On behalf of the Andalusia Ballet Association, Inc., I would like to thank the many area businesses, artists and individuals who so graciously contributed to the success of the Bollywood Ballet Bash Auction Dinner last weekend. What a wonderful community we live in where people join together to make great things happen!

This year’s event was coordinated by Mrs. Gina Kerr, auction chairman, and Mrs. Beth Weed, president of Andalusia Ballet Association, Inc., and the many volunteers who donated their time and talents. A special thank you goes to Mrs. Kanchan Bang, who endlessly gave of her time and shared her culture (and many saris!) to make this such a memorable event for the Company dancers and those who attended the auction. It was truly amazing to see Andalusia Country Club transformed into the Bollywood theme, complete with the delicious Indian cuisine.

Thanks as well to the Rev. Tim Trent, who gave the invocation; Albert Cravey, the master of ceremony; Dr. Phillip Hardee, the auctioneer; and Sneha Bang, whose traditional Indian dance solo opened up the evening that was filled with fun for everyone. Of course, words do not easily explain the talents exemplified by the Company dancers under the direction of Meryane Martin Murphy, Callie Edgar Hatchett and Shelly Barbour Wagoner. In exotic Indian attire, they entertained the guests with Indian flavored dances.

A highlight of the evening was the unveiling of the new rendering of historic Church Street School, the future home of Andalusia Ballet, by Mayor Earl Johnson and project architect, Mike Hamrick (in his Indian “dhoti”). I believe everyone connected with Andalusia will be proud of this restoration project. The rendering is beautiful and can be viewed at the studio. We have extended the sale of engraved bricks and cornerstones to be placed at historic Church Street School until the end of September. This is a nice way to support this community project, to honor or remember someone, or advertise your business in a permanent way in the City of Andalusia.

An ongoing event is the auction of two remarkable pieces of jewelry that have been donated for the historic Church Street School Project by a patron of the Andalusia Ballet. All proceeds from the sale of these will go to the joint efforts of the City of Andalusia and the Andalusia Ballet for the renovation project. These can be viewed on Andalusia Ballet’s Facebook page or you can phone the studio at 334-222-6620 for a private viewing. If you wish to bid on either piece, you may do so by email to info@andalusiaballet.com or to awilson@waao.com. The bidding for these lovely pieces of jewelry will conclude at 8:30 a.m. on Mon., Sept. 28, live on WAAO 103.7 FM and AndyCable Channel 14.

Again, thanks to everyone who made this Bollywood Ballet Bash Auction Dinner such a great success. Please know that we appreciate every contribution, whether in gifts or time to the Andalusia Ballet Association, Inc. We will continue to strive in every way to bring excellence in dance to our community.

Sincerely,

Mary Lynn Pierce Edgar

Public Relations for Andalusia Ballet