5 reasons you should join You Can Dance—Outside this summer
You Can Dance–Outside returns for another summer of movement and community! You Can Dance–Outside events are FREE dance classes with local dance instructors that are open to the community and curious movers of all levels.
Whether you prefer dancing in the privacy of your bedroom, or getting dolled up for salsa night, here are five reasons you should be very excited about this year’s You Can Dance–Outside line-up:
1. There has never been a more pressing need to take a dance class.
Disco is making a comeback. Beyonce’s latest dance album Renaissance was just released and is sure to be in the top 40 for the rest of our natural lives. TikTok dances are here to stay and may be the only way to connect with Gen-Z. UMS’s beloved Dance Series returns this year with performances ranging from Swan Lake to Step Afrika! Objectively, if there was ever a time to take a dance class, the time is now!
2. Double the dancing, double the fun!
UMS is doubling down on the dance fun this year by offering two 45-minute dance sessions. Both are free and open to the public, with no dance experience required. We welcome curious movers of all ages, as well as families with children ages 6+, to come and dance together. We do ask that parents, guardians, and dance mentors participate with their young child or dance organization throughout the entire workshop. Children ages 12 & up are ok to dance solo with the sideline supervision of a parent or guardian.
3. More places to move.
This year You Can Dance–Outside is expanding to Flint and Dearborn, in addition to Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. After a successful kickoff event with Salsa Dance in Dearborn at the end of July, You Can Dance–Outside travels to Flint’s Brush Park on Friday, August 26. Coach Molly Baskin, director at For the Love of Dance Studios, will lead exciting classes in Hip-Hop Majorette, a rich dance style that originated at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the Hustle. If anyone can teach us how to get in formation, it’s her!
4. National Dance Day is Saturday, September 17, 2022.
Join Americans across the country as we celebrate the importance of dance as a valuable form of exercise and artistic expression. UMS will celebrate National Dance Day with our Step Dance in Ypsilanti class with Krisilyn “Tony” Frazier at the Riverside Park Pavilion. Feel free to explore more opportunities to celebrate National Dance Day on the American Dance Movement website.
5. Oh so many styles.
You Can Dance–Outside! offers more dance styles than ever before! Now in its seventh year, we are thrilled to continue to partner with local dancers in Southeast Michigan to lead classes in Hip-Hop, Salsa, Step, Hustle, Majorette, and West African Dance. Returning artist Heather Mitchell, who leads the West African Dance in Ann Arbor class on Sunday, September 11, described You Can Dance–Outside! as “a welcoming, joyful, intergenerational, and multicultural experience that united us all through the universal language of dance!”
We can’t wait to dance with you, and we hope you can join us! Visit ums.org/YouCanDance for a complete listing of our scheduled events and to register to attend.
