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

