Dance for Liberation, a non-profit organization that uses live music, will hold their third event on March 18th highlighted with dancing and raffles to raise money for local and international causes that need our help. Aileen Haugh, the founder and director of Dance for Liberation, came up with this organization in September of 2009 and it has been growing ever since.
Haugh, a communication studies major at UNCW, wanted to bring together her passion to help others and the Wilmington community to raise money for charities in need. Dance for Liberation was created out of her desire to bring awareness to social inequalities through creative fundraisers.
Katelin Kight, the public relations coordinator, got involved with Dance for Liberation when she started supporting Haugh through the beginning steps of bringing the organization to fruition.
“My favorite part of being part of Dance of Liberation is definitely the people we donate to. With this upcoming event, ‘Kickin’ it for the Kids’, we actually got to go meet the kids [we’re raising for] and really learn more about the charity,” Kight says.
Since September, Dance for Liberation has grown bigger and better with each event.
“We started out really small, just me and two or three other people,” Haugh shares, “but now we have photographers and people who want to make flyers and auction off artwork. People are building off of how fast our organization is growing and it’s great!”
In just the past five months, Haugh and her team of organizers have already hosted two very successful events for different causes, both of which raised over $1,000 each.
Their first event, held this past November, was “Groove 4 Guatemala”. Money raised through cover charges and raffles was given to the women of Guatemala. Dance for Liberation worked with Friendship Bridge, another non-profit organization, to aid empowering women in need.
In January, Dance for Liberation hosted their second event, “Live for Lakota”. The proceeds from this event were given to the Lakota tribe in South Dakota. Dance for Liberation worked with students from UNCW’s social work department and have made a plan to deliver the money personally and spend some time with the tribe over their spring break.
All the proceeds that are received from this months “Kickin’ it for the Kids” event will be donated to the Houston More afterschool program to help provide everyday resources to families that need them.
“I am really excited about this event,” Haugh says, “The great thing about this event is that we’ve been able to go and visit the kids and see where our money is going. We have many performers and a raffle. It should be really great!”
“It’s lots of fun to do and helpful at the same time,” Kight says.
“Kickin’ it for the Kids” is being held on March 18th at Charley Brownz in Downtown Wilmington starting at 9 p.m. The night will include musical talent from Ethan Clark and Trevor Brown, both local musicians, and Snuff Daddy, from Richmond, Va. Cover is $5 for 21 and under and $3 for over 21.
To get involved with Dance for Liberation, contact Aileen Haugh at Dance4liberation@ymail.com and for more information check out the events website at http://dance4liberation.blogspot.com/

By
Rachel Hodges
Editorial Contributor – TWP

Electro-jazz fusion, live jazz electronica, and electro space jazz are all terms that local band “Sci Fi” would use to describe their music genre, but their ever-changing style is something that makes you want to see this band more than once. Sci Fi’s members have played hundreds of shows together since the creation of the band three and a half years ago, but their merging styles and improvisation make each show different than the last.

Sci Fi’s three members include bassist Tim Philpott, drummer, percussionist and vocalist, Justin Heter and keyboardist, percussionist and vocalist Tyler Simmons. The group has been together for three and a half years and has grown from a small, local band trying to land a gig, to the stages of nationally recognized festivals such as Bonnaroo. The band got the idea for the name Sci Fi from keyboardist and percussionist Tyler’s nickname, “Sci Fi Ty.” After realizing that they were all a little strange and different just like their style of music, they decided on the name and it stuck.

Although the name has been the same since the beginning, each member of the band would definitely agree that they have changed since the days of playing house parties. Having toured the East Coast over the summer and playing in a number of different cities, the evolution of their music was not the only thing changing. Their stories range from the time they bought a full-size school bus to the time they played a four and a half hour show at 5 a.m. for Ashefest after playing another gig the previous night.

“We finally felt like we made it,” said Justin Heter after describing Sci Fi’s performance at Ashefest that night, but each member of the band gives at least some of the credit to their manager and owner of Coma Gun Music Joel Stout. Stout has helped Sci Fi grow from the beginning and played an integral role in setting up their East Coast tour over the summer.

Most people think that touring with a band would consist of a lot of wild nights and fun times and you must be crazy if you think that Sci Fi is going to tell you something different. Many of us can imagine the great times that these guys must have, but the one thing that they love the most about being on the road is seeing new places and meeting new people. The creation of Sci Fi has allowed the members to visit places that they probably would not have been able to see otherwise. Although they go on tour to promote the band and introduce their music to a new audience, Heter said that all you can do is “Be glad you can barely make it and just have fun.”

Having fun is something that Sci Fi has no problem doing and it has helped them become known on the regional and national level. They take that energy and enthusiasm onto the stage during each one of their shows. Sci Fi describes their music as “soulful” as this allows the audience to “see what we’re going through.” Their improvisation also gives each member the independence to do what they want as well as make each show a unique experience for the audience.

Sci Fi has played all over the country, introducing their style to new listeners, but they have not forgotten their Wilmington roots. Each 4th of July, Sci Fi performs at the Soapbox and they continue another tradition this year by playing at The Whiskey on Halloween. If you can’t make it out to one of their shows, you can go to http://www.scifimusic.net/ to download their Sci Fi Live Album for free. You can also find Sci Fi at http://www.myspace.com/scifimusic where you can learn more about the band and view videos of their previous shows.

By: T.J. Mulligan