Santa Barbara County is blessed with a diversity of vital nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the health, well-being, growth, civic leadership and compassion of our community.
Charitable giving and philanthropy are part of our identity, which is why Noozhawk is proud to support the nonprofit community through sponsoring local community organizations and events.
To showcase our support of the event, The Stranger & Beethovens Tango, Noozhawk spoke with Meredith Ventura, Artist Director, of Selah Dance Collective to learn more about their event.
Selah Dance Collective
Question: What is the name and date of your event?
Answer: Beethoven’s Tango + The Stranger will take place on Friday, September 11, 2026, at the historic Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. The evening brings together two distinct dance works in one program: the internationally inspired Beethoven’s Tango and Selah Dance Collective Artistic Director Meredith Ventura’s newest contemporary work, The Stranger.
Q: What is the mission, goal, and/or theme of this occasion?
A: At the heart of the evening is Selah Dance Collective’s mission to create adventurous contemporary performance while making professional dance an active part of the Santa Barbara community.
The program explores two very different ways that dance can bring people together. Beethoven’s Tango brings classical music into conversation with Argentine tango, while The Stranger uses contemporary dance and theatricality to explore belonging, alienation, identity, and the ways we perform ourselves within society.
Together, the works celebrate dance as a living, evolving art form—one capable of being entertaining, thought-provoking, and deeply human.
Q: Have you held this event before?
A: This is the first presentation of this particular double bill at the Lobero Theatre. Both works represent an important step in Selah Dance Collective’s continued growth and our commitment to presenting ambitious professional dance productions in Santa Barbara.
Q: Tell us some more details about your celebration?
A: Audiences will experience two worlds in one evening.
Beethoven’s Tango features renowned Argentine tango artists Fernanda Ghi and Alfredo Minetti, bringing the drama, musicality, intimacy, and precision of tango into conversation with the music of Beethoven.
The second half of the program features The Stranger, Meredith Ventura’s newest work for Selah Dance Collective. Inspired by Albert Camus’ The Stranger and set to the music of J.S. Bach, the approximately 35-minute work uses a cast of 20 characters to examine othering, alienation, social performance, and the sometimes-absurd rituals through which people construct belonging.
The result is an evening that moves from the intimacy and passion of tango to a theatrical contemporary world that is strange, beautiful, darkly humorous, and provocative.
Q: How do people get involved with your event? (volunteer, attend, etc.) – If your event includes ticket sales, please note the price and include a link to purchase tickets.
A: The best way to support the event is to come see the performance and bring someone with you! Every ticket purchased helps sustain professional dance in Santa Barbara and allows Selah to continue creating new work, employing local and visiting artists, and expanding our community programming.
Tickets are available through the Lobero Theatre Box Office. We encourage audiences to visit www.selah.dance for performance information and www.lobero.org for the direct ticket link.
Community members can also support Selah by following and sharing our work on social media, volunteering for future events, donating, or becoming involved with our education and outreach programs.
Q: Is this a fundraising affair? If so, how will the funds raised help your organization?
A: While Beethoven’s Tango + The Stranger is primarily a professional performance rather than a traditional fundraising gala, ticket revenue directly supports Selah Dance Collective’s nonprofit mission.
Producing professional dance requires significant investment in artists, rehearsal space, costumes, technical production, theater rental, marketing, and administration. Revenue from performances helps us compensate artists for their work while supporting Selah’s larger season of performances, educational programs, and community outreach.
For a small nonprofit arts organization, attending a performance is one of the most direct ways community members can help make the next production possible.
Q: Who is sponsoring your event, and why is their support important?
A: This production is made possible through the support of Selah Dance Collective’s community partners, donors, audience members, and media partners, including Noozhawk.
Support from Santa Barbara’s local businesses, foundations, arts organizations, media outlets, and individual donors is essential to organizations like Selah.
It allows us to invest in professional artists while keeping ambitious contemporary dance accessible to our community. Just as importantly, community partnerships help introduce our work to audiences who may not otherwise encounter contemporary dance.
Q: Do you work with an Event Planner? If not, who are the key people who make it all happen?
A: Like many small nonprofit arts organizations, we do not work with a traditional event planner. Productions like this are truly a collective effort.
The event is led by Selah Dance Collective Artistic Director Meredith Ventura alongside Selah’s artistic and administrative team, collaborating with our dancers, choreographers, guest artists, designers, technicians, volunteers, board members, and the wonderful team at the Lobero Theatre.
The artists themselves are also central to making the production possible. Months of rehearsals, planning, creative development, production work, and community support go into creating what audiences ultimately experience onstage.
Q: Does your organization have any other upcoming events this year?
A: Yes! Beethoven’s Tango + The Stranger launches an exciting 2026–27 season for Selah Dance Collective.
Following the September performance, Selah will continue its community and educational programming throughout Santa Barbara County. Our season also includes Sorcière, presented in collaboration with Novus Contemporary Ballet at Center Stage Theater, followed later in the season by Circe, a new evening-length production planned for May 2027.
We are also continuing to expand our school and community outreach programs, bringing dance directly into schools and creating opportunities for young people to experience professional dance and creative movement.
Q: What are you planning as a post-event follow up?
A: After the Lobero performance, our focus shifts toward extending the life of the work beyond a single evening onstage.
Selah plans to continue developing opportunities to bring The Stranger into the community through educational and in-school programming, alongside our broader 2026–27 outreach initiatives. We will also share photographs, video, artist stories, and behind-the-scenes material from the production so audiences can continue engaging with the work after September 11.
Most importantly, this performance is not an endpoint—it is the beginning of Selah’s 2026–27 season. We hope audiences who discover us at the Lobero will continue following the company, attend future performances, participate in our programs, and become part of the growing community supporting contemporary dance in Santa Barbara.
To learn more about The Stranger & Beethovens Tango event click here.
If you would like to apply for Noozhawk’s 50/50 Match Sponsorship Program for your upcoming nonprofit event please click HERE to view our sponsorship application. The deadline for consideration is 30-45 days prior to the event. You can also contact our sales team at sales@noozhawk.com.