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The Dancing Flea is a documentary film exploring the Ukulele. Help us Empower Kids through music. Dancing Flea - The Ukulele Craze will be an exploratory documentary. We will follow along as our host travels across two continents to interview the young ukulele players inspiring this project. We will interview Pocketfox and Orla Gartland, two staples of the YouTube ukulele scene and we will also follow Honoka and Azita, two girls competing in the International Ukulele Festival which has been held in Hawaii for the past forty-five years. We will look for the motivating factors behind these young musicians love of the ukulele and the different means which they use to express this to the world. Locations for this film are projected to be: England- Home of the Ukulele Orchestra of the United Kingdom. Greenville, South Carolina- Locale of the high school contest California- Home of the Uke Shop. Hawaii- Home of the International Ukulele Festival, the largest and most prestigious festival of its kind in the world. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Eric Baltazar 917-553-6723 [email protected] Dancing Flea the Ukulele Craze documentary TO RAISE FUNDS AND AWARENESS FOR VH1 SAVE THE MUSIC FOUNDATION Proceeds from several perks on Indiegogo.com crowdfunding to benefit school music programs Greenville, S.C., June 1, 2016 – Dancing Flea the Ukulele Craze, a documentary film about the current popularity of the ukulele, is calling on community members and music lovers to help “Save the Music” in public schools by going to the website and contributing at www.indiegogo.com/dancingflea. From June 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016, Dancing Flea will be crowdfunding for production at https://igg.me/at/dancingflea Several incentives will be offered during the campaign and 25 percent of the proceeds from select perks of the campaign will benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. “Music has been a central inspiration to Dancing Flea and this is an excellent opportunity to rally with our community and raise essential funds in support of school music programs,” said Eric Baltazar, producer for Dancing Flea the Ukulele Craze documentary. “We are happy to support VH1 Save The Music and to give the gift of music to our next generation of leaders. It is imperative that we continue to increase awareness about the importance of music education.” To generate interest and raise awareness, the project is holding competitions and challenges in which, for example, Facebook friends can post clips of themselves playing the ukulele at their favorite music store. Current promotion on Facebook is Ukulele Crazy challenge. See the Facebook page for details. Here is the full Project page! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dancing-flea-the-ukulele-craze-documentary-film#/ About Dancing Flea the Ukulele Craze Documentary film about the current trends surrounding the ukulele. Dancing Flea the Ukulele Craze will be an exploratory documentary. We will follow along as our host travels across two continents to interview the young ukulele players inspiring this project. We will interview Pocketfox and Orla Gartland, two staples of the YouTube ukulele scene. We will also follow Honoka and Azita, two girls competing in the International Ukulele Festival held in Hawaii for the past 45 years. We will explore what motivates these young musicians and their love of the ukulele, and examine the different means by which they express their passion to the world. Locations for this film are projected to be: England- Home of the Ukulele Orchestra of the United Kingdom Greenville, South Carolina- Locale of the high school contest California- Home of the Uke Shop Hawaii- Home of the International Ukulele Festival, the largest and most prestigious festival of its kind in the world. This documentary can have a big impact by bringing attention to the movement and inspiring more people to pick up a ukulele and start playing. It will empower people of all ages and encourage children to embrace an affordable instrument they can enjoy for the rest of their lives. A crowdfunding campaign will begin June 1 on Indiegogo and will continue for 30 days. Eric Baltazar and the film’s crew are well into production and will embark on a road trip to Los Angeles beginning June 11, 2016, with several stops along the way to film interviews and promote the project. The last week will be spent in L.A. filming key artists and obtaining interviews. A ukulele contest is planned as well before the crew heads back to South Carolina on June 27. Links: Final crowdfunding link June 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016: https://igg.me/at/dancingflea Website: http://www.dancingflea.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA7Ztt0Qmc3nNum6tLI8zvg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ukefilm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dancingflea/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/dancingfleafilm About Eric Baltazar Producer- Eric Baltazar began his career in the industry with a humble idea for a television show. The purchase of basic equipment and connections in New York City led to the beginnings of what would become Baltazar Productions. Most of his projects are based upon a cast of strong characters and a high level of interest in the subject matter being captured. “I like to develop characters and concepts in a free-flowing environment. I’ve found if you let the cameras roll, relax and make sure your cast is relaxed, you will capture the best footage," said Baltazar. Eric Baltazar has worked with and pitched concepts to a variety of companies, including MTV, TLC, DiGa Entertainment, The Weinstein Company and most recently with A&E with the airing of Cement Heads, a reality concept created and developed by Baltazar Productions. EMAIL ME: [email protected] VH1 Save the Music Foundation The VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a non-profit committed to ensuring that music instruction is a core component to a complete education. Since 1997, we have partnered with more than 1900 public schools in 231 school districts to give children the tools and confidence to excel in academics and in life. #PassTheNote and get involved at vh1savethemusic.org join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @vh1savethemusic.