Most people wait for this event to plan their fall schedules. 20 minute mini-classes taught by members of The Dance Complex faculty.

Sunday 26 Sept Flix at the ‘Plex presents    Dirty Dancing 7:15p  $5 donation

with Patrick Swazye and Jennifer Grey, raising money to update our Julie Ince Thompson Theatre.

Fri/Sat 15-16 October Shared Choreographers’ Concert 8pm $10

The much loved and imitated SCC series showcasing new works mentored by some of the area’s most astute dancers.
Faculty Concert Sa/Su 13-14 November 8p/7p  $19

Dance, and Back Again new and revised pieces by members of The Dance Complex faculty including Margot Parsons, Prometheus artists Diane Arvanites & Tommy Neblett and Rozann Kraus.  Celebrating our 19th Birthday.

All events held in the historic Odd Fellows Hall in Central Square.

Julie Ince Thompson Theatre

The Dance Complex

536 Mass Ave

Cambridge MA 02139

On the RED Line

Parking is free on Sundays and everyday if you ride a bike.

The Dance Complex is the volunteer-based, artist run center for the movement arts in Cambridge. Supported in part by the Cambridge Arts Council, the MCC and the dedication of the thousands of dancers who call it home. It is a 501(c) 3 organization; a recent recipient of a GoGreen Award from the City.

www.dancecomplex.org

Go to www.harvest.coop for more information and to download a Community Fund application.

Please feel free to share this with others.

August 3, 2010 Meeting

The Red Ribbon Commission is envisioned as a yearlong effort to take an in-depth look at the quality of life in Central Square and the future commercial viability of the Square.

The goal of the Commission is to produce a strategic success plan for Central Square 2010-2020.

The Red Ribbon Commission will meet once a month and will have sub-committees that will be assigned specific tasks.

AGENDA

Welcome from Our Host -         Jeff Lockwood, Novartis
Greetings from the City –         Mayor David P. Maher
Why We Are Here –             City Councilor Kenneth E. Reeves, Chair
A History of Central Square –         Charlie Sullivan, Historical Commission Director
Business Community –     Dan Goldstein, Clear Conscience Cafe and George Metzger, President, Central Square Business Association
Central Square Planning Issues –     Estella Johnson, Economic Development Division Director, CDD
Department of Public Works Efforts –    Lisa Peterson, Commissioner
Safety Issues –                 Robert Haas, Commissioner, Cambridge Police Department
Open Discussion
Closing Remarks –             City Councilor Kenneth E. Reeves, Chair

DISCUSSION NOTES:

Cultural/Arts District

Central Square is the arts center/headquarters for Cambridge – this should be highlighted and brought into the Square’s marketing and branding. (x2)

The state is looking at designating cultural districts – Central Square should become an early adopter of this new program. Cultural Districts include arts, restaurants and retail.

Arts Central/Cultural District for Central Sq is a good idea, since there is already so much love for Central Square in its culture, diversity, CCTV, art organizations, etc. Creating awareness of this as an arts district is going to continue the economic development of the area.

Bring in Berklee School of Music into the Square.

Central Square has been affected by the recession, and bringing in non-traditional uses to the Square such as Berklee School of Music, should be encouraged.

Branding/Marketing of the Square

There should be better branding of the Square and a clear, positive communication strategy. (x2)

Communication should use modern technology, for example, smart phone applications and social networking to help better the branding of the square.

Berklee, MIT and Harvard are like a “knowledge corridor” – don’t make Central Square’s brand in isolation.  Make it a part of the whole city.

The blog/website, centralsquare.com, lists current activities and issues in Central Square. It should be promoted and used more.

The designation of a cultural district would help with the branding of the square.

Consider that Central Square is also diverse in industries, not just cultural amenities and entertainment venues.

Retail Mix

Make Central Square more of an age friendly district – the current retailers are not inviting for seniors and there are not many retailers that can provide services for seniors – i.e. clothing, home goods, etc. The sidewalks are also not safe.

Concern for large, vacant storefronts – look into splitting up large retail spaces into short-term tenants such as artists, small boutiques, “pop up” stores, etc. Smaller spaces encourage more independent retailers. (x2)

A retail idea – Homeless café. This would be a café for people to “just be” or for people to work on their computers. Many homeless people are using current coffee shops in the Square, so why not provide an artistic or retail space for them.

Place-making/Physical Ambiance

Cleanliness and safety were two major issues from the Central Square Customer Intercept Survey. Encourage people to change their behavior so less trash is placed on the street. The standard for conduct in public spaces needs to be improved.

Current denizens of the Square need to invest in the Square and remind people to take pride in and care of the Square. Formalize ambassadors for the Square.

Other cities have Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) that take care of cleaning and security in the district. Central Square could consider this approach.

Central Square is a transportation hub.

Central Square is also diverse in industries, not just culture.

Kendall Square Association recently had the Boston Consulting Group do a study of the Square that mentioned Cambridge should have a “signature event” such as Austin, Texas’ South by Southwest Festival. Using the synergy between Kendall, Central and Harvard Square, a “Future of Music” festival could be considered, especially since the video game company Harmonix is headquartered in Central Square.

The area needs to be made into an experience – many people only go to Harvard Square to get a “Cambridge experience”.

Sidewalks – need to be safer to walk on for the elderly and designed better for cleaning of trash.

Panhandling must be dealt with in the Square.

Look at creating spaces that inspire people to invest, come into the Square and take care of it.

How do we diversify the population and customer base to make them spend more money? What should retail in the Square look like to reflect the neighborhoods’ demographics and their wants and needs?

Look at “open space economic development”.

Young families have a hard time staying in Cambridge, especially due to affordability.  Jobs and culture are here in Cambridge.  Housing for young families should be looked at. (x2)

Process/Additional Questions

How can the City help to facilitate a new space for CCTV in Central Square? (Answer: There have been many meetings at the City level on this issue; City is working with CCTV on it, CCTV’s ceiling restrictions cause certain buildings to not be considered).

If one has an idea about new retail/business who should they talk to? (Answer: Estella Johnson, EDD Director and City Manager’s Office.)

What will be the funding resources for implementing physical and marketing ideas?

Where can the information gathered in the meetings be displayed? Where can interested parties get more information on the commission or post ideas?

HOMEWORK

Read on designated Red Ribbon Commission website:

Central Square Customer Intercept Survey Report – 2009
Central Square Market Profile – 2009
Central Square Commercial Market Study – Gibbs Planning Group Report,  February 2000
An Analysis of the Central Square , January 1998
Commission to Promote and Enhance Central Square Now, October 1993
Envision Central Square – The Results of “The Mayor’s Forum On Central Square”, May 1993
The Art of Placemaking by Ronald Lee Fleming
Published by MERRELL Publishers, Ltd., London New York   merrellpublishers.com, 2007

NEXT STEPS

Tours of Central Square
Form Subcommittees

Commissioner Haas
August 5, 2010 – Cambridge City Councilor Kenneth Reeves was joined by over 80 individuals from local businesses and government for the inaugural meeting of the “Red Ribbon Commission on the Delights & Concerns of Central Square.” The meeting was held on August 3rd and hosted by Novartis at its 250 Massachusetts Avenue laboratory that formerly housed the New England Confectionery Candy Company (NECCO).
Councilor Reeves laid out his vision for the group, saying, “We want to hear from stakeholders; citizens, landlords, and business owners alike so that we can come together to cook up a vision that will serve Central Square for the next decade.”
Deputy City Manager Richard C. Rossi facilitated the meeting and introduced the following people who addressed the gathering and provided information to the group:
•    David P. Maher, Mayor •    Charles Sullivan, Director of the Historical Commission •    Dan Goldstein, Owner of Clear Conscience Cafe? •    George Metzger, President of the Central Square
Business Association •    Estella Johnson, Economic Development Director •    Lisa Patterson, Commissioner of the Department of
Public Works •    Robert Haas, Commissioner of the Cambridge Police
Commissioner Haas said in addressing the group, “By definition tactics are short-term. The police department is excited to be a part of this group’s work to produce long-term, sustainable strategies and solutions to change the dynamics of Central Square.”
ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO Dan Riviello, Communications Specialist, Cambridge Police Department
Attendees were asked to participate in a discussion where they shared concerns and ideas for Central Square as well as for the future of the working group. Comments and suggestions were recorded as part of the conversation for how to move forward with their task of revitalizing Central Square.
The Red Ribbon Commission on the Delights & Concerns of Central Square is a year-long project spearheaded by Councilor Reeves. The commission will hold monthly meetings aimed at producing a final report with actionable recommendations for improvements to the square.
The commission’s next meeting will be held at the Christian Life Center located at 85 Bishop Allen Drive in Cambridge on September 29th at 12:00 PM.
## # For more information on the Red Ribbon Commission for Central Square, please contact Councilor
Kenneth Reeve’s office at 617-349-4264 or kreeves@cambridgema.gov

Commission head Councilor Ken Reeves

See more photos

From left: Trent Mills, Remo Airaldi , and Bill Mootos in “The Hound of the Baskervilles.’’ (Elizabeth Stewart)

Holmes mystery ‘Hound’ finds funny bone

By Louise Kennedy, Globe Staff  |  July 27, 2010 From boston.com

CAMBRIDGE — The game is afoot, and what a game it is: a two-act romp through “The Hound of the Baskervilles,’’ adapted with surprising fidelity, except that it’s all played for laughs. Who knows if Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would have approved, but good-humored devotees of his most famous creation, Sherlock Holmes, surely will.

Steven Canny and John Nicholson’s spoofy adaptation played to acclaim and applause at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox last fall, and now Thomas Derrah has mounted a new production at Central Square Theater. He’s enlisted his longtime American Repertory Theater comrade Remo Airaldi to play Holmes — physically an odd choice, especially when the lean and saturnine Bill Mootos is right there next to him onstage, playing . . . Dr. Watson? Wouldn’t it have been logical to switch these two parts?

But the casting makes more sense once you see that the actor playing Holmes is also called upon to impersonate a pompous and portentous butler, the butler’s buxom wife, the mysterious Peruvian lepidopterist Stapleton, and, most unforgettably, Stapleton’s screeching, tangoing “sister.’’ Airaldi’s clownish physicality and simpering mien are spot-on for all these parts — especially that sister, with her long braids and swirling lace fans.

Mootos, meanwhile, acquits himself admirably as the less-than-perspicacious Watson, with sure comic timing and a particular gift for displaying astonished innocence. The two veterans are joined onstage by a talented rising senior at Boston Conservatory, Trent Mills, who dives with aplomb into the roles of a Dartmoor peasant, a hysterical actor, and a whole fistful of Baskervilles.

Much of the fun comes from watching these three pros dash nimbly from role to role, ripping off Mallory Frers’s appropriate costumes midflight and throwing on a beard or wig. The conceit is that they’re members of a small-potatoes traveling theatrical troupe — a conceit that’s enhanced by Carlos Aguilar’s deliberately two-dimensional set, complete with rotating panels and flat plywood “boulders.’’ And the script adds a nice layer to the basic story by having the itinerant actors grow increasingly spooked by the uncanny tale they’re performing — and by the sinister events that seem to be taking place both onstage and in the wings.

Amid all the tomfoolery, the sendup does manage to tell the whole story of the original “Hound,’’ so that even those unfamiliar with the plot should have no trouble following along. That makes it a particularly good way for Holmesians to ease their children into the joys of fandom — though my own son, already ensnared by regular bedtime reading of the novels and short stories, took a different and equally keen pleasure from appreciating the affectionate parody of a well-loved tale.

Nathan Leigh’s spooky-silly music adds another lively element to the fun, as does Steven McIntosh’s lighting design, complete with old-time spotlights and delightfully shadowy footlights. Derrah’s direction nicely underscores the theatricality of the script, giving us the double pleasure of watching an amusing Sherlock Holmes story and appreciating the deliberate staginess of its presentation. It’s not just a joke; it’s a smart joke, and one that both children and adults can enjoy.

This is the first production staged under the Central Square Theater Leadership program, which aims to provide professional development opportunities for students and other young artists on the production staff. Alison R. Klejna, who joined the theater as a graduate student a few years back and is serving as artistic director for this show, is one such artist, and she’s included a number of her peers in the production.

It’s a smart move by Central Square — usually the shared home of the Nora Theatre Company and Underground Railway Theater — to help develop new talent in this way. And presenting such a fun, family-friendly program this summer is another good sign that Central Square Theater will continue to build a sense of community among artists and audience members alike.

Louise Kennedy can be reached at kennedy@globe.com.