WHY DONATE?
As a new company, we rely on the support of our community to continue sharing this important work with the world. Funding for the arts is minimal, and resources for companies like ours are hard to come by, especially in the present economy. Dancers are historically underpaid for their work, affordable studio space is scarce, and artists can no longer afford to experience art. COLE JAZZ aims to break this cycle. We are committed to paying our dancers above minimum wage and offering them consistent work, collaborating with other organizations and trading resources and support, presenting work that is financially accessible, and fostering community programs that offer affordable training opportunities for dancers, specifically to those in underprivileged communities.
By continuing to expose global artists of all ages to this level of authentic training and sharing truthful, accessible Jazz-based work, COLE JAZZ will re-instill validity, inclusion and awareness back to this branch of Jazz Dance. Jazz is a universal dialogue with the power to ignite collaboration, understanding, humanity and unity. In a time when a lot of this is being challenged, investing in the continuation of the arts is vital. We are passionate about sharing empowering, uplifting, diverse and authentic stories with this community and we will not compromise on that. Your contribution creates the opportunity for this legacy to flourish, and for diverse artists across the globe to work, train, grow and thrive.
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We are currently aiming to raise $30,000 to support the development of exciting educational programs and Jazz-dance based projects for the company's 2025 season, including:
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Jazz Dance Conference West 2025
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Development for THE CLUB ACT
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West Coast Residency and Tour
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Dance Film of RHAPSODY (Jazz Ballet created in 2024 to Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue')
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Opportunities in New York & London, and the development of The NEW Jack Cole Dancers' training, community outreach, and workshop programs.
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COLE JAZZ is devoted to supporting those who have been displaced by the fires in LA, especially within the arts community. 5% of your donation will go directly towards the Grief and Hope Campaign, a GoFundMe created by artists to raise money to help LA Artists and Art Workers to start over. This portion of the fundraising will end on March 15th, when their funding period officially closes.
(see: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-the-liv...)
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For more information on each tier, read the breakdown below. We aspire to make all of these programs happen if we can meet our goal!
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COLE JAZZ acts as a non-profit through our fiscal sponsor, Theater Now New York; all donations are processed through TNNY and are tax deductible.
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JAZZ DANCE CONFERENCE WEST
Jazz Dance Conference West 2025 will commence for the 4th consecutive year at CSUDH on May 24-25, 2025. JDCW, conceived by Founder/Director Jeff Hendrix, has established an annual tradition of preserving, educating and showcasing Jazz dance in a variety of styles and techniques. Building community amongst diverse populations has been the goal from its origin. Social, theatrical and historical styles of Jazz dances are studied and presented in both traditional and innovative forms. Students on the West Coast have the unique chance to train and perform with a roster of highly regarded professional teachers and Jazz companies domestically.
Artistic Director Cam Loeser and The NEW Jack Cole Dancers have been invited to represent the Jack Cole Legacy at this year's Conference. Alongside other renowned educators in the field, Cam will be teaching for the Conference's education program, and The NEW Jack Cole Dancers will perform rep from the company's ongoing projects. This is an exciting opportunity to bring this work back to California for one of the first times since Jack Cole taught at UCLA before he passed. COLE JAZZ is thrilled to be a part of keeping the historical legacy of Jazz dance alive and accessible to dancers on the West Coast.
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DEVELOPMENT FOR THE CLUB ACT
COLE JAZZ is currently developing workshop opportunities for an expanded version of THE CLUB ACT, which premiered last June at The Midnight Theater at Hudson Yards to a sold-out audience. The show received a rave response, with many audience members returning more than once. THE CLUB ACT is a provocative, immersive nightclub act reminiscent of Cole's original company of dancers that performed in historical nightclubs throughout the US over 100 years ago. The show transports audiences to a raging supper club in the early 1900s, celebrating the lineage and evolution of Jazz Dance through the lens of Jack Cole's legacy. The evening begins with Jazz’s roots in African and Indian dance, the cross-pollination of Harlem Social Dance and Afro-Caribbean dance, and ultimately leads to Cole's fusion of these styles into his own unique idiom. The evening is a sultry, burlesque feast, any Jazz enthusiast's caviar, and offers high caliber Jazz dance at a more affordable price than a Broadway show. Continuing to showcase work of this quality in accessible venues throughout New York City is sure to once again change the landscape of American Theater and Jazz Dance. We have plans to develop this production nationally and internationally, including future iterations in London and Tokyo.
WEST COAST RESIDENCY/ TOUR
COLE JAZZ is currently developing plans for a Residency on the West Coast to workshop a modular, touring version of THE CLUB ACT. This Residency will kick off a West Coast tour with stops at historic theater and music venues, as well as Universities in Oregon, Washington, and California. In conjunction with the Residency and performances, COLE JAZZ will lead workshops and masterclasses at local studios and collegiate programs, as well as collaborate with other Jazz artists in these areas, in order to offer an integrative experience to the communities we are traveling to. This will be an exciting opportunity to expose new artists and audiences to this work in a personal, more enriching way, enhancing the dance culture on the West Coast and re-affirming a bi-coastal presence for this legacy.
'RHAPSODY' DANCE FILM
In 2024, Cam Loeser created a Jazz Ballet choreographed to George Gershwin's iconic 'Rhapsody in Blue.' This work was commissioned by Steps on Broadway for their 2024 Conservatory students, and was inspired by Jack Cole's relationship to mob gangs of the early 20th Century, who ran the nightclubs that Cole's company often frequented and performed in. This piece sees two opposing gangs in the 1930s fighting over the attention of a scintillating burlesque performer on her smoke break, leading to a full out brawl followed by a grandiose celebration and unification between the groups. In 2025, COLE JAZZ plans to elaborate on this concept, creating a thrilling, high-production dance film shot on the streets of New York City that celebrates this old school, cinematic style of dance.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMPANY
COLE JAZZ is continually developing its dance company, The NEW Jack Cole Dancers. We are passionate about offering theater/ jazz dancers and musicians consistent work that reflects the financial standard of living in New York City. Our goal is to be able to pay our artists well above minimum wage for company class/ rehearsal/ performances, and to continue generating fresh, dynamic work that can be easily mobilized and presented in numerous venues and productions throughout New York City and abroad. This mission will create more opportunities for our dancers to perform and for diverse audiences to experience the power of this legacy. We have exciting development opportunities in the near future in New York City and London that will help make this goal a reality.
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COLE JAZZ also strives to bring this training to as many places and artists around the world as possible, and we aim to organize/ attend programs in London, Mexico, LA, Hawaii, Brazil, and Tokyo in 2025. In addition, we continue to offer affordable community workshops in New York City that expose dancers to the full spectrum of this art form, including historic and contemporary styles of theater and jazz dance, as well as modalities intrinsic to Jazz's cultural roots. We are also working to collaborate with education programs that support underprivileged communities as well as students with disabilities. All donations help us to organize these educational programs, pay our teachers, and expose a wider range of artists of all socio-economic classes and creeds to this important work.
​PATRON
INITIATIVE
BUILD A LONGTERM RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMPANY TODAY!
Looking to get involved with COLE JAZZ's work in a deeper way? We offer our patronage program, outlined below, as an opportunity for people and businesses in the community to support the work and foster a personal connection with our company. We are dedicated to cultivating long lasting partnerships with other organizations that share a similar devotion to community, culture, craft, and education in the field.
PATRON $500 - $1,000
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Visibility on our website and recognition on all of our programming
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3 invited classes with The NEW Jack Cole Dancers
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PATRONS: Alex Vaughan, Jim Carboni
FRIEND $1,000 - $5,000
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Visibility on our website and recognition on all of our programming
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Invitation to our dress rehearsal and/or gala performances
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Select discount tickets to performances
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FRIENDS: Robert Schulman, Jodi Walker, Elisa Fertig, Mckenzie Jones, Dawna Oak
SPONSOR $5,000 - $10,000
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Invitation to private rehearsals
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Private meet and greet with the dancers and choreographers
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Access to priority ticketing
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SPONSORS: Stephen Schwartz, Elizabeth Matchett & Richard Vaughan, Terry & Jamie Loeser
All of the above benefits, plus:
PARNTER $10,000 - $15,000
All of the above benefits, plus:
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Complimentary tickets to select performances
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Complimentary food & beverage at select performances
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Creative marketing opportunities and collaborations specific to your brand
BENEFACTOR $15,000 - $30,000
All of the above benefits, plus:
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The NEW Jack Cole Dancers performing at corporate and private events (pending artist availability)
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Sponsoring a company artist for one year
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Private invite to company classes for a sponsored dancer
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Reserved priority seating at performances
For more information or questions, please contact thejackcoledancers@gmail.com.