20 June 6 • 2019
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STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Song and Dance
Marooned students fi
nd a new home and
performance opportunity at Temple Israel.
B
efore you settle in to watch the
Tony Awards the evening of
June 9, come to a free Broadway
musical revue of sorts at Temple Israel
in West Bloomfield. You’
ll catch some
rising stars featuring the talented
students of a new dance studio called
IGNITE!theSparks!
Since February, the middle and
high school students have been
training under the exper-
tise of Oakland University
voice and theater professor
Stephanie Michaels — wife
of Cantor Neil Michaels — in
her performing arts stu-
dio now housed at Temple
Israel. Many of the students
are Jewish and several are
Temple Israel members.
The students recently
learned the true meaning
of the expression “the show
must go on.” Well into train-
ing for competitions and
performances, the students
were shocked to learn local
authorities shut the studio where they
had been training for years and arrest-
ed the owner on allegations of sexual
assault on a teenager.
Michaels, a graduate of the Juilliard
School in New York City, stepped in
to allay the shock and disappointment
of the students who she felt should
not also be punished
after their years of work
at their craft.
“These kids felt
shocked and betrayed,”
said Michaels, who in
years past ran sum-
mer performing arts
camps at Temple. “They
already had choreo-
graphed numbers prepared for spring
competitions and performances and
now felt sad they would be missing
competing regionally. What they real-
ly needed was a complete fresh start. I
talked it over with the staff and clergy
at Temple and asked how we could
make it happen for these kids, and
Temple came through.”
She quickly recruited the choreog-
raphy talents of Annette & Co. dance
studio owner and choreographer
Mark Bergasse and the musicianship
of Temple pianist Shawn McDonald
to arrange new numbers.
The students will perform a series
of musical revue numbers, includ-
ing selections from Catch Me if You
Can, Sunday in the Park with George
and Hamilton. Bergasse also choreo-
graphed Bye Bye Blackbird, from the
1999 Bob Fosse revue Fosse.
“Stephanie has a very high stan-
dard,” Bergasse said. “The kids and
I hit it off right away and not many
kids I know specifically request to
work on a dance style so intricate and
challenging [as Fosse]. They really
brought their A game.”
So far, students are giving
IGNITE!theSparks rave reviews.
David Royzenblat of Birmingham
said Michaels’
classes not only work
all the aspects of the triple threat of
singing, dancing and acting, but they
also have pushed him farther then he
could have imagined.
Sarah Showich, also of
Birmingham, has her eyes set on a
career in musical theater. Despite
training elsewhere for eight years,
it was not until she studied with
Michaels that she truly found her con-
fidence.
“I discovered a sense of confidence
and community that was just as pro-
fessional and serious about this career
as I was,” she said. “I would love to see
(IGNITE!theSparks) grow and pros-
per because I know it’
ll give the best
experience to local theater kids they
could ask for.”
After June’
s performance, Michaels
said classes will continue into the
summer and she hopes to expand
class offerings — all at Temple Israel
— into a full-year program in the fall.
“IGNITE! is a nonprofit in the
process of receiving official documen-
tation,” she said. “When it runs its
programs at Temple Israel it operates
under Temple Israel so that students
are covered by [the temple’
s] insur-
ance. Temple has graciously donated
space to us. We pay for other costs
and staffing. Students pay for lessons/
classes as they do at any music or
dance school.”
A testament to Michael’
s dedication
to the arts are the long-lasting rela-
tionships she has developed with her
students. Over the years, she’
s even
gotten calls from former students,
now touring professionally, to take
private vocal lessons when they are in
town.
“It all comes back to feeling like
you are creating something exciting
and sharing your love of the perform-
ing arts with others,” Michaels said.
“That’
s what I mean by igniting the
spark.” ■
The free performance will be at 5 p.m. Sunday,
June 9, at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.
For details, go to ignitethesparks.org.
jews d
in
the
Stephanie
Michaels
IGNITE!theSparks students practice a number for their June 9 performance.
STEPHANIE MICHAELS
Bernstein Headlines
JVS’
Strictly Business
M
ichigan Supreme Court Justice
Richard Bernstein will headline
the 22nd annual JVS Human
Services Strictly Business network-
ing, awards and fundraising event on
Thursday, June 13. Bernstein, known for
using his own visual dis-
ability to help and inspire
many others, will speak
to an anticipated crowd of
more than 700 business
and community leaders.
The event will celebrate
individuals who have
transformed their lives
through work and business
leaders who support innovative employ-
ment practices. The event begins with a
reception at 11 a.m. followed by a lun-
cheon and program from noon-1:30 p.m.,
at MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit.
“Richard Bernstein’
s life’
s work truly
exemplifies the mission of JVS Human
Services in helping people of all situations
to maximize their potential,
” said Leah
Rosenbaum, president and CEO of JVS
Human Services. “He takes action to
help those who need it, and his law cases
often set national standards protecting the
rights and safety of people with and with-
out disabilities.
”
Attendees will also hear from the recip-
ients of the 2019 JVS Business Leadership
and Rising Entrepreneur Awards, along
with individuals whose lives have been
enhanced by the work of JVS Human
Services. Awards will be presented to:
• Star Trax Events, which will be hon-
ored with the 2019 Business Leadership
Award for innovative employment prac-
tices.
• Josh Gershonowicz, who will receive
the 2019 Rising Entrepreneur Award.
He founded his creative agency, Rebuild
Group, seven years ago to help clients
challenge their thinking and achieve stra-
tegic growth through proprietary research
and effective brand campaigns.
• Kelly Flynn from Tapper’
s Jewelry,
Loukas Pallicaris from Preferred Building
Services and Sonya Terry from the City of
Detroit will be honored with Employee of
the Year Awards.
Attendees will hear the inspiring sto-
ries of these three individuals who have
overcome employment obstacles with
assistance from JVS Human Services pro-
grams.
Tickets are $150 and sponsorships are
available at jvshumanservices.org/strict-
lybiz. ■
Justice Richard
Bernstein