Art Legacy Project

“Regional artists connect to new audiences and/or build relationships that provide artistic growth.” Symphony musicians combining with a contemporary Native American band mixes two completely different ensembles to form a unified sound that will communicate a harmonized message through this project. WASO musicians will benefit from the exposure and experience to play Native American music with Native American artists to learn their style and techniques. WASO musicians will learn about Native American culture and their traditions through each rehearsal and performance with Brulé. WASO audiences will also learn about Native American music, culture and traditions through each Brulé performance. The community at large has several opportunities to interact with Native American musicians and dancers to learn from their life stories, skills, talents, message and mission shared through the events planned for this project. “Regional residents gain awareness and appreciation for a variety of artistic disciplines and mediums.” Symphony orchestra performing with a Native American band and dancers combines three different mediums for an artistic and visually appealing program that is not to be missed. Audiences will be captivated through the message and music communicated through Paul LaRoche's life story and Brulé's musicians and dancers. Traditional symphony instruments combine with Native American drums, guitars, flute and dance for a contemporary and theatrical rock opera experience. “Regional residents build connections to their own and others’ cultural heritage through regional arts and cultural events and/or activities.” Each event planned for this project will allow our community at large to experience the emotional impact of American Indian culture through music, dance, theater, costuming, story-telling and the personal testimony of what Paul LaRoche has done and plans to do for his people, our community, and Native American youth of the northern plains in future years. Following the 7th Direction (FT7D) is an innovative new public charity organization with the mission to bring hope, pride and inspiration to Native American youth through the performing arts. WASO will evaluate their rehearsals and concerts through written surveys taken by WASO musicians and concert attendees that give feedback about what was experienced. Results from these evaluations will be gathered, recorded and summarized by the WASO Leadership Team. An additional part of the success of this project will come from the number of people attending the project's added events and the concerts. Reserved seating tickets will be sold for each concert through Memorial Auditorium's Box Office allowing WASO to have accurate attendance numbers and the ability to learn about the demographics of ticket holders. Results will aid WASO in determining future endeavors and guide future decisions for their organization.