Sinclair’s open mic event is taking its talents downtown. At noon on May 30, the office of Student Leadership at Sinclair will host “The Square Is Where” at Main and Third Street in the Courthouse square.
The Downtown Dayton Partnership and Montgomery County are once again sponsoring this summertime event held most Tuesdays through Fridays from May 11 through Sept 14 in Courthouse Square. “The Square Is Where” boasts live music and food vendors giving people who work downtown a place to come eat and enjoy entertainment during lunch hour.
Performing during the one-hour event will be a variety of Sinclair acts including comedy, beat boxing and music.
“I have been astounded at the level of talent that exists,” says Sinclair student Denny Wilson who hosts the event and runs the soundboard. “I’ve seen some unbelievable singers, songwriters and dancers. I’ve been really shocked mostly because they have such talent and are so shy and haven’t had a real opportunity to express it so they aren’t real confident in what they are doing. There are some really dedicated people who come back every week to play that see the value in getting performance experience and are getting better. Even in the beginning I could see the spark, and that is really cool.”
A performer himself, Wilson is trying to use his talents and history in Dayton to carve out a space for Sinclair students in the artistic scene in Dayton. Wilson has been working with performers at Sinclair since April when the open mic event began. “The Square Is Where” is the first event where the open mic performers will be able to showcase their talents to the community outside of the college. Sinclair’s participation is an outgrowth of the open mic event hosted by the Office of Student Leadership on the stage in Building 8 every Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.
“The open mic has been wildly successful as far as people signing up, but it still needs some love attracting a consistent crowd,” says Wilson.
One of intentions behind the open mic event is connecting students with the broader community, Wilson says. He hopes stage experience will lead to opportunities for students in other venues besides the stage in Building 8. Being just blocks from campus, “The Square Is Where” shows how Sinclair is connected to its community.
“I’m just excited about our city taking an interest in our college,” says Wilson. “I think that more events that relate us as a community are always better, because we share this area.”
More information can be found at www.downtowndayton.org. Wilson can be contacted at denny.wilson@my.sinclair.edu.