The Marlene Boll Theater at the Boll Family YMCA will be alive with music, movement and the amazing energy of dance this weekend with the Detroit Dance City Festival. This year is the debut of the DDCF, which features performances, workshops, parties and more for “trained dancers and movers of all types” says Joori Jung, director of artlabJ, the organizers of the festival. “One of our goals is to engage with the community, and we do this through dance. We want to reach the Detroit community especially, but we also want to draw attention to Detroit and establish it as a sort of rising dance capital.”
Performances will be at the Marlene Boll theater, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. nightly Aug. 23-25. Well-known names and surprising newcomers grace the roster of performers, with dancers and companies coming from as far away as Oregon. Most of the performers are from right here in Michigan.
Children and inexperienced dancers can get in on the excitement by taking a workshop in anything from hip-hop to flamenco and Bollywood, as well as fitness classes such as Pilates. Classes begin at 10 a.m. on Friday and go throughout the weekend. Cost are as low as $10 for a single children’s or open session class and $15 for a single advanced class or a single show, up through a $125 all-weekend pass that grants access to all shows and classes. A variety of other options are available to suit different schedules and budgets. More information and a link to purchase tickets is available at the Detroit Dance City Festival website, detroitdancecityfestival.com.