Dance is a thought-provoking art form that has been used to convey emotion throughout time. Unique to the sound of music or viewing a visual art piece, dance is a more immersive experience of expression through movement of the physical body. Anyone who attends the upcoming Detroit Dance City Festival (DDCF), hosted by local dance nonprofit ArtLab J, will have a chance to witness that.
The event will be happening Sept. 8-10 for its 11th year at two venues: the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Opera House.
Detroit Dance Collective, or DDC Dances, is one of the companies participating in the festival.
Four women started the nonprofit dance studio in 1980, and one of them, Barbara Selinger, is now the company’s artistic director and principal choreographer. Selinger, who has been a dancer her entire life, is super excited for her organization to be performing at the festival.
To be a part of the event, the agency submitted a piece of choreography and was selected to perform in the Choreographers Showcase on the Detroit Film Theatre stage. Two dancers from the nonprofit, Lauren Bobo and Jaiden Kruse, will be performing a duet titled “Captive,” which Selinger says reflects the mission and beliefs of the organization.
“Dance is a powerful means of communication; it really totally affects our artistic lives, our intellectual lives, our emotional and physical lives. It has a profound ability to heighten human expression,” Selinger says. “[‘Captive’] reflects what I call ‘the victims of humanity.’ It’s a beautiful duet that shows compassion for each other, struggle, and love.”
Bobo, who moved to Detroit from South Carolina in 2019 and got involved with the dance collective in 2021, says she and her dance partner are excited to do the number in front of a new audience.
“I think dance is so important to human experience in general, but for me specifically, it is how I can connect most with myself and my body,” Bobo says. “I think that dance is a very innate part of the human experience and my goal with my dance is to be able to communicate lots of different topics and emotions in a mode that is non-confrontational.”
Bobo feels that dance is a more approachable way of having difficult conversations and evoking change in the world. She wants her art form to be open to interpretation from the viewer but hopes that it can leave them feeling impacted and empowered in some way regardless.
“I want whoever’s observing the experience to have their own experience,” Bobo says.
When it comes to Detroit specifically, the dancer feels that the immense amount of culture in the city means the festival is located in a prime place to connect with people of all backgrounds.
Often, attending dance shows can be costly, but the free festival at a central downtown location allows the Detroit community to be easily involved.
“What’s lovely about DDCF is that it sort of breaks down those barriers and it makes dance and live art way more accessible to the community and it puts it in a way that’s very welcoming,” Bobo says. “I think for Detroit, since we are so rich with culture, it’s only going to be that much more of a connection point.”
Even for community members who may not be familiar with dance, attending the festival can be a way to find out if it’s something that interests or moves them.
“A lot of times there are first-time viewers and they’re always surprised at how much they like it, how beautiful it can be, how thought-provoking it can be,” Selinger says. “It’s not just about music, it’s music and dance together and I think it’s just really, really important to collaborate and have all of these art forms, all of these art disciplines blend together so beautifully.”
The three-day community festival will showcase the talents of more than 58 artists, including local, national, and international performers. The festival’s program will feature a total of 15 events, kicking off with the Choreographers Showcase on Friday, followed on Saturday by a series of performances at the Rivera Court Stage, as well as a College Showcase and the second Choreographers Showcase at the DIA's Detroit Film Theatre.
The festival will also offer six master classes on Saturday taught by experienced instructors in various dance styles including ballet, jazz, west African, and contemporary fusion.
ArtLab J’s broader mission with the festival is to educate audiences about the significance of dance and contribute to Detroit’s reputation as a global dancing hotspot.
“I think when you get to go see dancers at this caliber, at this level … different cultural dances, different choreography perspectives, it’s a really unique experience for people to be able to be inspired and for people to be able to discover something new about their city or about themselves, so I think attending DDCF, to me, is a no brainer,” Bobo says. “I think immersing yourself in arts that are existing within your city is such a magical experience. You’re getting to see what’s a part of your city, you’re getting to feel more connected with your city, and you’re allowing the world to also see what Detroit is about and I think Detroit is a pretty fantastic place. I’m excited for the Detroit residents to show up and support our community as a whole and show the world, the dance world at least, what we’re made of.”
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