Camille A. Brown & Dancers performed Black Girl – Linguistic Play on February 13, 2016, and the dancers also participated in various community activities including a free Breakfast Download post-performance discussion and all-levels You Can Dance workshop. UMS also hosted a panel celebrating 25 years of the Dance Series at UMS.

What some of the participants thought about their experiences:

Photo moments from the weekend:

Quotes from the weekend:

“I saw myself in this play. The way the dancers expressed themselves in each scene seemed like flashes of my own life.”
-Christina DeBlanchi, Black Girl: Linguistic Play audience member

“Being in college means I have to be an adult who is focused on reading and writing. It was really fun to see something equally, or even more important, happening on stage. It brought me joy. And these experiences give me the opportunity to learn more by exploring my self, instead of reading about others.”
-Alexis Lesperance, U-M Residential College student

Interested in more? Learn about our community education programs.

Lots of happy faces at our You Can Dance workshop and Breakfast Download Discussion event this weekend.

Photos by Sharman Spieser.

Interested in more? See the full listing of upcoming free activities open to all levels.

Did you know that you can join dancers from visiting companies for an exploration of the company’s movement style? These “You Can Dance” workshops are for everyone, no dance training or experience necessary. Ages 13 and up are welcome. The workshops are free, but first come, first served until studio reaches capacity. Last night, dancers from Sankai Juku led a workshop.

Workshop participant Sharman Spieser caught up with her fellow participants.

Megan and Lindsay drove from Detroit for the workshop.

We caught up with a few other participants on video.

First is Petra Kuppers, UMS Mellon Faculty Fellow and Professor of English Languages and Literatures, Women’s Studies, Art and Theatre. She is currently teaching a course on artistic collaboration at U-M, and her class will see the Sankai Juku on Friday. With the support of the Mellon Foundation, she is thinking about how to bring UMS into the classroom, and will use the dance exercises she learned tonight in class. Second is Susan, who drove from Toledo and “would go to Paris to see Sankai Juku,” but because of UMS she doesn’t have to. Our third participant is Jim, who “works in Ypsilanti and plays in Ann Arbor.” He lives in Saline and came “with an open mind.”

Interested more? Here are 10 things you may not know about butoh.

Photo: Mark Gjukich Photography.

Participants at a free “You Can Dance” session in November. These free sessions are for curious and novice movers. Join dancers from visiting companies for an exploration of the company movement styles. “You Can Dance” is free, but first come, first served until studio reaches capacity.

Last year we collected your Hill Auditorium memories. This year we’re collecting your thoughts about dance because we’re focusing especially on dance this season.

For a closer look at dance, check out:

• UMS Tweet Seats at opening night dance performances
• Free Q&As with artists on opening night dance performances
• “You Can Dance” workshops
• UMS Night School

Here’s what you have to say about things that make you dance and things that dance inspires you to do.

Watch for your chance to fill out these post-it notes at select dance performances including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (9/28), Ballet Preljocaj (11/2), Compagnie Käfig (2/15), and Wendy Whelan: Restless Creature (3/25).

What makes you dance? What does dance inspire you to do? Do you have other questions or comments? Share them below.