Choregus Productions

PROJECT PURPOSE

The Summer Heat International Dance Festival (SHIDF) takes place in Tulsa each year during the month of June and features 3-5 dance companies from the United States and abroad. The festival will include performances, master classes, and a wide variety of community engagement activities, including many for under-served communities. SHIDF provides a major economic impact to Tulsa County. There is no similar festival in the five-state region of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas. The Summer Heat International Dance Festival reaches an audience primarily in northeastern Oklahoma, but with significant participation from all of Oklahoma and the surrounding five state region. We also have patrons and student participation from both coasts and most states in-between. SHIDF promotes visibility and awareness of the arts in Tulsa and Oklahoma, contributes to increased visitor and tourism activity, and promotes Oklahoma?s arts and cultural assets as key components of the state?s identity. SHIDF will fund events and programs that attract a broad audience of visitors and tourists, increase access to cultural attractions and events, and embrace a collaborative approach to enhance the local community through the arts.

EVIDENCE

The 2020 Summer Heat International Dance Festival was cancelled because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The 2021 Festival was curtailed with limited audience capacity and activities. This has led to a severe economic loss to the sponsoring organization and the corresponding economic impact to the Tulsa community.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

The pandemic has severely limited access to cultural resources to all Oklahomans, but especially traditionally under-served populations. Choregus always makes an intentional attempt to reach a diverse audience? first, by programing artists that come from many different countries and ethnic backgrounds, and second, by using our outreach to ensure that undeserved audiences can see these artists by removing barriers of costs and transportation. Our outreach audience is 78% economically disadvantaged, 34% Latino/Hispanic, 24% African American, and 18% other non-White ethnic groups. Festival outreach activities include having visiting artists conducts master classes and workshops in Tulsa Public Schools, working with clients of social service organizations and veterans groups, and providing performance tickets to vulnerable populations.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

The project will be evaluated using the Economic Impact Calculator from the City of Tulsa Planning Office, ticket sales, and audience surveys.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma