In 2015, Kenneth Shirley launched Indigenous Enterprise at a community college in Phoenix, Arizona, with a vision to celebrate and share the richness of Indigenous culture through film, fashion, and dance. Over these past eight years, Indigenous Enterprise has evolved into one of the most dynamic cultural companies globally. Their performances have enchanted audiences at prestigious venues and events, including the Super Bowl, Sydney Opera House, Joyce Theater and the 2020 Presidential Inauguration. Their work has graced MTV and World of Dance, earning critical acclaim from The New York Times and Vogue Magazine. Now, Indigenous Enterprise is poised to make its mark at the Living Arts Festival, where they will honor their heritage and uplift the Sarasota community through the vibrant tradition of powwow song and dance. “Our mission is to inspire and elevate audiences while fostering a deeper understanding of Indigenous identity through our compelling performances,” says Kenneth Shirley, the 28-year-old CEO and founder of the group.

Shirley, who began dancing at the tender age of two—before he could even walk or talk—views powwow song and dance as a profound means of sharing a culture that has been integral to his life from the start. He believes that these traditions often bring a deep sense of peace to communities. “At our performances, everyone receives a blessing, regardless of their race, ethnicity, culture or religion,” Shirley explains. “If someone is facing challenges or experiencing sadness, our dancers have a unique ability to uplift spirits and provide comfort. We strive to spread this message of healing and positivity wherever we go.”

Shirley will bring four members of Indigenous Enterprise to the festival—elaborately dressed performers who are lifelong friends. Drawing on their extensive experience as champion powwow dancers, the group promotes Indigenous culture through a multifaceted approach that includes film, fashion, and dance. In addition to traveling the globe to perform, Shirley, who studied filmmaking at ASU, is currently developing a film with Indigenous Enterprise, titled Borders, which will soon be available for streaming nationwide. “We’re expanding the company to be more than just a Native dance troupe,” he says. “While dancing was our foundation, we aim to broaden our reach.” With their ventures into film production and their new and unique clothing line, Indigenous Enterprise continues to gain recognition while remaining dedicated to advancing Indigenous culture and heritage, empowering and inspiring audiences around the world. 

Pictured: Indigenous Enterprise will be performing at the Living Arts Festival taking place November 10-17. Photo courtesy of Indigenous Enterprise.

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The classics continue to live on at Florida Studio Theatre (FST). This weekend, catch the final performances of the organization’s summer cabaret, The Four C Notes. The show, which stars Michael Ferraro, Max Trotter, Ethan Lupp and Tyler Meyer–all of whom are making their FST debuts–is a touching tribute to the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The Four C Notes will include renditions of some of The Four Seasons greatest hits, with songs such as “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Let’s Hang On”, “Sherry” and “Walk Like a Man”.

“They are the iconic Doo-wop group, but their lasting power just kept going because they created a new sound every decade. They went into disco. They went into a little bit harder pop-rock. They did it all,” says Catherine Randazzo, Associate Artist/Literary Manager at FST. “I didn’t grow up in that era, but I know that my mother and her generation is just crazy about their music. They loved the look of the group and how classy they were on stage.”

The origins of The Four Seasons charts back long before the band officially adopted the name in 1960. Frankie Valli had been trying to make it as a singer since his first commercial release, “My Mother’s Eyes” in 1953. The following year Valli partnered with original member Tommy DeVito and others, performing under a variety of stage names before eventually landing on The Four Lovers. While the members of the group changed, that name stuck until 1960, when after a failed audition to perform at a bowling alley, the group changed their name to The Four Seasons. The band experienced their first big break in 1962 with the release of the single “Sherry” on their debut album, becoming the band’s first number one hit. Their initial success propelled them to becoming one of the biggest acts in the world in the early to mid 1960s and while record sales declined by the end of the decade, The Four Seasons saw a resurgence in popularity in the mid-to-late ‘70s with hits like “Who Loves You” and “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night)”. 

Pictured: the Four C Notes tribute group performing the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Photo courtesy of FST.

Hurricane Milton has left an indelible mark on the Tampa Bay area and beyond, with some communities facing devastation unlike anything we’ve seen in over a century. While the Tampa Museum of Art was fortunate to be spared the storm’s worst effects, our hearts are with our neighbors, both nearby and across the state, who have suffered tremendous loss and damage. We are grateful to announce that the museum will reopen its doors on Saturday, October 12, at 10 am. In light of the ongoing recovery efforts and challenges many face, we invite those experiencing hardships, such as power outages or displacement, to find a moment of tranquility in our galleries or use our free Wi-Fi and recharge your cell phones in the Vinik Family Education Center. All studio art classes scheduled at the Vinik Family Education Center and at our offsite partner locations will resume their schedules beginning Sunday, October 13. The antiquities lectures scheduled for Sunday, October 13, will be postponed with a future date to be determined. For more about the museum’s experiences during Hurricane Milton, you can read an interview with the Tampa Museum of Art’s Executive Director about sheltering at the museum during the storm, published in ArtNews. In these challenging times, the Tampa Museum of Art remains a steadfast part of the community, offering a place of peace, reflection, and hope. We are here for you, and we look forward to welcoming you back to the museum as we continue to move forward together, stronger than before. For tickets and information, visit TampaMuseum.org or call (813) 274-8130. Located at 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza. Tampa, FL 33602, the Tampa Museum of Art is open seven days a week, Monday – Sunday, 10 am – 5 pm, and Thursdays from 10 am – 8 pm. 

SMH-Sarasota, SMH-Venice and our freestanding ER in North Port stayed busy before, during and after the storm. Thankfully, our facilities fared well, despite heavy winds, rain and surges nearby. Both hospitals are on high ground - our Sarasota campus at 19 feet and our Venice campus at 16.5 feet. We had an influx of patients as the storm headed our way and hospitals around us began closing and evacuating patients. SMH's Relief team (Team B) began arriving throughout the day today, as road conditions allowed, to relieve the Response team (Team A). All in all, SMH estimates its staff cared for, supported and sheltered more than 4,000 people at its 2 hospitals and freestanding ER, including patients, medically dependent people assigned by the county, patients evacuated from surrounding hospitals, physicians, staff and some of their children and pets (dogs, cats and one bunny that was an emotional support buddy for a nervous dog). SMH delivered 7 babies during the storm.Please check smh.com for the latest updates. SMH is opening its 7 urgent care centers and network of outpatient diagnostic lab/imaging centers and physician offices as electricity, water and services become available. 

CR Fitness Holdings, the largest franchisee of Crunch Fitness in Florida and the U.S., is committed to supporting communities affected by Hurricane Milton, offering relief to residents facing power outages and limited access to basic necessities. Starting today, select Crunch Fitness locations across the region will be open to members and non-members, providing access to showers, charging electronic devices, and a place to re-energize both physically and mentally during this challenging time. Locations and Services Available: Showers: Open to the public at no charge during business hours to help those displaced or without running water; Charging Electronic Devices: Available for residents to power up their phones, laptops, and other essential devices; BBQ and Supportive Environment: Crunch staff will be available to offer additional assistance and serve hamburgers, hot dogs, and bottled water while supplies last. For BBQ times, please check our social media pages or contact your local club. Locations Open Offering Services: Crunch Land O’ Lakes, Crunch Countryside, Crunch Lakewood Ranch, Crunch Stuart, Crunch Palm Beach Gardens, Crunch West Melbourne, Crunch Wickham, Crunch Altamonte Springs, Crunch Kissimmee, Crunch East Colonial, Crunch Poinciana, Crunch Lake Nona, Crunch Winter Garden, Crunch Boy Scout, More Locations Opening By The Hour. Crunch Fitness encourages all those affected by the storm to take advantage of these services. Residents do not need to be Crunch members to access the facilities, reinforcing the company's mission to be a resource for everyone in the community. CR Fitness Holdings LLC. is led by industry veterans Vince Julien, Geoff Dyer, Tony Scrimale, and Jeff Dotson, who combined have more than 150 years of experience in the fitness sector. The CR Fitness Holdings team presently manages 70 gyms across Florida, Georgia, NorthCarolina, Texas and Tennessee with forthcoming expansions slated for Arizona. The goal is toreach a total of 100 gyms in operation by 2026. Crunch Fitness will continue to monitor the situation and expand the number of open locations as circumstances allow. For addresses on available locations and hours of operation, please visit Crunch.com.  

Ahead of Hurricane Milton, HCA Florida Healthcare closed five hospitals in the mandatory evacuation zones. Our other 43 hospitals maintained city electricity or generator power and continued caring for patients through the storm.HCA Florida Largo Hospital, which remained open during the storm, sustained flooding in its basement from a nearby lake. This affected power to some parts of the hospital. The hospital has begun transferring approximately 235 patients. The hospital has completed the transfer of its most critical patients. We continue to assess the needs of our hospitals and we have additional generators, fuel and water to support our hospitals in areas where city water and electricity has been affected. Ahead of the storm, we prepositioned construction materials and have remediation teams onsite at our facilities. Additionally, HCA Healthcare colleagues from around the country are prepared to travel to Florida, if needed, to provide support and relief to our hospitals. Our hospitals are preparing to receive patients from non-HCA Florida Healthcare hospitals as needed, as well as patients we may receive from long term care and assisted living facilities. In addition, our ERs are expecting to receive an influx of patients with typical post-storm and recovery illnesses and injuries, such as cuts, broken bones and cardiac events. Prior to the storm, to help ensure safety and uninterrupted quality care for our patients, we transferred, via air and ground, approximately 400 patients to our sister facilities throughout the state from our hospitals located in mandatory evacuation zones. We have reopened HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital in Port Charlotte and are working diligently to reopen the following hospitals, which closed prior to the storm: HCA Florida Pasadena Hospital in St. Petersburg, HCA Florida Largo West Hospital in Largo, HCA Florida Englewood Hospital in Englewood, HCA Florida West Tampa Hospital in Tampa. An updated list of the status of each site of care in the HCA Florida Healthcare network is available on our website at hcafloridahealthcare.com. Additionally, we are connecting colleagues to the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund, an employee-run, employee-supported 501(c)(3) charity that provides financial aid and resources to employees after an extended illness, injury, or disaster. 

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Sarasota's newest gallery sees a big market for small works, October 2024.

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