ArtLabJ Director Joori Jung addresses a packed audience for ‘Dream City’

A new company, ArtLabJ, has taken the Detroit arts scene by storm and changed it forever. Blending experimental dance theatre with a choreography best described as poetic, the amazing Joori Jung premiered, this Friday, a 48 minute piece called “Dream City,” presenting a complex tapestry of impressions and emotions which describes at a visceral level, the humanist experience of Detroit in the modern age.
The choreography is new, innovative, fresh, daring and pure. The dancers’ technique is flawless and the use of props is powerful.

ArtLabJ dancers. Photo (c) Scott Lipiec.

The people of Detroit come to life in her piece, first cradled in the arms of blissful sleep, bathed in birdsong and awaken to a realization of their own greatness. A tempered yet frenetic pace, movements in counterpoint, exquisite aerial sequences, and dramatic mime paint a picture of the turn of the century. The musical history of Motown and the giddiness of Detroit’s heyday is evoked as well, with increasingly ominous whispers of the gathering storm ahead. One graphically sees the crumbling of hearts as the city begins to feel painful times, when, with a superb use of costuming, lighting, projection and movement, Joori’s dancers portray, both in raw and sublimated angst, the disillusionment, frustration, despair, paranoia, learned helplessness, and collapse that had become a citywide phenomenon for so many years. Singly and in packs, lost souls turn upon each other in a ravenous bid for survival. There is casualty, there is death; there is a brief and startling glimpse of unity in mourning. What is phenomenal, however, is that the resolution of destructive anomie is not found in a utopia of collaborative politeness, but in an uneasy harmony between cultures and perspectives in the here-and-now.

Dancers Chris Braz & Aaron Smith. Photo (c) Scott Lipiec

The dénouement is a gritty, uneven tangle of bodies and paint, both black and white, as the choreography moves between struggle and unity many times, resolving into a mythic dyad with each other’s colours marbling their own as the protagonists finally stand, not side-by-side, but at slight angles to each other—and that mirrors reality. It is the heroic struggle of the present that is exalted, and leads to the rebirth of our city, awakening once more from the bliss of sleep into the Elysium of tomorrow.
As a Detroit physician dealing with many patients suffering the consequences of societal illness, it amazes me how quickly this brilliant New York choreographer, now in Detroit, has understood the spiritual essence of this city—its problems and its redemption, the suffering of its individuals and its realistic potential to succeed. There are no illusions here, just truth. It is a piece that needs to be presented in every serious theatre in the city, not only for its vital content, but because Detroit is ready for an inspired experimental dance theatre like ArtLabJ. I would like to make a special mention of one of the dancers, Rachel Ahn Harbert, whose talent is definitely one to watch in the coming years.
In closing, I quote one of those who also attended the premiere of this piece. In her words, “Modern dance has finally arrived in Detroit. I have waited for ten years to see this. I have seen this only in New York or California.” My question to you, dear readers, is “Why NOT in Detroit?”

David Benoit-Mohan, Chevalier, OPA

The Berman Center for the Performing Arts will host, “Michigan Five: Choreographer Showcase,” Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 8:00pm, highlighting the most outstanding and creative dance talent from colleges and universities through-out the state.

This year, the “Michigan 5”are:  Oakland University, Hope College, Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University and the University of Michigan.

Greg Patterson, Director of this year’s ‘Michigan 5′

“Michigan 5” is led by Greg Patterson, associate professor of dance at Oakland University and founder and artistic director of the Patterson Rhythm Pace Dance Company.

Patterson is thrilled to announce this year’s guest choreographers: Oakland University’s Thayer Jonutz and Ali Woerner with the set design created by Jeremy Barnett , Matt Farmer from Hope College, Western Michigan University’s David Curwen, Shawn Bible from Grand Valley State University, and from the University of Michigan, Jessica Fogel.

Elaine Smith, Managing Director of The Berman Center for the Performing Arts, looks forward to the return of this dance showcase to The Berman stage. “Every month, The Berman Center for the Performing Arts offers audiences the finest music, theatre and entertainment programs. This showcase of the universities is excellence in dance, “said Smith.

Program Notes:

Thayer Jonutz / Oakland University

Oakland University, Thayer Jonutz:  Things Happen Because I See

This collaborative project was choreographed by Oakland University’s Thayer Jonutz and Ali Woerner with the set design created by Jeremy Barnett. The piece explores human interaction in a variety of public spaces.

Ali Woerner / Oakland University

Matthew Farmer / Hope College

Hope College, Matt Farmer: due e una 

The piece is a soft duet between two women (music by Arvo Part), and is influenced by the weight of oppressive darkness.

David Curwen / Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University, David Curwen: the lie

A  strong modern work choreographed by WMU dance alum, Jacquelyn Nowicki,  Music is by the Kronos Quartet, Music title: UNIKO.II.Plasma, Western Dance Project Dancers: Sam Assemany, Darryl Barnes, Jalisa Brown, Connor Cornelius, Alex Laya, Emily Rayburn, Sarah Rot, Alli Zajac

Shawn Bible / Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley State University, Shawn Bible: Sacrificed

A contemporary pointe dance filling space with drums, silhouettes, and physicality. The intense process of ritual dance and sacrifice is portrayed.”

University of Michigan, Jessica Fogel: Hath Purest Wit: Anagrams for Eight Dancers and Thirteen Letters 

Jessica Fogel / University of Michigan

The concert begins with a pre-show interactive lobby performance installation that transfers to the stage in choreographer Jessica Fogel’s Hath Purest Wit: Anagrams for Eight Dancers and Thirteen Letters.  The interactive performance installation in the lobby invites you to translate what you see into words or sketches. What you see and interpret in the lobby is re-imagined onstage, not just through movement but also through music and text. Making and experiencing art form part of a buoyant, flexible, ongoing process.

Tickets to “Michigan Five: Choreographer Showcase,” on Saturday, March 9^th at 8:00pm, are $21 Admission, $16 JCC Members, $12 for students and groups will pay $11 for tickets. For more information visit www.theberman.org   or call the box office at (248) 661-1900.

Keith Saunders

by Julie Gervais

Dancepanorama had the opportunity to talk with Keith Saunders, Dance Theatre of Harlem Ballet Master, in advance of the Company’s arrival in Detroit for performances at the Detroit Opera House Feb 1, 2, and 3.

DP: It was shortly after the company’s visit to Detroit in 2004 that Dance Theatre of Harlem went on hiatus, suspending operations of the professional performing company. When dancers get injured, and rehabilitate, and then return to work, it’s an exciting time but a dancer is also changed by that process. Does the company feel something like that?

KS: It’s an interesting analogy – yes – we are changed by that process; we are strengthened by that process. There’s a renewal. We feel very much alive and excited to return to the national and international landscape. And the new Dance Theatre of Harlem is not the company of 2004. Almost all of the dancers are new, of course because eight years is almost an entire generation in the life of a ballet company. And there are other differences: one of the biggest being that the size of the company has gone from 44 dancers to 18, now. These dancers have been hand-picked from our second company, the DTH Ensemble, which has been touring nationally since 2009 [and visited Detroit during that time]. Some dancers have also been brought into the company from our national auditions.

DP: How many of your current 18 dancers remain from the pre-hiatus days?

KS: There are a couple of dancers on the current roster who were with us before, including one of our leading dancers, Ashley Murphy, who was an apprentice with DTH in 2004.

Ashley Murphy. Photo (c) Rachel Neville.

And Taurean Green was with us in 2004. He danced with other companies in the intervening years and now he’s back with us.

DP: What changes in repertory have resulted from the decreased size of the Company?

KS: Our Artistic Director, Virginia Johnson, did a very smart thing. Over the last three years, as we worked toward the return of the Company, and we’ve known for a while now that we were planning to go with 18 dancers, Virginia instituted a choreographic development program that she called ‘Harlem DanceWorks 2.0’. She invited choreographers in to develop, working with dancers we hired, new works that would form part of the rep of the new company. We are bringing one of the ballets that came out of this project to Detroit. It’s called ‘Far But Close’. It’s a narrative ballet, a contemporary love story of two people who meet in Harlem. Some of the other ballets we’ll be performing in Detroit have been developed just this season – world premiere ballets specifically for the company, or company premieres. We will be performing Alvin Ailey’s ‘The Lark Ascending’ – the first time any company other than the Ailey company will perform it – and this is the first time it’s being performed on pointe. We’re bringing two Balanchine ballets, his masterwork Agon [which was in Dance Theatre’s rep prior to hiatus], plus a lesser-known work: Glinka Pas de Trois, which dates from the 1950s and is a small gem of a work. We’re also bringing a Donald Byrd ballet called ‘Contested Space’, which was made on our second company last season and has been brought forward. Obviously right now we won’t do Giselle, or Serenade, or Four Temperaments…some of those bigger ballets that were staples of the former company, the size difference means we’re unable to do those now. So what Virginia has done is to develop ballets for this company at this size. We do retain some ballets from our previous repertoire.

‘Return’

‘Return’, by Robert Garland is one of these that we’ll be bringing to Detroit. It’s very popular and set to songs by James Brown and Aretha Franklin.

We’ll also be bringing the world premiere that Robert choreographed for us for this season, called ‘Gloria’ – a full-company ballet set to Francis Poulenc’s Gloria.

‘Gloria’ Photo (c) Matthew Murphy.

It was the first ballet seen when the company returned to the stage in October. We’re also bring the Swan Lake Act 3 Pas de Deux. So it’s a carefully selected balance; there are two complete programs. There are original ballets made on these dancers, there is repertoire from the former company, and there are company premieres. This is the Dance Theatre of the 21st century. We’re interested in continuing to grow and develop our dancers of course, but also interested in exploring the idea of what ballet in the 21st century means.

DP: In a recent interview, Virginia Johnson discussed the ongoing disparity between the diversity in our population and the diversity represented in ballet companies. How does DTH’s original mission fit into the 21st century?

KS: It’s still a necessity for DTH to have this sensibility. We’ve been having the same conversation for as long as I’ve been involved in ballet. I don’t that anyone has ever had a satisfactory answer, but if you look at ballet companies across America, it’s not really that different from what it was years ago; it’s frankly not that diverse. Dance Theatre’s mission to continue to provide opportunities for black dancers remains unchanged, and remains relevant.

DP: The fact that we’re still having this conversation – is it good, in a way? In the sense that, if we’re talking about it, we’re acknowledging that there remains work to be done.

KS: I don’t want to say it’s exactly the same as years ago – there is some more diversity now, but change is slow. There are so many factors that go into it. So yes, perhaps the fact that we’re still talking about it is good, in that we need to continue to make people aware. Particularly people who serve on Boards of Directors and as Artistic Directors, it’s important that they know that there is still an issue of inclusion.

DP: Thank you so much for carving time out of a busy schedule, and we’re looking forward to seeing you next week!

KS: We’re looking forward to being there!

Students of the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance were very privileged to work with the amazingly talented Wanjiru Kamuyu through the opportunity of a Maggie Allesee Choreographic Residency

Wanjiru Kamuyu

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Kamuyu is a native of Kenya and a M.F. A. (dance choreography and performance) graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. As a performer, Kamuyu has toured both nationally and internationally with the world-renowned choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (Urban Bush Women). As an original cast member, Kamuyu has performed in Julie Taymor’s Broadway musical, The Lion King in Paris, and following this she became an original cast member, serving as Resident Choreographer, Dance Captain and Swing of Bill T. Jones’ Tony Award winning Broadway musical FELA! at the Royal National Theatre, London.  Kamuyu just came off the road with FELA! (Dance Captain and Swing) in the show’s first European and US National Tours.

Along with being a talented dancer, teacher, and choreographer, Kamuyu is a beautiful person with a passion of sharing her love and wisdom of dance. During her residency at Wayne State, Kamuyu auditioned and re-staged an original piece on a cast of 12 dancers with 6 swings. This piece is titled when paradise shatters at it’s seams, then what? and is based around personal experiences of when one’s world falls apart and how one overcomes and stands on the other side victoriously. Though the piece was created from a personal experience of Kamuyu’s, each dancer involved in the piece brings their own personal story to the table in order to truly bring the dance to life.

The reason this residency was so different from any other experience at Wayne State was because to go to that life shattering place one must embrace a visual, verbal, and physical rehearsal process. Vulnerability was key through out the rehearsal process as to fully find the raw emotions that are necessary for the soul of the piece. Kamuyu always made the environment safe and guided the dancers through the process with a genuine caring nature. “I came into the process without any expectations. I trusted my instincts and went where they led me. I was very concerned with making sure the dancers were always safe emotionally and would not walk out of the room at any point in a fragile state that could be difficult to navigate through,” said Kamuyu.

As for the dancers, many felt that the entire experience of the residency helped them work towards the resolution of their life shattering experiences. Senior Katie Chartrand explained, “This experience forced me to tap into my vulnerability and allow myself to feel. Though it was a terrifying process, I found comfort in the trust of Wanjiru and my fellow dancers while taking the plunge into the unknown. I am very thankful to have met and worked with such an amazingly genuine human being and know that wherever she goes she will bring light to many lives.” The rehearsal process provided the opportunity for the dancers to find a safe place to explore their emotions. “Wanjiru’s piece forced me to become openly vulnerable and she allowed the space, in which we worked in, to be a sacred place with my peers. This was an unforgettable experience and I cherished every moment with her and the other dancers,” said junior James Vessell.

Photo (c) Scott Lipiec

when paradise shatters at it’s seams, then what? is an amazing piece that takes both the performers and the audience on an emotional journey that becomes personalized to each individual involved. In retrospection of the residency Kamuyu stated, “This was a very special residency because it afforded me the opportunity to bring back to life a work that is very close to my heart.  The dancers brought such great justice and integrity to the work.  I have full confidence in each and every one of the dancers to perform the work with grace and honesty.”

Come see when paradise shatters at it’s seams, then what? performed along with many other great works this weekend and next weekend at The Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance December Departmental Concert. There will be four evening performances at 7:30pm (Friday, Nov. 30 and Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 6-8) and one matinee at 3pm (Sunday, Dec. 2). All performances are held in the Maggie Allesee Studio Theatre, Room 3317 on the third floor of the Old Main building, 4841 Cass Avenue in Detroit. Ticket prices are: $12 for adults; $6 for students (with ID) and seniors; and $15 at the door. Advance tickets may be purchased through the Theatre Box Office – 4743 Cass Ave at Hancock, open 2:00pm to 6:00pm Tuesday – Saturday, online at http://wsushows.com, or by calling 313-577-2972.

For more information please visit http://www.dance.wayne.edu/

Lisa McCall

Lisa McCall is at it again!

This whirlwind of a woman, who has crafted an international career as a performer, choreographer, educator and producer, is once again working her magic as she prepares a big show: a Broadway-style production that showcases major stars alongside some of our own Detroit performing artists.

She makes clear how important this is to her – to create opportunity for local performing artists who have the talent and the drive, but maybe not the resources, to propel themselves all the way to New York. She puts them up on stage with artists who are in the international mix, and schools them in the demands and standards that it takes to get there. She chooses as collaborators other established artists who also care about this goal.

Dancers in rehearsal for ‘Broadway in Detroit’

Legendary percussionist Bill Summers, who worked with Quincy Jones in writing the musical score for the mini-television series ‘Roots’ and the soundtrack to the ‘The Color Purple’, says “I want to share my experience and knowledge with the current and next generation of artists. I have worked with my own idols and I have information that can help make the road less arduous for those seeking a productive life in the arts. There are no shortcuts to being an excellent performer but the experience of the experienced can shorten ones life journey to success.”

‘Broadway in Detroit’ will take the audience on a musical journey, one experienced by a dancer dealing with rejection.

McCall: “We have all experienced rejection at some time in our lives, but the way we respond to it will either break us or build us up. ‘Broadway in Detroit’ will empower, enlighten, and entertain the audience.”

This show will take place in the stunning Scottish Rite Theater (also known as the Cathedral) at the Masonic Temple, 500 Temple Ave., Detroit. Tickets are $20 and are now on sale. Call 248-573-9243.

by Julie Gervais

Whether you’ve seen this company before or this was your first time, there is no mistaking the singular style and energy of the dancers in the New York City Ballet.

As much as any company in the world, this company embodies the city where it lives – edgy yet not self-conscious, supercharged but not frenetic, self-assured in its central position in the artistic universe. NYCB is pure New York.

They brought enough newer work to give Detroiters a taste of what bigger cities get to see on a regular basis, and enough NYCB ‘tradition’ to give a sense of the company’s lineage – an important consideration in light of the fact that their last visit here was in 1961. The full company numbers over 90 dancers; this touring group collects 16 of them from all of the ranks, plus their own musicians. It’s a welcome innovation.

Polyphonia. (Shown here danced by The Royal Ballet (c) Alice Pennefather)

They opened with Christopher Wheeldon’s breakthrough work from 2001, Polyphonia. His initial image is arresting: the dancers’ arms and legs make a surgically sharp sideways diagonal slice through the air. The women wear leotards of rich concord grape and the men sport the same color – this costuming being both in line with NYCB leotard-ballet tradition, and a half-step away from it. The bold and unexpected start turns out to be a harbinger, as the work turns up surprise after delightful surprise. Unusual shapes and movements flow freely and never feel forced or gimmicky, and they serve as a bridge to the musical world of Gyorgy Ligeti, perhaps foreign territory for some. Wheeldon paces the work so that even on first view, there is time to see what’s happening – and this reads as an easy confidence by an artist who doesn’t feel pressed to throw every last thing at the wall and see what sticks (a tendency with some contemporary choreographers). Maria Kowroski (of Grand Rapids) gets some of the juiciest bits, and brings a quiet but assured star power to everything she does. She has one of the most beautiful classical bodies of any woman working today, and seems to be at a point in her career where she wields her powers lightly, dazzling without ever seeming to be impressed with the effects she creates.

Duo Concertant was created by George Balanchine in 1972 – before our current age of

Duo Concertant

irony. The piece starts with the dancers standing near the onstage musicians – a pianist and a violinist – looking appreciative, admiring. Many have noted that this seems kind of hokey now, and it’s a relief when the dancers finally get to step away from their reverie and…dance. But there is a point – one that was very dear to Balanchine – which was that you must really listen to the music, really hear it and understand it, before you can dance to it. Megan Fairchild and Chase Finlay illustrated this concept with total commitment. The allegro movement is breathtakingly speedy, and it’s easy to imagine the dancers in the first cast feeling unsure whether this could be done. Subsequent generations of NYCB dancers now have this kind of speed in their DNA, but it’s still astonishing.

Herman Schmerman was created for NYCB in 1992 by William Forsythe, an American who has built an illustrious career in Germany. Schmerman has an exploratory feel to it, in its deconstruction of classical pas de deux and traditional partnering work. It’s fun and light, and seems to say that sometimes people just can’t figure out what’s going on in their relationships. Maria Kowroski and Robert Fairchild try one thing and then another, give up, walk away, come back to each other. In the end, they settle on a finger turn – kind of an inside joke for dancers, but the audience seemed to get it.

The last two pieces came from Peter Martins, the Company’s Artistic Director. It was exciting to see that Tiler Peck would dance the first, Zakouski. Ms. Peck made a name for herself even before she graduated, as a crack turner with a killer jump – not a typical combination of assets. Then she became NYCB’s youngest principal dancer. In Zakouski and everything she danced in Detroit, it’s clear she is almost superhuman in her technical assurance. But none of her roles here offered us the chance to see her really dig in, and Zakouski itself is kind of a perplexing mashup of classical ballet, folk dance, and experimental noodling.

Hallelujah Junction

Mr. Martins’ Hallelujah Junction, commissioned from its native son by the Royal Danish Ballet in 2001, really moves. It is jubilant and very, very busy with comings and goings, in the manner of Twyla Tharp’s In The Upper Room. Indeed the structure of delayed repetition between the two pianos (composed by John Adams) also feels similar to a Philip Glass work. It’s the biggest piece of the night in terms of personnel – eight corps dancers and three soloists, including Daniel Ulbricht, who brought this work the electricity it needed to come together. The fullness of his expression of each single step, and the clarity of shapes at lightning speed was thrilling. As much as anything we saw here, Junction was a good way to re-introduce New York City Ballet to a city that needed a re-introduction.

Thanks is due to Marlene Boll, Joanne Danto, and Nora Moroun for making these performances possible.

Grand Rapids native Maria Kowroski, Principal Dancer with the NYCB, shown here in George Balanchine’s ‘Serenade’. This work isn’t on the upcoming Detroit program, but the photo shows some of the signature technical details that put NYCB in a league of its own in the ballet world.

By Julie Gervais

Puzzle: The USA is a big country. The New York City Ballet is the largest American dance organization. How do you share the magic of a ballet company with 90-some dancers and an active repertory of over 150 works?

Solution: Create ‘NYCB MOVES’ – a touring group that presents a selection of dynamic works from the company’s vast repertory. Performed by a group of NYCB dancers, including principals, soloists and members of the corps de ballet, each program features live music played by musicians from the NYCB orchestra.

Conclusion: Not only does this make abundant sense, it’s a tremendously exciting development for Detroit, considering that we’re on the tour schedule! NYCB MOVES will appear at the Detroit Opera House October 27-28. The last time New York City Ballet appeared in Detroit was…1961. We’ll try to dig up more info on that later. Meanwhile, enjoy this photo of Michigan’s own Maria Kowroski, Principal Dancer with NYCB, who is listed as  a member of the touring group. Casting and programming not yet available as of this writing, so stay tuned!!

Addison Toutant in the Fisher Theatre, ready for the show!

By a slightly crazy coincidence, the winners of Dancepanorama’s ticket contest for Billy Elliot The Musical at the Fisher Theatre were Heather Toutant and her son, Addison – who is a 13 year old…dance student! He even resembles some of the boys who play Billy, and someone in the lobby at intermission approached him to ask if he in fact is one of the Billys! You can’t make this stuff up! So we had to ask him a few questions…

dp: Where do you study dance, and what kinds of dance do you study? How many classes do you take in the average week?

AT: I take class at The Turning Point School for the Performing Arts in St. Clair Shores …. I have been going there for 7 or 8 years. We just started this week, I think I take 9 classes per week. I take jazz, tap, hip hop, ballet and now this year lyrical.

dp: Had you seen the film version of Billy Elliot, and so did you kind of know the story beforehand?

AT: No, I didn’t but my mother told me a bit about it.

dp: Can you pick out a favorite part of the show, or maybe two?

AT: I’ve got to say my favorite part of the show was the end of the 1st half — the Angry dance. I feel like I could understand what he was going through by the way he expressed himself in that dance … It sorta got to me because the emotions were conveyed very well.

dp: Do you have to deal with people at school or elsewhere who still think that dance is ‘for girls’?

AT: Not so much of that is what I deal with, more so that people don’t think it’s a sport. I guess they don’t think dance has any competitions to it so therefore it’s really not a sport. Little do they know dance has a lot of competitions! I even compete with my dance studio.

dp: It’s just a crazy coincidence that these tickets wound up going to a young boy whose story has some parallels with Billy’s story! Did it feel a little autobiographical to you at times?

AT: Actually yeah — it did!

dp: Anything else you want to say that I didn’t ask?

AT: Next time you see a young man dancing, you can think of the show. We all struggle with our own issues, but there is always somebody behind us — supporting us.

Detroiter Bianca Revels shows how it’s done.

We are happy to offer this continuously-updated list of ongoing class availability in Detroit Metro. If you would like your information included, send in the format shown below to julie at dancepanorama dot com.

BRIGHTON / MICHIGAN DANCE PROJECT / WWW.MICHIGANDANCEPROJECT.COM
WE OFFER: advanced contemporary jazz
CLASS COST: $10
WHEN: Sundays 1:00-2:30pm
WHO: ages 15+
CONTACT: michigandanceproject@yahoo.com
RECITAL CONFLICT? only concert weekends & holidays

COMMERCE TOWNSHIP / DDC DANCES / WWW.DETROITDANCECOLLECTIVE.ORG
WE OFFER: open company class in advanced modern & ballet
CLASS COST: $15 OR $100 for a 10-class card
WHEN: M, W, F 10 – 11:30 a.m.
WHO: adults
CONTACT: 810-444-4553, barb@detroitdancecollective.org
RECITAL CONFLICT? no

DETROIT / 3D DANCE ACADEMY / WWW.3DSHARONFREED.COM
WE OFFER: ballet, hip-hop, Zumba, modern, African, tap, jazz / all levels
CLASS COST: $15
WHEN: Tuesday & Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons
WHO: Teens & adults
CONTACT: freedsharon3d@yahoo.com, 313-515-3549
RECITAL CONFLICT: no

DETROIT / ARTLABJ / WWW.ARTLABJ.COM
WE OFFER: Mat Pilates – All Levels
CLASS COST: $32 for a 5 class card in advance, $12 at the door
WHEN: Wednesdays 6:30 – 7:30 pm
WHO: adults
CONTACT: info@artLabJ.com 313-638-2192
RECITAL CONFLICT? sometimes

DETROIT / ARTLABJ / WWW.ARTLABJ.COM
WE OFFER: Intermediate/Advanced Modern Dance
CLASS COST: $40 for a 5 class card in advance, $15 at the door
WHEN: Sundays 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
WHO: adults
CONTACT: info@artLabJ.com 313-638-2192
RECITAL CONFLICT? sometimes

DETROIT / AWAKEN STUDIO
WE OFFER: Yoga/ Pilates
CLASS COST: $10/ class, $7 w/ college I.D OR $45 for the month
WHEN: M 5pm Pilates, M,T 6:30 Yoga, Th 12pm Yoga, 7pm Pilates Sat 12pm Yoga
WHO: Teens/adults
CONTACT: 313-258-4011, awakenstudio12@gmail.com
RECITAL CONFLICT? no

DETROIT / BALLET RENAISSANCE / WWW.BALLETREN.ORG
WE OFFER: ballet / beginner – intermediate
CLASS COST: $15
WHEN: Monday-Thursday evenings
WHO: Teens & adults
CONTACT: balletren@balletren.org, 313.469.0694
RECITAL CONFLICT: sometimes

DETROIT / DETROIT DANCE STUDIO / WWW.DETROITDANCESTUDIO.COM
WE OFFER: ballet, contemporary, street jazz, hip-hop / beginner-intermediate
CLASS COST: $14 single 1-hr class or $45 for 4-week session
WHEN: Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday evenings
WHO: adults mainly, teens welcome
CONTACT: 313-887-0656, info@detroitdancestudio.com
RECITAL CONFLICT? No

DETROIT/SOUTHWEST DANCE/WWW.LIVINGARTSDETROIT.ORG
WE OFFER: Zumba, Salsa, Pilates Fitness
CLASS COST: $45 for 10 week session/ $8 drop-in (first class free!)
WHEN: Salsa: Mon 7:30-8:30/ Zumba: Tues 6:00-7:00/ Pilates Fitness: Tues 7:30-8:15
WHO: adults
CONTACT: (313) 841-4765, maria@livingartsdetroit.org
RECITAL CONFLICT? no

WE OFFER: Bellydance for Fitness (Beginner), Mediterranean (Intermediate), Bellydance (Egyptian, Tribal Fusion, Cabaret, Forkloric)
CLASS COST: Drop-in $8.00 & $12.00
WHEN: M/T/W evenings, Saturday mornings
WHO: Teens & Adults
CONTACT: Dee (313) 303-7321 / email:stedee12001@yahoo.com / facebook: Dee of Futurewave Productions LLC
RECITAL CONFLICT? Yes, for community events, private events.

KEEGO HARBOR / CHRISTINA’S ADULT BALLET / WWW.CHRISTINASADULTBALLET.COM

WE OFFER: adult ballet / beginning thru advanced plus
CLASS COST: first class free, $17 per Class
WHEN: Sunday thru Friday mornings
WHO: Adults and teens
CONTACT: 248-977-8699
RECITAL CONFLICT? no

OAK PARK / LASHELLE’S SCHOOL OF DANCE / WWW.LSODANCE.COM
WE OFFER: yoga, ballet, tap, modern jazz, praise dance, hustle ballroom & bop
CLASS COST: $15
WHEN: After 5:30pm Monday – Friday
WHO: 18 & up
CONTACT: lashelles@hotmail.com
RECITAL CONFLICT? no

PLYMOUTH / TRIPLE THREAT DANCE & THEATRE COMPANY / WWW.TRIPLETHREATDTC.COM
WE OFFER: jazz, ballet, turns & jumps, stretch & conditioning / intermediate thru advanced
CLASS COST: $8 – $15 depends on class
WHEN: Wednesday & Thursday evenings, Saturday mornings
WHO: 9+ but minimum age varies by class
CONTACT: 734-335-7722, info@TripleThreatDTC.com
RECITAL CONFLICT? no

REDFORD / JAZZ & SPIRIT DANCE THEATRE OF DETROIT / WWW.JAZZSPIRITDANCE.ORG
WE OFFER: Horton, tap, Dunham, Zumba
CLASS COST: $15
WHEN: M,W,F evenings
WHO: Adults
CONTACT: 313-534-0301, jazzspiritdance@gmail.com
RECITAL CONFLICT: sometimes (Apr-June)

ROCHESTER / ROCHESTER SCHOOL OF DANCE / WWW.ROCHESTERSCHOOLOFDANCE.COM
WE OFFER: ballet / beg-intermediate
CLASS COST: $20 drop-in rate or $126 for 9 week session plus $25 registration fee
WHEN: Wednesday evenings
WHO: teens & adults
CONTACT: 248-652-3117, michballet22@aol.com
RECITAL CONFLICT: no

ST. CLAIR SHORES / MOREDANCES CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY
WE OFFER: ballet, contemporary / advanced
CLASS COST: $12
WHEN: Tuesdays & Wednesdays midday
WHO: teens and adults
CONTACT: 586-899-2629
RECITAL CONFLICT: No

STERLING HEIGHTS / GOTTA DANCE / WWW.SUZANNEHAWKINSBALLETWORKSHOP.COM
WE OFFER: ballet / intermediate – advanced + pointe
CLASS COST: $140 / 10 int. classes, $165 / 10 classes incl. Pointe
WHEN: Tuesday evenings, Wednesday mornings
WHO: 16 & up
CONTACT: 248-652-3003, shawkins248@comcast.net
RECITAL CONFLICT: No

UTICA / ARGENTINE TANGO DETROIT / WWW.ARGENTINETANGODETROIT.COM
WE OFFER: Argentine Tango, Zumba, salsa/latin, ballroom / beginner thru
COST: $15.00
WHEN: All evenings & weekends
WHO: All ages
CONTACT: lori@argentinetangodetroit.com, 586-254-0560
RECITAL CONFLICT? no

WESTLAND / THE DANCE ACADEMY / WWW.THEDANCEACADEMYGC.COM
WE OFFER: Zumba, yoga/Pilates mix / beginner-intermediate
CLASS COST: $7
WHEN: Tuesday & Wednesday evenings, Saturday mornings
WHO: 13+
CONTACT: 734-452-1478
RECITAL CONFLICT: no

WIXOM / ACADEMY OF RUSSIAN CLASSICAL BALLET / WWW.RUSSIANCLASSICALBALLET.COM
WE OFFER: ballet, character, pointe, variations, conditioning, men’s technique, pas de deux, adults / pre-ballet through advanced