Sierra Arts Foundation awarded a series of grants to local artists to help them keep creating during the pandemic.
One of the recipients is Keely Rain Cobb, who started her own dance company, Around the Stage, in 2018.
"Around the Stage is what we like to call Reno's theatrical dance company," Cobb said. "I started creating own work in 2016, and after producing 3 works, realized why not just create a company around that?"
After a few months off, the group is working on a new project, made possible through that grant.
"I would love to create a piece based around chance dance, which was curated by Merce Cunningham," Cobb said. "Take that, combine it with elements of theatrical improv, and tour it - take it to Oregon, to California, perform it here in Reno and represent Reno in different cities outside of Nevada."
Sierra Arts has been helping local artists since the pandemic started, and the nonprofit, of course, has been hit hard as well.
Their main fundraiser, the annual Brew Ha Ha! was canceled this year, but they're still helping artists plan for the future.
"That was a really big deal, the entire arts community has faced a lot of financial struggles recently," Cobb said. And through it all, I still have artists to pay, rehearsal space to pay for, there's costumes, props. We look to Sierra Arts Foundation to help us for that, and when they're facing the same struggle, when the Brew Ha Ha! was canceled, they used that money to fund artists, and we're so grateful that they were still able to find the money for these grants."
Around the Stage is also working on a piece for this years Artown celebration and the company is looking forward to performing in front of a live audience again.
"To have people to perform for and have this shared experience of the performing arts is really what we need right now," Cobb said.
For more information on the Sierra Arts Foundation click here.
