Dazzle, Denver’s jazz club located in the heart of LoDo off the 16th St. Mall, is asking you to send in your art. “Dazzle Presents” has momentarily taken over “Dazzle Jazz” as an online platform for musical performances, children’s recitals, school art projects, cooking tutorials and visual artist portfolios. Those interested may record their work and submit it through the company’s website.
Jazz fans fear not — this is a temporary solution to the COVID-19 pandemic that has brought the service and music industries to their knees. As Dazzle owner Donald Rossa noticed while on a walk through Denver with his dog, Joey, art hasn’t stopped. Street art, graffiti, murals, and even that nighttime howling are forms of art that persist through this time. Quarantine has pushed musicians from stages and into the recording studio and forced people away from restaurants and into their own kitchens — both forms of creativity Dazzle Presents plans to capture while venues are shut down.
Photo courtesy of Dazzle on Facebook.
“It’s improvisation at its best,” Rossa said. On Wednesday, May 20th, Dazzle Presents has released content that has already been submitted. From that day on, Dazzle will showcase various art projects, songs by musicians, portfolios and kitchen tutorials as people continue to submit their work. Dazzle will also continue to live stream — as many companies have since quarantine began — from their Facebook page.
If the rules for submission seem vague, that’s because they are. Dazzle Presents was created by Rossa and a small group of Dazzle employees with a mission to keep art alive as a form of communication, regardless of the form or experience. Dazzle has served not only as a livelihood for its direct employees but as a livelihood for the many musicians who have performed on its stage. In these times of uncertainty, art serves as a vital source of hope and faith, Rossa said.
“If you have those two things, you can keep on living,” Rossa said. “And I want Dazzle to keep on living and be a conduit for artists to express themselves.”
Submit your work to Dazzle Presents here.