One of the goals of Borderless Arts Tennessee is to provide our artists with disabilities the opportunity to collaborate and learn from the best. Our hope is that then those skills can be used for a benefit to the individual and the community. The event on Sunday was certainly an accomplishment of that goal.

Over a year ago, Borderless Arts TN was asked by the Frist to be one of several partners involved in some workshops leading up to an exhibit featuring Nick Cave. As the Director of Borderless Arts, I interjected an idea. The idea was to have some of our visual artists in the Teapot Diplomat program make costumes in a Nick Cave style that could be worn by our Movement Connection Dancers in a performance. The idea then grew that possibly our Young Soloists could perform the music to which the dancers would perform. However, the dream continued to grow and the thought became that possibly the Nashville Ballet could provide the dance instruction and the Nashville Symphony could train our Young Soloists.

Special thanks to:

Dee Kimbrell who worked with Teapot Diplomats Torie Summers, Hope McKee and Austin King to make these AMAZING costumes in the Nick Cave style. Kristen Freeman of the Nashville Symphony who worked with Young Soloists Allie Hemmings, Sarah Franklin, Drew Basham and Gregory Price Stallings to create the music that accompanied the dancers wearing the costumes. Shabaz Chijioke Ujima of the Nashville Ballet and Movement Connection artistic Director Danielle Clement who worked with the Movement Connection on the dance elements. Of course everyone at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts for hosting this amazing exhibit by Nick Cave and including us in their program.

Yes, it was a BIG dream, but on Sunday night it became a reality thanks to the work of so many individuals and the funding from the Tennessee Arts Commission.