TURNERS FALLS — Those who wish to see their local public figures — from retiring Greenfield Savings Bank President Thomas Meshako to a Greenfield firefighter — bust a move on stage need look no further than the JaDuke Center for the Performing Arts’ “Momentum” show coming up on Friday, Feb. 27, and Saturday, Feb. 28.
Proceeds from the 90-minute dance show will benefit the Greenfield Business Association in a first-of-its-kind fundraiser, according to GBA Director Hannah Rechtschaffen.
“Every year, JaDuke puts on a community fundraising variety show. It showcases their young students, it showcases JaDuke parents and employees, and then it also always involves people who are from the organization that the community show is benefiting,” she said, adding that this is the first time the GBA has been the beneficiary. “This year, [JaDuke] chose the Greenfield Business Association and we could not be more honored by that. It was a big surprise and is a wonderful thing for us in this particular moment.”
Those who attend the “Momentum” show will be able to watch community members, such as Greenfield Community College students and professors, financial advisors, nonprofit leaders and CEOs dance on stage. Dance experience is not required.
Rechtschaffen explained that the fundraiser will go a long way toward helping the GBA at a moment when the organization is converting from a membership-driven model into an investor-driven model. She said being the beneficiary of a fundraiser will help the business association step up as a community resource.
“Being the beneficiary of this fundraiser is really unprecedented. We are going to be able to launch into the next chapter of the Greenfield Business Association, so folks will see us really growing our capacity and our ability to support the Greenfield business ecosystem,” she said. “In doing this, [we’re] shifting away from a membership model into a more investor-driven model, which will enable us to support the ecosystem as a whole. There are a lot of changes coming for us and how we organize ourselves around the work that there is to be done, and we would not have been able to make this move so holistically.”
Performances each day will start at 6 p.m. at 110 Industrial Boulevard in Turners Falls, home to the JaDuke Center for the Performing Arts. General admission tickets cost $15, while tickets for children ages 12 and under and for seniors older than 65 cost $12. “All Star” tickets, which include a donation, cost $25.
Since JaDuke, offering a preschool, driving academy and performing arts center, opened its second location in downtown Greenfield last March, owner Kim Williams said she’s found how instrumental the GBA is to the community at large. She mentioned she thinks the show’s opening and closing numbers will be the most entertaining for audiences.
“We have really been supported by the GBA and all that they do in trying to make Greenfield great, so when we were thinking about recipients of a fundraiser, that kind of came to the forefront — it was ‘What’s a catalyst to economic driving?’ and something that would revitalize that community,” Williams explained. “We thought of the GBA and Hannah and all that she’s doing, and all the stars aligned. It worked out great. We’re really excited. … We usually do a fundraiser that’s a direct correlation to a need. This is a little different where we’re pouring into the community as a whole.”