'I Hope You Dance' | East Point Historical Society honors legacy business for open house ceremony
EPHS annual event featured Ballethnic Dance Company performance during socially-distant celebration.
EAST POINT, Ga. — Nine months ago, the East Point Historical Society Complex was preparing for a great year. Trees Atlanta donated over three dozen trees during a community planting event and PATH Model Mile pedestrian and bike trail sponsored by the city of East Point was nearing completion. In hindsight, it was shaping up to be a good year for East Point.
However, that was February 2 and unfortunately, the year was 2020. Six weeks later, COVID-19 turned the entire world on its ear and everything changed.
During the City of East Point’s inaugural Juneteenth Celebration and Community Conversations back on June 19, one of the few community events held during the pandemic, EPHS President Brenda Tackett was invited by the city hall as a representative to speak about the importance of the complex.
At a subsequent meeting for the Board of Directors at EPHS, a motion was proposed to update the museum’s exhibits to more comprehensively reflect the culture and residents of East Point.
In the course of that meeting, an idea was formed on how to initiate that process while still dealing with a global pandemic. The EPHS Board reached out Nena Gilreath, co-founder of Ballethnic Dance Company, a local staple of arts and culture.
The performing arts company was founded right here in East Point by classically-trained dancers, Nena Gilreath and Waverly Lucas, who are also husband and wife. It just so happens that Ballethnic Dance Co. celebrates their 30th anniversary here in the Tri-Cities this year.
After a couple of months of planning and coordinating, EPHS and Ballethnic put together an event that could effectively kill two birds with one stone. The annual open house celebration which typically would be held indoors was morphed into a socially-distant outdoor affair that could double for a performing space for the guests of honor to showcase what they do best — dance.
Gilreathhad this to say to Vox Populi ATL about this year’s experience, “The last nine months during COVID have been tough for us but one of the things that we chose to do was to look at the bright side of what we were going through.
We still have community, we still have supporters, we have our mental health, our physical health, and we've just really tried to stay in tune with that.”
While the threat of rain lingered throughout the day, dozens of visitors were treated to select performances on the grounds of the East Point Historical Society Complex for the Annual Open House Event.
Guests were taken around the world in 80 minutes, as dance arrangements from Spain, China, Africa even Coca-Cola and Ballethnic’s award-winning Christmas show, the Urban Nutcracker were performed for the crowd. All arrangements were personally hand-picked by Gilreath and Lucas.
“We (Ballethnic) wanted to make sure that we've done everything we could to make a safe environment for students, for the dancers, and for the community that we serve,” stated Lucas about the event.
“It's one of the few events that we've been able to do because of COVID and this whole situation, so we really appreciate the opportunity to get out in a safe environment with everyone really respecting the whole idea.”
The successful event brought dozens of residents and visitors to the EPHS Museum & Complex during the November, 15th ceremony. EPHS President Brenda Tackett presented Ballethnic founders, Gilreath and Lucas with a certificate of appreciation as a legacy business in East Point.
Ballethnic also presented an item from their esteemed thirty-year history to be added to the archives at the East Point Historical Society Museum.
Here are some weekly volunteer opportunities available for residents interested in learning more about the East Point Historical Society Complex:
The Museum: EPHS President Brenda Tackett is looking for volunteers to help with the cleaning and dusting of the house interior.
The Garden: EPHS Board Member D. Lynn Bray has gotten a good start on house exterior and sidewalks with some much-needed pressure-washing. He will also be looking for volunteers to help arrange and maintain the grounds.
The Train: Repainting the train engine on the complex grounds began before the shutdown. However, unforeseen events such as the pandemic and not one but two fallen trees have drastically affected the renovation progress. The overall goal is to complete the outside of the train, then to clean and redecorate the interior of the train.
For more updates about the East Point Historical Society, you can stop in on Thursdays and Saturdays or visit their Facebook page or website.
To find out more about upcoming Ballethnic Dance Company events, check out their website, here.
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