Leg Up On Life Kicks Off 2021 With RECHARGE Tonight

Tonight, January 25th at 8PM EST, Leg Up On Life will kick off 2021 with RECHARGE, benefiting the newly announced Scholarship and Artist Grant Programs. This virtual start to the year marks Leg Up On Life's first event as a non profit 501(c)(3) arts organization. Starting off as a one-day class event in 2017 that focused on bolstering inclusion within the arts has, after four years, flourished into a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.With a focus on community, the organization creates events highlighting members from all corners of both the arts and LGBTQIA+ worlds.

To help facilitate and alleviate monetary burdens of artists, Leg Up On Life officially launched its new Scholarship and Artist Grant Programs. The Scholarship Program is meant to award applicants with financial aid towards education in an arts field of study. The Artist Grant Program is geared to help all artists flourish in producing their own work. The grants will help offset costs and alleviate some of the strains that many artists face. "As a performer, creator and now 4 year producer for the Leg Up On Life benefits it really put into perspective how artists can be turned off from putting their own works out there because of financial strain. There are also many times where inequality in grants awards are seen based on people's gender identity, race, or sexuality. In an effort to be a helpful source for all communities, we have several different grants that are available to applicants that will give some sort of financial ease no matter what your identity as a human or artist may be" says founder, Daniel Gold.

In Leg Up On Life's past, each event has had a different spin and goal, and moving forward the organization is looking to do the same. Tonight its relaunch, Recharge, with hosts Jackie Cox (Ru Paul's Drag Race Season 12) and Leg Up On Life founder Daniel Gold (Miss Saigon and Beauty and The Beast National Tours), will showcase performances by numerous performing artists from Broadway, Television, Concert Dance, and Nightlife backgrounds. Recently announced headlining talents include, Adam Rothenberg (Miss Saigon National Tour), Brandon Looney (Company XIV), Dan Lai (Run The Night), Emily Bautista (Miss Saigon), Emma Degerstedt (Smokey Joe's Cafe), Grace Buckley (NBC's "World Of Dance"), Ilda Mason (West Side Story), Krystyna Resavy (Isn't It Romantic), Lagoona Bloo (NBC's "The Voice"), Lianah Sta Ana (Miss Saigon), Marcia Marcia Marcia (Hello Dolly National Tour), Neon Calypso (Nightgowns), Nicky Doll (Ru Paul's Drag Race Season 12), and Rosé (Ru Paul's Drag Race Season 13).

Dancers involved include: Adrian Lee (Wicked, "Fosse/Verdon"), Aerika Gabbin, Alyssa Sarnoff, Andre Malcolm (National Tour of Bandstand), Arianna Meneses, Becca Peterson (Mean Girls), Caitlin Sheppard, Cameron Edris (National Tours of Miss Saigon and Cats), Chase Madigan (Wicked), Chelsea Thedinga, Christine Sienicki (Radio City Christmas Spectacular), Clinton Foster, Courtney Sauls ("Pose"), DaJuan Harris, Doug Vasquez, Erin Weinberger (Cinderella National Tour), Hannah Fay Zieser, Hannah Jewel Kohn (Frozen and Beauty and The Beast National Tours), Jenny Mollet, Jordan Lombardi (Phantom Of The Opera National Tour), Joshua Burrage (Cats, National Tour of Newsies), Kaitlyn Frank (May Fair Lady, We Are The Tigers), Karma Jenkins (How the Grinch Stole Christmas National Tour), Kelly MacMillan, Kenneth Michael Murray (Paramour), Lauren Cannon (Wicked), Lucas Laparada, Lyric Danae (The Lion King National Tour), Mackenzie Rawls, Masumi Kanbayashi, Maurice Dawkins (Cats National Tour), Maya Addie (Radio City Christmas Spectacular), Melissa Sorkin, Melody Rose (Cats National Tour), Michael Callahan (Cinderella and National Tour of Aladdin), Michael Graceffa (The Cher Show and Aladdin), Nick Burrage (National Tours of Wicked and Cats), Pauline Casino, Ryan Steele (Newsies and Carousel), Sarah Lewandowski, Sarah Parker (Jesus Christ Superstar National Tour), Sarah Juliet Shaw, Shannon Giles, Shannon Walsh (National Tours of Elf and The Wizard of Oz), Shaun-Avery Williams, Salise Nicole Marin, Stephanie Bissonnette (Mean Girls), Taylor McMahon, Theresa Alexander, Tomás Mato (Diana), Tyler Eisenreich (West Side Story), Youlmae Kim.

In addition to on screen performers, Gold stressed in these times how important visual artists like videographers and sound technicians are, thanking Jacob Hiss, Jeremy Davidson of Jay Play Imagery, Neville Braithwaite of NB Studios, Pierre Marais Videography, and Sarah Juliet Shaw of Sarah Gets Reel for their camera artistry that allowed the performances to take to the screen.

To see who was involved in which performances, audience members will be able to click onto our site at www.leguponlife.org/recharge to view the virtual program listing each artist, headliner bios, and more.

"The queer and arts communities deserve to not only be celebrated by others but from within. With our mission we hope to broaden people's views of all art forms instead of simply the one they take part in," Gold says. Leg Up On Life passionately plans to move forward to help celebrate and support its community.

If you would like to take part in its growth, please head to the official Leg Up On Life donation page www.leguponlife.org/donate or submission page to find ways to volunteer.

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