20 June 6 • 2019 jn 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