News

DJD Celebrates International Jazz Day with Ground-Breaking for new facility

By kanderson
2 min read | April 27, 2014

CALGARY, AB… As one of the major players in Calgary’s Jazz scene, DJD will show many facets of itself on International Jazz Day on April 30.

To start the day, at 10:30 a.m., DJD will host a ground-breaking ceremony for one of Calgary’s most exciting new arts facilities – the Decidedly Jazz Dance Centre – on the corner of 12th Avenue and 1st Street SE. The ceremony will start in the lobby of The Kahanoff Centre at 105-12 Ave SE and proceed outside to mark the official ground-breaking.  This new facility has been many years in the planning with more than 89% of the $25 million goal already reached.  Funding has been provided by the City of Calgary, the Government of Alberta, the Government of Canada Department of Canadian Heritage, The Kahanoff Foundation, The Calgary Foundation, the Suncor Energy Foundation and many individual donors. This important new cultural facility, slated to open in the late fall of 2015, will double DJD’s studio and creation space, become a much-needed resource for other dance groups in our city and increase Calgarians’ access to the School of Decidedly Jazz.  The Mayor himself has stated that “this is as close to a perfect project in terms of arts space investment as we can see anywhere.”

Later that day at 4:15 pm, DJD will be performing its school touring show The Great Jazz History Mystery at the Fish Creek Public Library.  This free performance, suitable for kids ages 5 – 12, tells a fast and fun tale about a cool sleuth who tries to find clues when the world’s dancers lose all their jazz.  With help from a mysterious and zany guide “The Vibe,” and a few tricks from the dancers, he searches high and low, now and then, here and there and everywhere, around the world and back again…and discovers that jazz dance is a lot closer than we think!  Partners for this performance are UNESCO, JazzYYC, International Jazz Day, Calgary Public Library and 18 Degrees of Jazz.

In the evening, as part of a free jazz concert at the National Music Centre from 7–10 pm, DJD will be performing Be My Husband, a piece from their recent production Dancers in Love, and DJD dancer Shayne Johnson will be performing a tap jam with the band. The International Jazz Day concert will also feature Jon McCaslin Invertigo Trio, guest dancers from Toe Tappin’ Swing, and others.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY

In November 2011, UNESCO officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Day in order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe.  International Jazz Day brings together communities, schools, artists, academics, and jazz enthusiasts all over the world to celebrate and learn about jazz and its roots, future and impact; raise awareness of the need for intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding; and reinforce international cooperation and communication.

The United Nations and UNESCO now both recognize International Jazz Day on their official calendars.

Visit jazzday.com for more information on worldwide jazz celebrations. Visit jazzyyc.com for more information on International Jazz Day celebrations in Calgary. Visit www.decidedlyjazz.com for more information about Decidedly Jazz Danceworks.