Life as a Modern Dancer

A Modern Dancer’s Guide to…….Detroit, Michigan

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Art Lab J; http://www.artlabj.com/

A Guide to the "Motor City’s" Dance Scene

By Marcus White and Joori Jung

Resting along an international border, Detroit has been in constant motion. The Motor City’s claim to fame as the epicenter of the auto industry and being a major birthplace of talent (hint, hint: MoTown and Techno), Detroit is now on the move more than ever. With 7.5 million residents, Metro Detroit is the tenth largest metropolitan area in the United States. Dance artists are exported annually from the city. The homegrown talent and spirit of dance has a long history and lineage in the city. In general, the city gets a bad rep. Economically, politically, and socially the city has had ebbs and flows. What we have seen in the past decade is consistent major financial investments in areas such as Midtown and Downtown – major centers for artists to make work.

This city and the region surrounding it is literally like no other, in that support for dance is growing. However, there are no structures that dance can neatly fall into. This type of space is perfect for the entrepreneurial-minded dance artist who likes working collaboratively and digging into the work. The city’s DIY ethos is designed for those who like to build, create, and transform spaces. This article casts a lens on opportunities for contemporary, modern, and postmodern dance artists who want to move to the city and includes resources of where to find space, opportunities to work, and ways to connect with others.

Information and Advocacy

The following resources are a great way to jump into learning about the Detroit dance scene.

Moving with Detroit

A project for dance professionals and those interested in dance to SEE, TAKE, and MOVE with Detroit through an online calendar, monthly newsletter, annual dance magazine, and quarterly meet ups. Powered by ARTLAB J in partnership with Marcus White/White Werx.

Michigan Dance Scene

The Facebook group that is a platform for Michigan dancers to network and share upcoming events.

Michigan Dance Council

MDC is your statewide resource for experiencing, supporting, celebrating, and participating in Michigan’s dance community.

Training

The following organizations and training centers support professional artists.  These programs exist outside of pre-professional training centers, public or charter dance programs, private commercial dance studios or University dance programs.

Training – Colleges and Universities

The following are colleges or universities with dance minors, undergraduate degrees, or graduate dance programs:

  • Southeast Michigan
  • Eastern Michigan University
  • Henry Ford Community College
  • Marygrove College
  • Oakland University
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Michigan – Flint
  • Wayne State University

Rehearsal Spaces

If there is one thing Detroit has, it is space. At its height, the population of Detroit proper was over 1.8 million. According to the 2010 census, that number is now a little above 700,000. There are many reasons for this population shift including economic, political, and social changes in the city. This creates a unique experience and infrastructure where artists have more affordable access to our most precious resource: SPACE. Currently, there are a few spaces that are dedicated and prepared to support modern dance bodies. New spaces are constantly being created all of the time. In addition to the spaces listed below, private dance and yoga studios often rent space during off-peak hours.  

Performance – Dance Companies

The following Metro Detroit dance organizations draw on modern, contemporary, or postmodern movement in their work primarily. Detroit, much like cities across the country, is a cradle of independent choreographers and fledgling dance entities that largely comprise the growing dance community. These artists and organizations are an important aspect of the community. This list highlights some of the companies with consistent dance programming, concerts, or touring schedules.

ARTLAB J www.artlabj.com

DDCdances http://ddcdances.org

Eisenhower Dance http://eisenhowerdance.org

Harge Dance Stories http://www.hargedancestories.com

Kristi Faulkner Dance http://www.kristifaulknerdance.com/Home.html

Red Wall DanKe Company http://www.brdankepro.com

Take Root  http://www.takerootdance.com/

Performance –  Venues

The following venues present, produce, or rent space to touring and/or local artists. Typically medium and large venues support presentations of touring dance companies while small venues focus on local and regional dance programming and presentations. Not all venues have a regular roster of dance programming.

Large Venues (over 1,000)

Detroit Film Theatre at the DIA

www.dia.org

Detroit Music Hall Center for Performing Arts

http://www.musichall.org

Ford Community and Performing Arts Center

http://dearbornfordcenter.com

Macomb Center for the Performing Arts

http://www.macombcenter.com

Michigan Opera House                                      

http://www.michiganopera.org

UMS/Power Center       

http://ums.org/venue/power-center/

Medium Venues (200-1,000)

Berman Center for the Performing Arts

http://theberman.org

Small Venues  (Under 200)

Detroit Contemporary

https://www.facebook.com/detroitcontemporary/

Jam Handy

http://thejamhandy.com

Light Box

https://www.facebook.com/Light-Box-798632493537323/

Metropolitan Detroit YMCA Boll Theatre

http://ymcadetroit.org

Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center

http://www.thecarrcenter.org

Young Fenix Theatre

http://www.youngfenixfellowship.com/

Choreographic Opportunities

The following programs are designed to support emerging and established choreographers in Metro Detroit:

Festivals

Dance Festivals are great opportunities to take workshops, present work, and connect with others.

Brighton Dance Festival http://www.brightondancefestival.com

Dance in the Mitten http://ditm-fest.org

Detroit Dance City Festival http://www.detroitdancecityfestival.com

Great Lakes Dance Festival https://www.facebook.com/greatlakesdancefestival/#

Michigan Youth Arts Festival http://www.michiganyoutharts.org

Motor City Tap Fest http://www.motorcitytapfest.com

Sidewalk Festival of Arts http://sidewalkdetroit.com

Oakland Dance Festival

Teaching Opportunities

Teaching opportunities exist in a variety of ways in Metro Detroit. Most teaching jobs are in private commercial studios and within entities such as dance companies. There are a few teaching opportunities in Universities and public schools but can be difficult to secure and maintain. Often independent choreographers or dancers rent their own space and provide weekly class as a short series or one time workshop. Learn more about dance teaching opportunites at the Metro Detroit Dance Teacher Summit www.theofficialmrw.com/mddts.

Final thoughts

Detroit is exploding with new schools of dance, professional companies, festivals and opportunities for performers and audience members to enjoy dance together. Resilience and audacity make up the Detroit spirit, and its dance artists help shape the city as the city enters a new phase of development. The burgeoning dance scene includes organizations and individual artists that create alternative spaces and possibilities for the community to find information, make connections, and build a stronger network for dance in the city.

About the Authors

Marcus White is an American movement maker and cultural WERKer. He is a dance artist, scholar, entrepreneur and has served as a major force in Detroit’s dance scene as the Creative Director of Marcus White/White Werx (MWWW). MWWW is a performance production company that serves as a bridge to center professional performance through the creation of new multidisciplinary dance for stage/screen and through innovative performance-centered programming. His work has been described as “ingenious” and “vulnerable” by the Chicago Tribune and according to Dance Panorama is “bold and it is clear he is not afraid to push the audience out of its comfort zone to encourage contemplation.” White earned an MFA from the University of Michigan. www.theofficialmrw.com/welcome

Joori Jung is the Founder of ARTLAB J. Originally from Seoul, Korea, she received her B.A (2006) and M.A in dance from Kyung Hee University in 2008. She toured internationally with the Seoul Dance Theatre from 2004-2007, and she was a Finalist at the 2007 Seoul International Dance Competition and won 3rd prize in performance at the 2007 Korea National Dance Competition. She danced with various dance companies in Korea before moving to New York in 2009. She then joined Time Lapse Dance and Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre and began her own choreographic work in New York. In 2012, she moved to Detroit to achieve her goal to expand contemporary dance as well as the arts community in Detroit and decided to establish ARTLAB J in 2012.

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