By Jackie Demaline
Enquirer staff writer

The first Cincinnati Fringe Festival in May made some waves, and in autumn the city will see its first ripples:

Moving Art: Dance Company, the first resident contemporary dance company in Cincinnati in almost a decade, is sprouting from an appearance at the Fringe. It will debut with a four-program season in November. And the new nonprofit Cincinnati Experimental Arts (CineX Arts), which will oversee the annual Fringe, promises an Election '04 "art happening" as its first event.

No wonder Fringe producing director Jason Bruffy is smiling. "Everything is clipping along. The great motivating factors for me are making a difference, seeing change happen in the city."

The first Fringe Festival last May brought theater, music, dance, visual and experimental arts to the heart of downtown for 12 days of performances and exhibits at three theaters and five gallery spaces, with a few hours of free weekend programming at Fountain Square.

The 2005 edition of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival will run June 1-12.

The move from May, says Bruffy, sandwiches the Fringe between the May Festival and the Cincinnati Opera season and takes advantage of what is usually a dark month for theater in Greater Cincinnati.

Big plans

New components are expected to be more free events on outdoor stages and a showcase for short films.

Bruffy says he was approached by several local filmmakers this year but couldn't accommodate them in the fringe's inaugural year.

"The focus will be on refining" in 2005, Bruffy says. He expects the same three-to-one ratio of local to out-of-town performers.

This year there were 84 performances of 28 productions.

Bruffy is hoping to add one more theater space, to four, to accommodate five performances for all events.

The final tally of 2,500 attendance "was great for the first year, but I'd like to grow the audience before the festival increases programming," he says.

Better show times

He promises more time between shows for people who want to see two events in a single evening.

The Cincinnati Fringe Festival is now a project of umbrella organization Cincinnati Experimental Arts, "dedicated to the development, expansion and innovation of the performing arts," says Bruffy, who partners in the project with Jeff Syroney and Brandon Brady, young urban professionals and arts advocates.

Moving Art is also under the CineX Arts banner.

Artistic director Colleen McCarty and composer Rebecca Vie Parker collaborated as Mokshayoho at the Fringe, pulling in audiences with their fusion of movement styles. The idea of a permanent company had been in McCarty's mind for some time.

One of the roles CineX Arts played, says Bruffy, "was prodding. She had the aspirations. We said, 'Do that here. There's no better place. There is no resident company.' "

McCarty agrees. "Jason definitely made me believe I could do it."

The company will make its debut Nov. 5-13 at Gabriel's Corner in Over-the-Rhine with Movement Music Breath. "You can expect to see yoga mixed with dance, choreography with improvisation, music with movement, breath with song," McCarty says.

Moving Art will have programs in February and April and return to next year's Fringe Festival. Details of Election '04 are still to be announced.

Bruffy is hoping it will "help get out the vote" by making itself felt "maybe by late September."

Bruffy sees part of CineX Arts' mission to provide whatever assistance is needed. If a Fringe presenter "is serious about wanting to continue with their work, we want to help keep that rolling."

Artist applications for the 2005 Cincinnati Fringe Festival will be available Sept. 1 with a submission deadline of Dec. 1. For additional information, contact Bruffy at (513) 319-9385 or visit www.cincyfringe.com.

E-mail jdemaline@enquirer.com