•

T

he city of Detroit may not have ap-
peared much different the past cou-
ple weeks. But dance has seeped into
its veins.
For the past 12 days, students from all
corners of the metro area — Cass Tech-
nical. High School, the Center for Creative
Studies and Oakland University — have
found themselves face-to-face with art,
discipline and passion in the form of the
Dance Theatre of Harlem. The company,
led by founder Arthur Mitchell, is in the
midst of a four-week residency at the Mu-
sic Hall that concentrates on bringing
dance to area schools. The program also
includes a week's worth of public perfor-
mances from April 9-14.
Mitchell was the first African Ameri-
can to become a permanent member of a
major ballet company. During his tenure
as principal dancer for the New York City
Ballet, he founded DTH, and since 1969,
the company's mission has been to pro-
vide access to the arts for children.

Left: Laveen Naidu,
Mitchell runs the DTH dance
their success, says Eunice
director of the Dance
academy in New York City,
Moore, who chairs the DTH
and presides over the profes- Theatre of Harlem School Outreach program for the De-
Ensemble Company,
sional troupe as well.
troit Public Schools.
leads
a master dance
Last year, DTH spent two
A handful of DTH dancers
class at Cass Tech.
weeks at the Music Hall lead-
from New York City have been
ing workshops and dancing for Right:Dance Theatre of making the rounds to Detroit,
audiences of more than 12,000 Harlem members Dipal Pontiac and Inkster public
people in total. Mitchell, im- Chatterjee, Elissa Criner schools, teaching students
and Kenneth Levitt.
pressed with the city's financial
everything from why dancers
and spiritual dedication to ed-
wear certain attire to just how
ucation through dance, chose Detroit as difficult it is to dance on point.
one of only two U.S. residency programs
"We think of ourselves as being a com-
(the other is in Washington, D.C.) for his munity resource," says Music Hall's new
world-renowned ballet/rnodernazz dance president Peg Tallet, "and the Dance The-
company.
atre Harlem Outreach Program gives us
The residency program, dubbed "Danc- a great opportunity."
ing Through Barriers," is designed to ex-
This year's residency includes a "pre-
pose kids who may never have attended professional" program for selected dancers
a live dance performance to the intrica- ages 13 to 21. Those students study with
cies of the art form. The program also the DTH during the four weeks the com-
seeks to use dance as a language by which pany is in town and their talents will then
children can overcome the social, economic be called upon for related local events.
or psychological hurdles that threaten
"We needed to start something here for

students who were serious about danc-
ing," says Moore, who hopes to add schol-
arship awards to next year's residency.
But turning a district's worth of stu-
dents into professional dancers remains
far from Mitchell's goal. "When you in-
troduce someone to the arts, he or she au-
tomatically becomes more focused. Anyone
living without the arts is like living in a
desert," he says.

—Liz Stevens

texcerpts
served
urs ay and Friday,
.m. and ;8 p.m. Satur-
13 ; and 3 p • m • Sunday April
14. Tickets' are $24.50-$38.50. Music
Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit. (313)
963-2366 or (810) 645-6666.

"

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The four-week retro-
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See calendar listings for
films and times.

Gladys Knight

The pop diva returns to
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Fri.
ri.-Sat.,
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■

Royal Hanneford Circus

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The Chelsea theater presents a col-

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Cheryl Wheeler

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