… BCCA established and has been managing the CCCA arts facility since January, 2020 to help artists that were displaced by facility closures. Due to their diverse dance, fitness, martial arts, and music programming, and enhancement of the public realm, BMR extended their partnership through June, 2021. BCCA was able to draw on their extensive experience and connections in the arts community to effectively manage this cultural resource. They have been an important part of shaping the budding artistic identity of the Canal District Kendall brand.
BCCA provides professional management with an emphasis on facilitating an enjoyable experience for the public. They offer dance and exercise instruction for all ages and abilities, and they organize community-driven events and workshops. BCCA has demonstrated very high levels of customer service and has a devoted customer base. They have exceeded all expectations for quantity and quality of programming, and have brought new and familiar faces to Canal District Kendall.
BCCA is a respectful tenant, abiding by all BMR agreements and newly instituted COVID-19 regulations. Both myself and our operations team trust BCCA to communicate any issues or needs, resulting in a well maintained space. Rising to the challenge, CCCA launched their virtual learning platform (at CCCAonline.org to keep artists employed and community members happy and strong during the health crisis…
… This fall, as a result of the pandemic, many of our larger, orchestral programs had been put on hold. Thanks to our partnership with the CCCA at Canal District Kendall, however, we were able to not only continue putting up performances but also to make new connections with Cambridge audiences, which is especially meaningful because our nonprofit is registered in Cambridge. Our partnership led us to first produce “EurekaFest” in June 2020, a livestream broadcast concert that raised as much money for partner charitable organizations as any of our prior live performances, and reached 156 live virtual attendees. This fall, we stepped up our rehearsals and concert recordings by programming a three-event series at the Canal District Kendall venue, for which CCCA is providing all of their rehearsal and broadcast facilities to Eureka free of charge, aided by CCCA’s private donations and grants. The first event happened last month and featured performances and presentations on the history of voting rights in the US, with a focus on BIPOC voices. The success of this and other smaller events has led to discussions about expanding our programming with the CCCA and even other organizations to serve the Cambridge arts community further.
Eureka Ensemble’s partnership with the CCCA has translated thus far to professional and artistically meaningful opportunities for 20 artists and personnel – both from Cambridge and Greater Boston – and more opportunities for us to create coalitions with other arts and culture nonprofits for whom community venues are essential to survive. The fact that such creativity and production could happen at all when most performing arts organizations have been struggling, going dormant, or closing permanently highlights the value of CCCA’s contribution to the artistic community. For this reason, my colleagues and I consider CCCA to be most deserving of funding, which will make a difference not only for CCCA, but also for Eureka and other entities in the cultural sector that will be collaborating with CCCA in the months ahead…
… I am one of the dance instructors who is working for the Cambridge Community Center for the Arts and Brookline Community Center for the Arts under the direction of Dan Marshall… Our shared interests and common belief is that artists of diverse backgrounds can come together to manifest a shared vision. Moreover, certain dance forms at that time in the US, such as Salsa, Hip Hop, and Middle Eastern Dance, created by non white dancers, needed more representation and spaces in which to flourish…
Dan supported my personal vision to represent and garner more respect for Middle Eastern dance… in April 2003, I began working for Dan at the Brookline Community Center for the Arts and worked there until its closing in May of 2005. I quickly became aware of not only Dan’s passion for the arts, but also his drive to work tirelessly to ensure the success of the center and all its instructors. I felt like I was part of a community because he provided opportunities for the instructors to get to know each other and always produced events that showcased multiple movement forms. He was fair-minded in terms of pay and helped me to build my student base. Furthermore, he gave me an affordable space to produce my events and provided his skills as a videographer free of charge. This seems like a small thing to mention, however, most dance instructors, myself included, are
struggling financially. Dan made it clear from the start that he is committed to art and artist, and although he has a mind for business, he is driven by his love for dance and martial arts and not by money or recognition…
In December of 2019, when he approached me in regard to teaching at his new studio, the Cambridge Community Center for the Arts, I immediately said yes even though at the time I hadn’t been seeking to teach more classes. Then the pandemic hit. I am so grateful that I said yes to being part of his latest center. Throughout this pandemic he has helped me to navigate this new way of teaching online, and lent an ear to listen to my fears and frustrations. I am not only a dance instructor, but am legally blind. He has been a tremendous help by guiding me and running the more difficult aspects of my online classes. He not only helps , but teaches me how to help myself…
… I am writing to you with 100 percent support for the Cambridge Community Center for the Arts (CCCA) to receive 100 percent of the funds you can offer.
I have known Dan since 2003 because I was actually the first teacher hired for the Brookline Community Center for the Arts (BCCA). Dan did not just open a center for people to come to, he created a place where artists of all backgrounds could commune with each other, support each other’s talents and work in an environment where there was love for everyone to grow and offer the best we could be to our students of all ages.
Since 2003, I have been blessed to witness Dan in so many roles, and in each of the roles he made a difference in so many lives including mine. Dan goes above and beyond for so many people, students, and colleagues, organizations, and communities. He is a person that truly cares about everyone…
You may think, “Of course, this is what we all do, we take care of business.“ Yet, until you experience it yourself or hear about it, you might never know about the deep respect he holds for everyone or his integrity and massive attention to detail and caring about me and the students in any given moment…
… I first met Dan Marshall at a dance community meeting about 1.5 years ago. I was welcomed by his warm smile, positive energy and dedication for wanting to save the dance community and other movement based artists in the Cambridge area, who no longer had a space to teach at. As a multidisciplinary artist myself, I was honored when he invited me to teach two of my classes, Shadow Boxing and Box n’ Misbehave, at the Cambridge Community Center for the Arts (CCCA) in Canal District, Kendall.
Dan has invested endless hours into constructing CCCA and creating teaching opportunities for instructors, in a time when most studios and art centers are being closed. I have never seen someone so committed and genuine with their intentions to help others. As the center was being built, we had faculty meetings where everyone was able to speak and be heard. Everyone was welcome and there were a variety of classes being offered on a weekly basis. CCCA really feels like a home for the creative community. A place where people from all different backgrounds can come together to learn, move, and explore. Dan even orchestrated a photo shoot and video interviews for all of the instructors. That was a fun evening filled with bonding and the chance for other faculty members to connect with each other while developing professionally…
… I’ve worked closely with Dan on long-term, multi-agency projects during the pandemic. It is an honor to be on his team. Dan has not only been hard-working, collaborative, responsive and creative, he is also incredibly thoughtful towards both his colleagues and the constituents we serve. I cannot recommend him highly enough as a nonprofit director, community member and decent human being.
My nonprofit serves as a citywide volunteer connector for Cambridge. I first met Dan as a member of the Cambridge Nonprofit Coalition (CNC). We volunteered for a CNC working group that addressed financial support during the early days of the pandemic. Our work culminated in a reference document for individuals or social service providers (posted online, continuously updated) of available emergency funding for anyone who lives or works in Cambridge, including artist/performers/educators. From that committee emerged another working group that has become the Cambridge Mask Alliance, an initiative of 12 nonprofits, including the CCCA. Together, we forged a partnership with the City of Cambridge, to ensure that every local resident has an adequate, effective and sustainable personal supply of face masks. We have raised over $100,000 from the City and private corporate/individual sources, and we have distributed 26,430 masks through over 40 nonprofits including direct household distribution to nearly all subsidized housing units in the City. We are in the final stretch of our campaign right now…
… Cambridge Community Center for the Arts is a wonderful member of our community. Their Executive Director, Dan Yonah Marshall, regularly attends our community conversations, offers support to and ideas for our other members, and works enthusiastically to bolster our distinct Cambridge community. For example, Dan has supported one member, Nina Alonso Hathaway of Fresh Pond Ballet, by spending hours helping her redesign her home studio when her physical office had to close. And, he’s spent a lot of time brainstorming and partnering with Steven Adelson from Teddy Shoes, another CLF member.
I believe in Cambridge Community Center for the Arts, because they are dedicated to empowering arts in the Cambridge community. I encourage you to support them, so they can continue to expand their impact during COVID-19!
… The Senior Center has a well-established relationship with BCCA, Dan Marshall, and the entire “You and Broadway!” team as they have historically performed semi-annual concerts at the Senior Center. In fact, we had a show scheduled for May 2020 which we had to cancel due to the pandemic. These energetic and engaging live performances were well received by our participants and often had 50-70 people in attendance. The shows generally involved a variety of musical numbers by seasoned performers however, they also often welcomed seniors from the community to perform. It would be wonderful to be able to provide community access to these entertaining memories and to create new musical content for the community as well. Given the current state of affairs, it is hard to anticipate when it will be safe enough to reopen the Senior Center for large gatherings again. As a result, it seems to be in our best interest to plan for the production of one or more, if possible, performance videos for 2021…
… Using their recently upgraded multi-camera TV-style broadcast and live streaming videography and audio amplification equipment and professional production staff, the BCCA will immediately make available the videos of their show(s) to our senior constituents, via their online portal and via video files that we can use and share directly, and if possible, also via live streaming and interactive technologies. We will also work with Brookline Interactive Group (BIG) to make the content available to seniors without computer or mobile device access, via their local access television channel…
… Our all-volunteer produced group… has evolved over the years and has seen many great musicians, singers, and dancers participate. My father and the show’s founder, Paul Jordan (Saul Snyder), spent nights singing at piano bars for years. He knew all the local musicians and singers, and got many together to form shows, at such venues as the former 1550 Beacon Street in Brookline. After many years, most of the classic venues closed, and other venues no longer provided opportunities for seniors to regular perform. My father needed a location and went to BCCA in Brookline’s Coolidge Corner, shortly after they opened in 2003. There he met Dan Marshall, the President and Executive Artistic Director, who graciously allowed the music group to hold shows at his non-profit center. Paul’s close friend Leon Alperin, became our longtime drummer for the group, after working in the Winiker Band, and played with us until the age of 91. And my mother Louise, served as our publicist to seniors and booked shows as well.
Even when the arts center closed in May 2005, Dan Marshall and his family continued to produce open mics and shows with my family, in Brookline and surrounding towns, to form a creative, caring, musical family. With our all-senior “Happy Time” band, for 16 years, our monthly/bi-weekly show regularly featured retired local senior musicians and singers as young as 98, who would travel as far as 90 minutes to perform along with along with music loving community members. And for many years our Classics Open Mic, later renamed You & Broadway!, was a popular broadcast on Brookline Access Television (now called Brookline Interactive Group), and brought happiness and countless memories, performance opportunities, and friendships to seniors, their families, and members of all ages…
I would like to state that since the BCCA has opened it has changed our lives. We used to fall asleep in front of the television, after watching the evening news. Now we are at the center several times a week enjoying the variety of activities they offer, meeting our neighbors and making new friends. BCCA has been a great asset to our community…
The Brookline Community Center for the Art, a.k.a. BCCA, was not only a center for art, but also a center for love. It was dedicated to introduce people to the joy of dance, music, visual art, and martial arts. It’s director, Dan Marshall, worked day and night to turn a … building into the most cheerful, hospitable and friendly place in Brookline – a place that had brought joy, light, and love to the lives of more than 7,500 souls of all ages and mental and physical abilities.
Since I have been at the BCCA, my love for dance has increased, and I am so thankful that I found a truly wonderful studio. Not only have the classes taught me about dance and also myself, but the environment is so welcoming and warm. … Sometimes I feel as though there is very little happiness left in the world- the BCCA is one of these joyful things for me and many others. Please help us keep it alive! The BCCA is like a second home to me.
