Imagine Weekend celebrates expansion
By Anisha F. Coleman
For the St. Louis American
The arts sprung to life in the newly renovated and expanded COCA building on Trinity Avenue in culturally rich University City this weekend. The Center of Creative Arts opened its doors to the public with its Imagine Weekend to officially re-introduce the newly remodeled $7 million facility.
Because of its partnership with St. Louis Public Schools and extensive scholarship programs, COCA benefits many inner-city African Americans.
“I’ve been involved with COCA for many years now, and even as a busy professional I would like to remain involved with COCA because of the overwhelming benefit to our community,” said Sharilyn Franklin of FUSE Advertising, a COCA board member and co-chair of Imagine Weekend.
“Every year COCA raises money that directly benefits kids in the African-American community. It’s really a little-known fact. The COCA most people know is the classes you sign up for and pay for, but there is another side of COCA that reaches out to our community.”
COCA scholarship programs introduce youth to jazz, hip-hop, ballet and even musical theatre classes, all taught through practical techniques. COCA prides itself in producing well-rounded, artistically skilled young people with the tools to pursue productive careers in the performing arts.
“To know that COCA has played such a significant role in the development of children’s artistic development is satisfaction enough for me,” COCA Director Stephanie Riven said.
“Our goal is to be constantly connected with the St. Louis Public Schools to help our children realize their artistic talents and visions.”
Riven seized the occasion of COCA’s expansion to restate its core mission.
“Our goal is to make arts education available for all, and we realize this goal through our all-inclusive scholarship program,” Riven said.
“To date, 5,000 schools have been served by way of our after-school programs.”
The Imagine Weekend kicked off Friday night with an upscale ribbon-cutting ceremony in honor of the new building, attended by dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee. The event culminated on Sunday with the Imagination at Play Open House. During this festive day, those young in age and young at heart freely roamed each room of the center, enjoying West African dance, urban arts exhibits, face painting, theatrical performances and interactive dance classes.
“I am pleased to celebrate and recognize such an outstanding organization that offers fine arts opportunities to those children who may otherwise not have the opportunity,” Mayor Francis Slay said at the ribbon cutting.
“For the past 10 years, the mayor’s office has diligently worked with the Center of Creative Arts and the St. Louis Public Schools system to continue to encourage children to tap into their talents and enroll in this fine program.”
Distinguished COCA alumni
Saturday afternoon featured some of those African American alumni who have benefited from COCA programs and achieved success in the performing arts.
Erin Moore, who professed a love for the art of dance at the tender age of 5, joined COCA as an eighth grader in 1996 at the suggestion of artistic director Lee Nolting. Moore became a member of the prestigious Philadelco (Philadelphia Dance Company) this year.
“When I first joined COCA, I thought, ‘Wow, there is so much to learn,’ yet I was excited at the same time,” Moore said.
“The training at COCA is just on a whole other level. For me personally, there was a major emphasis on furthering and refining my technique, especially through ballet classes.”
Moore said COCA offered her the opportunity to form lifelong bonds with other students interested in the arts.
“Not only did COCA provide me the opportunity to showcase my dancing abilities, but it has also introduced me to a group of like-minded individuals who share the same dance passions as I,” she said.
“We are very close and support one another as we go down our separate paths in our dance careers. I’ve also been afforded a wealth of performance opportunities and was granted the rare chance of meeting some of the most prominent professional choreographers.”
Moore also takes pride in the COCA generations that succeed her.
“The best satisfaction I get is when I see young girls who first enter COCA in their shy little cocoons and then bloom into full-blown, talented butterflies,” Moore said.
Antonio Douthit is another COCA alum who has achieved success in the performing arts. Douthit joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in 2004 and has toured internationally with the company. His enlarged picture graces the walls of COCA in recognition of his outstanding talents.
“I’d always enjoyed dancing, especially hip-hop. When I was 16 and a student at Carr Lane School of Visual and Performing Arts, Sally Bisk at Dance St. Louis saw me performing one night and told me about this fun, cool place called COCA,” Douthit said.
“When I came to observe, I’d never seen so many guys in tights. I remember thinking to myself, ‘What are the girls going to think of me dancing in tights?’ But the more I came to observe, the less intimidated I became. Soon after, I joined COCA and it became a second home for me.”
Douthit said his family was unsure about his enrollment in COCA dance classes.
“The first time I told my mom about the classes, she sort of stared at me and asked me to repeat myself,” he said.
“She told me that there was no way that her son was joining ballet classes. But I had a passion for it, so I joined anyway.”
Mom was not persuaded.
“She wasn’t that open to the idea at all. In fact, it wasn’t until a year later that she finally came to one of my performances,” Douthit said.
“During the performance and for a long time afterwards, she cried tears of joy. After that day, she began telling the whole family about me and how her son was the best dancer in the world.”
Franklin said alumni success stories would not be possible without the funding COCA provides through scholarships and the time commitment made by supportive professionals. She urged other professionals, particularly African Americans, to get involved with the organization.
“The Imagine Weekend was, of course, a dedication of the newly remodeled building, but it also raised a lot of funds and these funds directly benefit African-American children,” Franklin said.
“That’s why I am willing to do anything that I can to help their efforts. I encourage other busy professionals to offer their time and services and to tour the facility to see what they’re doing, because the results are overwhelming.”
