Soul, funk and hip hop have found a regular home in Old Town. Every Sunday night the Rendezvous on the Grand hosts Elevation, a music event which focuses on soul, funk and hip hop music from a timeless perspective. Each Sunday you can expect to hear everything from Gladys Night and James Brown to De La Soul and a Tribe Called Quest spun on the turntables by residents DJ Collectives and DJ Ruckus and other special guests.
Elevation began three years ago in Ann Arbor and is still a favorite night at the Firefly Club. Recently, “Now On,” a group of event founders, moved to Los Angeles and started an Elevation night at a local L.A. club. Othello, Elevation Lansing’s event organizer and MC, toured with “Now On” this past summer and after completing the tour decided that he wanted to bring Elevation to Lansing.
Othello wanted to spread out the hip-hop scene which was currently concentrated in East Lansing and he thought Old Town was the perfect spot to do that. “Old Town has attracted attention for what’s next,” Othello said. Plus, he found the Rendezvous on the Grand an inviting venue. Elevation is also partnering with Premier, Old Town’s new skateboard, sneaker and apparel shop, to do random give-aways during the event. Elevation is also trying to get into the art scene by showcasing one artist a month and giving them an opportunity to sell their work.
No matter what your demographic, if you can appreciate a good time, wish you had a turntable to enjoy your old records or are a hip hop/vinyl/sneaker/art enthusiast, come check out this event.
Elevation is an 18 and up event held every Sunday from 9p.m.-1:30a.m. at the Rendezvous on the Grand, 226 E. Grand River Ave., in Old Town Lansing. There is a $5 cover for 18+ and $3 cover for 21 and up.
OTCA’s Festival of the Sun, Festival of the Moon and Old Town Oktoberfest attract thousands of people to Old Town. They are also fundraising events that account for 70% of the OTCA annual operating budget. So, sponsorship dollars go directly to continuing the OTCA’s mission of revitalization.
Great sponsorship opportunites are available to businesses big or small. Sponsorship levels start as low at $100!We would love to talk to you further about what a festival sponsorship can do for you. Please contact Shannon at the OTCA office if you are interested or have any questions.
Thank you for your support!
The Children’s Ballet Theatre of Michigan, Inc. (CBT) is a non-profit dedicated to quality, youth-oriented ballet theater. Dancers, age 8 to 18, study technique at their home dance studios across the Mid-Michigan area, and then work with the company, located on Center St. in Old Town, to produce full-length classical ballet theater.
CBT teaches their students many of the components of a professional ballet company, including planning and rehearsing, make-up application, costume care and theater etiquette. Although dancers are guided by Artistic Director Gregory M. George, they are encouraged to create their own choreography while discovering their inner artist.
The CBT dancers are extremely dedicated children that truly love to dance. They give up their weekends to spend eight hours a day, both Saturday and Sunday, in rehearsals. Many CBT dancers have been nationally recognized with scholarships or acceptance into exclusive dance programs across the nation. The families are also very involved. CBT is completely run by volunteers. Parents and friends make the costumes, stage props and do all the promotion for the events.
This spring, the Children’s Ballet Theatre of Michigan presents Don Quixote, a technically complicated ballet that many professional studios do not tackle. The performances are at the Holt High School Theatre on May 2 & 3 at 7p.m. and on May 4 at 2p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 517.719.8599. In addition, they perform the Nutcracker each Thanksgiving weekend at the Wharton Center. CBT hosts auditions in December after the close of the annual Nutcracker performance and in the spring.
For additional information about CBT, visit their website at http://www.cbtdance.org or call 517.482.2553 for information about auditions and performances.
Old Town is a beautiful neighborhood filled with wonderful architecture, inviting green spaces, great businesses and even better people. We all want Old Town to look its best, but we cannot do it on our own. We need everyone’s help to make our neighborhood look as beautiful as it can be.
Here are a couple of ways you can help:
Spring Clean Up
Join the OTCA Design Committee for Old Town’s annual Spring Clean Up, Saturday April 26 from 10a.m.-2p.m. We will be doing annual maintenance and cleaning to get Old Town ready for spring. We’ll meet in Turner Mini-Park at 10a.m. The OTCA will have some supplies, but if you have brooms, rakes, shovels, gardening gloves, or other tools, please bring them along. Refreshments will be provided. If you have any questions, please call the OTCA office at 517.485.4283.
“Take 5”
We need your help to keep Old Town looking its very best all year-round. We encourage you to join the OTCA and “Take 5.” Take just five minutes a day, before work, during lunch, or after work to pick up any stray trash you might see, prune a planter or do any other general maintenance in the area around your home or office. If everyone chips in, Old Town will look great and we will be proud to show it off!