SHANE CHALKE
Genres: Pop, Art Song, Folk • United States

A retired financial software entrepreneur turned professional jazz trumpeter, Shane Chalke jumped into Sarasota’s cultural scene by joining the board of Fuzion Dance Artists (now Sarasota Contemporary Dance). As its new president, he has lofty goals: building a strong audience by presenting a full season (“In our 10th season, we’re finally doing that with five programs,” he says); getting its dancers on salary; and finding its own studio space. “We’re very close to signing a deal to move into the new Rosemary Square,” he says. “It takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work to keep a dance company alive. [But] when you get involved, it becomes family.” from www.sarasotamagazine.com