Give to the Max for Art & Science
On Give to the Max Day, Northrop’s goal is to raise enough money to provide 500 free tickets to youth and families who would otherwise not have access to the Northrop experience. Access tickets are $25 each, which means your gift of $100 will give a family of four the chance to experience Northrop for the first time. By giving to Northrop Concerts and Lectures, you will become part of our Friends of Northrop Circle. Help give the joy of dance to our community! Become a friend of Northrop by Giving to the Max! Friend of Northrop, Jerry Artz, tells us why Northrop is such a vital part of his life and social circle.
As a physics professor at Hamline University, Jerry Artz has a unique relationship with dance. What Jerry sees when a dancer leaps in the air or spins on stage is very different than what you or the patron next to you might see. “The intersection between science and the arts has always been fascinating to me,” says Jerry. “When I watch a dancer jumping, I think ‘he’s raising his center of gravity!’ Or when bodies in classical ballet are moving, trying to out-compete each other in grace and grandeur, here I am analyzing angular momentum. When you have a technical background you tend to look at things just a little bit differently.”
This keen observation has kept Jerry interested in dance for more than 35 years. “Dance, music, and theater have always been part of my life since coming to Minnesota. The Stars of the American Ballet Theatre was the first dance performance that I remember attending at Northrop in October 1977. Seeing Baryshnikov was spectacular. American Ballet Theatre used to spend an entire week at Northrop each year. It was a high point of the season—all of these wonderful classics and a different show every night. I’ve been a Northrop subscriber ever since.”
Jerry has not been alone in this passion. Throughout his many years as a Northrop subscriber, Shirley Moore has been by his side. “I met Shirley and David Moore—the late actor and well-known WCCO news personality from the 1950s-1990s—in 1976 on an architectural study tour to Mexico. We’ve been dear friends ever since. Shirley and I get together almost every week to attend performances. The arts—and Northrop—are where we have always come together.”
As for the future, Jerry is clear about what’s important. “I would like to see Northrop packed when it reopens. I am so impressed with the diversity of world-renowned companies. I hope that people realize how special these performances are. It is such an important Twin Cities tradition that I would hate to see lost. I fear that things like this may not last if we don’t support them. You need to look around and ask, ‘what has really been important in my life?’ Dance is one of those things for me. The arts pull everybody together. So many things try to divide us in this world and what brings us together, dance, music, and art, are so important. When I came out of my first modern dance performance, I felt like I had been moving along with the movement—that I was part of the dance itself. I forgot where I was. That’s what art has the power to do—it’s transformative. Sometimes Shirley and I just look at each other after a performance and say, ‘Aren’t we lucky?’ These are the things worth preserving.”
Be a part of the transformation that only live performance can inspire! Give to the Max and help others experience the joys of the Northrop Dance season. Join Jerry and all of our fabulous Friends in celebrating and stewarding Northrop Concerts and Lectures!