Updates from In-School Arts Residencies

Sep 20

Written By Susannah Goodman, In-School Arts Program Manager

It’s been a busy summer and start of the school year for our In-School Arts team. Here are just some of the amazing highlights!

Teaching Artist Randy Fisher leads students in a latin dance lesson.

July

We began a new partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan. Providing step, latin dance, and jit at the Richard & Patricia Donahey Club in Belleville and the Fauver-Martin Club Highland Park. During the school year, we will be partnering with the Dick & Sandy Dauch Campus NFL/YET in Cody-Rouge this school year. Teaching Artists Miryam Johnson and Randy Fisher will teach step and latin dance respectively.

Speaking of jit, we also began a new partnership with House of Jit, a dance ensemble led-by dancer and Teaching Artist Mike Manson. Check out this awesome video of Mike in action:

August

We hosted a training for our drama-based teaching artists on the Expeditionary Learning curriculum, the first step in establishing a program track to serve K-8 students in DPSCD through Drama-ELA arts integration. Thanks to Powerhouse Productions for hosting us!

September

We have a new partnership with GOAL Line—Get On And Learn— a bus line linking public and charter schools in Northwest Detroit with this after-school programming. This is a new and unique partnership between the City of Detroit, the Community Education Commission, DPSCD and charters, the YMCA and the Northwest Activities Center. We are one of just a handful of arts partners who will be bringing after school arts to over 300 students.

We are excited to launch this new year with the GOAL Line and so is Mayor Mike Duggan. At Friday’s GOAL Line Orientation, the Mayor stated “We have to have a space, a program [in the city of Detroit] as good as in any suburb.” He went on to say “We have to have first class providers for our kids. This is a really special initiative for me—I’m just so excited!”