NW MI Arts & Culture Network
The Garden Theater: QuinTango
The Garden Theater in Frankfort hosted a performance by the Argentinian tango group QuinTango on 6/28/2022. This event was free to the public and received a crowd of roughly 150 patrons and 15 volunteers. The outcome was extremely positive. The Garden held this event in tandem with the Justice and Peace Advocacy Center serving homemade Mexican food for their organization and with dancing entertainment provided by the Traverse City Tango Club. The outcome was extremely positive.
The QuinTango performance provided a key benefit to the community: access to the arts and cultural perspective that is otherwise unavailable to northern Michigan, especially to small communities and rural counties such as Frankfort and Benzie County. The complexity of getting talent to the region is stemmed from the travel distance and expense. It is not often that there is an occasion to encounter diversified and qualified talent such as this. The partnership with Interlochen Public Radio and the grant funds awarded were essential in making this event the success that it was. Interlochen Public Radio was able to provide housing and radio promotion, while the grant funds took care of all the necessary payments that provide travel funds and decent wages for musicians of this caliber to come this particular distance to perform.
Bringing artists to the region with international perspective adds new levels of artistic and cultural understanding to our community. This provides for so much growth and an outlet to the world at large for residents. Being able to provide this experience at no cost to the participant is a substantial key to the success of the event and impact on the community. By eliminating the cost of the event, all members of the diverse socio-economic classes of Benzie County and beyond were able to attend.
QuinTango not only provided a sensational musical experience, but they included story telling, singing, cultural traditions, dance and more that gave the audience a well-rounded immersive artistic evening.
