The traditional Champagne Gala will officially open the visual art gallery on Saturday, November 14th and will remain open throughout the fall holiday season. The vibrant and stunning visual art gallery, housed in the sanctuary of Jersey City’s beloved and historic Grace Church Van Vorst, remains the heart and soul of this great cultural celebration.

For the 20th Anniversary of the Cathedral Arts Festival, artwork in all media and encompassing all subject matter was considered, including painting, drawing, textiles, sculpture and photography – all to help showcase two decades of creative excellence. “Over 327 artwork submissions from over 69 artists arrived after the call to art was sent out”, according to Mark Guerette who leads the artwork submission and selection process.

“Gifts of the spirit have long been celebrated at Grace Church Van Vorst, and creativity has always been a hallmark of our faith community. Many professional artists call our church their spiritual home. Our jury each year is uniquely and intentionally collaborative. We draw upon the expertise of the creative talent within our walls, and we seek out professionals of note from the art world outside our doors, in an effort to bring together a team that is both qualified and committed to assembling an inspiring and salable exhibition of great quality” says Guerette.

All artwork is for sale with a percentage of each sale going to Grace Church Van Vorst. Proceeds from the sale support the operational and outreach activities of Grace Church Van Vorst. These activities include, but are not limited to, religious services and adult education, Grace Van Vorst Community Services (our non-profit, 501c3) and the Grace Senior Center for Healthy Living, which provides various services to the elderly. And, Grace’s Breakfast Plus Program provides hot meals on Saturday and Sunday for the hungry and homeless of Jersey City.

According to Grace parishioner Bayla Kallstrom, one of the founders of the Cathedral Arts Festival, “Twenty years ago, Grace Church had just completed a renovation which opened up the sanctuary so that it could be used for–among other things–performance, banqueting, dancing, and gallering art. As soon as we recognized the possibilities, we soon discovered that Jersey City was a cornucopia of talent.”

“Originally, the Festival was called the Cathedral Arts Market. It was based on the concept that once upon a time, cathedral spaces belonged to the entire community and served it in many ways–places of worship, socializing, commerce, etc. We wanted to create something that reflected our congregation’s theme of “Community, Diversity and Creativity.”

“All was capped by an elegant black tie gala in our new sanctuary–quite an accomplishment in pre-gentrification J.C.– which had great food, champagne, music, and a list of attendees that truly reflected the eclectic, exuberant and varied nature of our community. (One wag referred to our festival as the “jewel in the middle of the swamp”.)”

As per The Reverend Nick Lannon, Curate of Grace Church Van Vorst, “The Cathedral Arts Festival is one of the best ways that we, as a church, can give back to the community. We open our glorious sanctuary to the talent of Jersey City and beyond. Come, appreciate the wonderful art, and help us, as we raise funds, give back to the community in other ways: helping those less fortunate than ourselves, both spiritually and materially.”

Mr. Chi Modu, professional photographer and one of the Wardens of Grace Van Vorst says, “It’s not often that a church, which is primarily known as a place of spiritual guidance and worship in the community is also looked to as a place of artistic expression and creativity. This is only possible due to the uniqueness of the Jersey City community. We are honored to be able to be a source of creative inspiration to the local community and a legitimate venue for both new and established artists to show their work. We look forward to another twenty years of art at Grace Van Vorst in Jersey City.”

Not only does the Cathedral Arts Festival receive participation from local artists, just about everybody from the congregation volunteers in some capacity or another, so it’s truly a great community building event where lifelong friendships are made. Also, local Jersey City businesses have been very supportive of the Cathedral Arts Festival. Major sponsors in the recent past have included Panepinto Properties, Pershing, The LeFrak Organization, Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker, and The Provident Bank Foundation among others. Also, a beautiful program guide is put together allowing smaller businesses in the community to advertise in support of the festival as well. Support from the city of Jersey City and Hudson County has been received in the past as well as from local politicians.

The community at Grace Church Van Vorst mirrors the great diversity of Jersey City; performing and visual artists; professionals and trades people; straight and gay; Asian, Black, Latino, Indian, Filipino, and white all worship together in a progressive, inclusive, urban congregation. Creativity permeates all aspects of church life-from innovative multi-media worship to the use of our landmark building as a center for education and performance. Community, Diversity and Creativity are the hallmarks of parish life at Grace Church Van Vorst. Regular services with Holy Communion are held every Sunday at 9:15 and 11:00 AM. All are welcome to attend. The festival will end with the closing of the gallery on Friday, December 4th. It will be a fall extravaganza this year not to be missed.

This Cathedral Arts Festival Champagne Gala Opening takes place on Saturday, November 14th at 7:30 pm at Grace Church Van Vorst – located at 39 Erie Street and 2nd Street in downtown Jersey City, NJ. Admission to the Gala Champagne event on Saturday November 14 is $40 in advance via www.gracevanvorst.org. Tickets at the door the night of the event will be $50.

The post Grace Church Van Vorst celebrates its 20th Annual Cathedral Arts Festival first appeared on River View Observer.

Channeling Your Inner Fred and Ginger!

Press your nose against the glass of that storefront next to the dry cleaners or peer into that dimly-lit loft above the take-out joint and youâ€re likely to see everyday people from all walks of life gliding, dipping, shimmying and swiveling in their search for their inner Fred and Ginger.
Americaâ€s got dance fever, so put on your Blue Suedes, dust off the record player and letâ€s dance!
Ever since “Dancing with the Stars,”“So You Think You Can Dance,” and “Americaâ€s Got Talent!,” hit the airwaves, couch-potatoes everywhere, who wouldnâ€t know a Meringue from a Lemon Meringue are kicking off their fuzzy slippers and Mamboing around the coffee table.
And right here in Hudson, weâ€re doing it, too.
Wallflowers are blooming anywhere thereâ€s a dance floor, taking classes in Salsa, Swing, Tango, Mambo, Meringue, the Waltz and lots more. Schools like the Ballroom Center of Hoboken, Salsa Fever on2 Dance Academy and the Kennedy Dancers in Jersey City are offering classes taught by professional instructors who will lead you across the floor and into a rhythmic and exotic world where time is counted in steps and words are spoken in touch.
For minimal class fees, dancing wannabees can study with teachers who have professional training and years of experience, like Tracy Everitt of Hoboken, who teaches his students to kick up their heels and have a ball in the Ballroom
A professional dancer and choreographer who performed in the original Broadway cast of “West Side Story” and other Broadway musicals, Everitt runs the Ballroom Center of Hoboken where he teaches Swing and Ballroom dances. For the past five years, Everitt says thereâ€s been a big demand for “Wedding Dance,” classes where soon-to-be married couples schedule private lessons to learn a routine for their first dance as husband and wife.
On a recent Sunday afternoon in Hoboken, the shades were drawn at BAMA, a corner storefront art gallery where Everitt rents floor space. Lean and lithe, Everitt could be seen through the window working with soon-to-be newlyweds Janet Olchowicz, 34, a sales rep who resides in Hoboken and Drew Helfst, 34, who is studying for his MBA at State College of Pennsylvania.
Both Olchowicz and Helfst have athletic backgrounds– she was a competitive runner and he played football – and neither one has ever danced formally. But the couple wanted their first wedding dance to be special and Helfst really didnâ€t want to dance his usual “Gorilla Two-Step” and embarrass his parents.
A fan of “Dancing with the Stars,” Olchowicz also wants to make her parents proud.
“My parents are very good dancers, so this is my gift to them,” she says.
For their music, the couple decided on “Annieâ€s Song” by John Denver, a beautiful love song that holds a private, sentimental meaning. Everitt is teaching them a Viennese Waltz, a romantic, classic slow-dance where the couple shows their love for each other through graceful, steps and meaningful eye contact – an important part of couples dancing, Everitt says.
 “Dance is a wonderful way of connecting with another person,” he says. “It usually succeeds in making people appreciate the other person more than they ever did.”
Couples and singles mix, mingle and trade partners in the group classes held at the Kennedy Dancers studios in Jersey City. Artistic Director Diane Dragone and her staff of pros teach all the Latin dances including Cha-Cha, Salsa, Mambo, Meringue, Samba, Rumba and Tango and the demand for classes is booming.
“Itâ€s the biggest resurgence of dance fever Iâ€ve seen in a long time and it has a lot to do with the dance shows on TV,” Dragone says. “People are seeing beautiful dancing on these shows. The dancers are so well-trained and people are excited by this.”
Dragone says one of the most popular classes at Kennedy Dancers studios is the hot, hot, hot Salsa.
“Salsa is the biggest draw. I have seniors who come in for Salsa lessons in the day time and they dance up a storm.”
Salsa lovers of all ages can also shimmy over to Salsa Fever on2 Dance Academy in Jersey City owned and operated by Salsaâ€s “Lord of the Dance,” Mario B., a former baseball player who fell in love with Salsa and the Mambo, too.
“Before I became a dancer, I couldnâ€t tell the difference between a Salsa and Meringue and coming from a Cuban and Puerto Rican background, this was an insult to my culture,” Mario B. says, during a break from a lesson. “My parents were great dancers and played great music all the time, but I wasnâ€t interested. I was young and a little close-minded.”
Mario B. started taking informal dance classes with a friend who owned a club in Union City and the desire to become a dancer took flight. He performed in shows Off-Broadway – including a stint as a “Mambo Papa” in an all-female Mambo dance troupe — and danced in several movies, too. He soon became a Salsa expert and opened his own dance studio. Now the school is open seven days a week with more than 300 students gliding through the doors. And in 2010, Mario B. will host the New Jersey International Salsa Congress at the Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel in Secaucus.
Heâ€s a big name on the Salsa circuit, these days, and on a recent Sunday night, in the back room of the Portuguese restaurant Solar do Minho in Roselle Park, people who love to Salsa assembled on the dance floor to take a class with Mario B. and his assistant Erica Rambay, 35, of West New York.
“The biggest misconception is that you have to be Latin to dance Salsa,” Rambay says, as she teaches a student how to count the 8-beats to the basic Salsa step. “Filipino, Asian, Polish, Russian – people from all cultures love to Salsa. Itâ€s international.”
 And although dancing is considered a left-brain activity, many right-brainers are stepping out of their computer cubicles to learn how to dance. Thatâ€s what happened to Kevin Gonzalez, a 24 year-old project engineer from Hoboken. Gonzalez has been studying Salsa with Mario B. for the past four years and he says, dancing is not only fun, itâ€s a great way to meet people and socialize.
“When youâ€re dancing, youâ€re having an intimate moment with that person,” Gonzalez says. “You can ask a complete stranger to dance and when youâ€re dancing, something happens. You can hold a conversation without ever saying a word.”

Sally Deering is a freelance writer who loves to dance.

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The post Put on Your Dancing Shoes and Let’s Dance! first appeared on River View Observer.