![]() Francesca Harper, the artistic director at Ailey II, said the dance company does community outreach in several of the cities they perform in. “What’s great for the dancers is they’re not only talented dancers, but they are also learning to be ambassadors and leaders and teachers,” Harper said. For the DSA workshops, Harper said she was a “fly on the wall” while she let her 12 dancers teach students some of the choreography performed at the school event. “I just couldn’t believe the idea that Alivin Ailey was at our school teaching us and then performing their work on our stage.”įrancesca Harper, the artistic director at Ailey II, said the dance company does community outreach in several of the cities they perform in. ![]() “I had an emotional moment when they performed ‘Revelations’ at our school because it really touched my soul,” she said. The company has performed for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 48 states and 71 countries and has reached audiences through television broadcasts, film screenings, and online platforms, according to its website.įellow DSA senior Nina Contreras, 17, said the performance of “Revelations” gave her goosebumps. As part of its community outreach, Ailey II put on a performance for students in the Detroit Public Schools Community District and offered workshops for Detroit School of Arts students and the public.įounded in 1958 by dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has become a showcase for Black ballet and modern dancers around the world. “And so, now that we really got to take a step back and see how these movements are done, we got to focus on how we really interpret ourselves as dancers and how we focus on our own movement and how to really be a true interpretation of dance.”ĭancers from Ailey II, the second company of the New York-based Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, visited Detroit ahead of the main company’s performances at the Detroit Opera House March 17-19. “It was such a round circle moment because we looked at those dancers on stage and we’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is where we want to be,’” she told BridgeDetroit. Simmons, now a senior, had the opportunity to see Alvin Ailey dancers perform the piece in person during an event at the performing arts school March 2. We appreciate MOT’s commitment to telling stories that resonate with the Detroit community, its embrace of artistic risk, and the strength of its partnerships across the region.Last week was a full circle moment for 17-year-old Lauryn Simmons.Īs a freshman at the Detroit School of Arts, one of the first pieces she danced in was the Alvin Ailey classic, “Revelations,” which explores themes of grief and joy while using African-American spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and blues music. “At this most critical time for our cultural community, my family and I are proud to re-invest in the facility and support the current and next seasons of programming. “The William Davidson Foundation has been backing MOT for many years, supporting their work to develop the next generation of artists and in recognition of the important role MOT plays in Downtown Detroit,” commented Ethan Davidson, Board Chair of MOT and chair of the grants committee at the William Davidson Foundation. With this gift, the William Davidson Foundation becomes the lead donor of their campaign for the Detroit Opera House, with $3 million of the award designated for building renovations that will help make the nearly century-old building more welcoming and accessible to all The Michigan Opera Theatre is now in the middle of a $15 million capital campaign to modernize the 2,700 seat Detroit Opera House, which is home to MOT’s main stage productions as well as its educational programs. ![]() The Foundation’s $5 million grant is an investment in the next 50 years of MOT, and importantly, an investment in the performing arts sector for the Metro Detroit Region,” said MOT President and CEO Wayne S. “It is with deep appreciation that I announce that the partnership between the William Davidson Foundation and Michigan Opera Theatre has resulted in MOT receiving its single largest charitable gift in the organization’s 50-year history. 18, 2021, Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT), in partnership with the William Davidson Foundation, announced that the Foundation has awarded a $5 million grant to support critical infrastructure renovations at the historic Detroit Opera House (DOH) and artistic programming over two seasons. ![]() Wasserman Artistic Director Yuval Sharon, and Chairman of the MOT Board Ethan Davidson The Michigan Opera Theatre is now in the middle of a $15 million capital campaign to modernize the 2,700 seat Detroit Opera House, which is home to MOT’s main stage productions as well as its educational programs.Īt its Annual Meeting on Nov. ![]()
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