano was announced as vice chair. Phil Baker was announced as treasurer and Bob Nosal will remain in his role as secretary. Stephen Covert will serve as assistant secretary. Rev. Demetrius Jifunza, Nati Shabat and Meadow L. Walker will remain as CAN board members. In addition, Covert and Jackie Rogers were appointed as new members to the board. CAN has served the needs of the HIV/AIDS community in Sarasota, surrounding counties, the state of Florida and now South Carolina for more than 26 years. CAN seeks to create hope and healing for the HIV/AIDS community, combat the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, increase knowledge and prevention, remove obstacles to care and continue essential HIV/AIDS research. 

CAN Community Health

This week, Pines of Sarasota Foundation President Janet K. Ginn and Pines of Sarasota President/CEO Mike Ward announced a reimagining and renovation of Pines’ Assisted Living Facility and a partnership with the Esther & Harold Mertz Foundation, which has committed support for the project and for Pines’ mission. The renovation will modernize the facility, offering residents more privacy and a broader variety of room configurations while maintaining the high quality of service and care for which Pines of Sarasota is known. In addition to the changes to resident rooms, Pines’ signature porte cochere will be added to a newly configured entrance that will welcome visitors and residents and shield them from inclement weather. Funding for the $3.9 million project will be supported by the Esther & Harold Mertz Foundation, which will match all donations on a 2:1 basis. In a show of faith, the Mertz Foundation has already contributed $2.6 million in matching funds. Should contributions from the community exceed the amount needed for the renovation project, the Mertz Foundation will continue to match those gifts, with the funding set aside for future campus improvements. 

Pines of Sarasota

The City of Sarasota has been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for the 32nd year in a row. The 2017 Tree City USA award recognizes the City’s commitment to maintaining and expanding a healthy tree canopy in Sarasota. Sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, the Tree City USA Program honors more than 3,400 cities with this distinction based on four requirements. The city must have (1) a tree board or department, (2) a tree care ordinance, (3) an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and (4) an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. The City of Sarasota meets those requirements and goes beyond them, supporting innovative programs like the Community Canopy Project, offering trees to residents at no cost. In the end, maintaining a healthy tree-line not only improves the visual appeal of the City’s neighborhoods, but also increases property values, decreases energy bills and protects the environment. 

Tree City USA