Originally published in the Grand Haven Tribune
First-ever Gala Dance Concert
Dance PlayHouse, West Michigan’s newest professional dance company, hosted its first evening gala concert this past Saturday at Central Park Place in Grand Haven, featuring modern and contemporary dance performances.
“Grand Haven and the surrounding areas have a lot to offer in terms of things to do, but if you want to see professional dance, you have to go to Grand Rapids – until now,” said Kelsey Lee, founder and owner of Dance PlayHouse. “I think our community is long overdue for more options to engage with art. My vision is that our Gala Dance Concert will become an annual event that brings professional dance to this part of the Lakeshore.”
Attendees had the opportunity to meet the performers on Saturday. Featured companies and guest choreographers included Currents Dance Theatre from Grand Rapids; Movement Reservoir Dance Company from Kalamazoo; Nicole Spence, Emma Kent and John Jandernoa; and Dance PlayHouse Company Members Kelsey Lee, Emily Prymula, Caitlin Miller and Kaleigh Estby. ChoreoLAB, the 7- to 9-year-old student program run through Dance PlayHouse, also featured a special performance.
“I am very excited to be a part of Dance PlayHouse’s journey to bring professional modern dance to the Grand Haven area,” said Emma Kent, one of the professional dancers who performed at the concert. “As a West Michigan native, I am very grateful to see our communities welcoming the arts with open arms. There is no reason that patrons or artists should be forced to leave our community to share their love of dance.”
Acacia Theatre Improvements
This was also the first professional performance at Central Park Place with recent investments made into the Acacia Theater. Stage improvements were possible through a grant received from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council and National Endowment for the Arts.
“This grant will help Central Park Place reach its goal to build the arts,” said Char Seise, the city’s community affairs manager. “Over the years, the use of the space has changed. With our goal to reintegrate the arts, we want to provide a professional level of service for the art community. This grant has allowed us to get a new lighting board, new LED lights for the stage, and refinish the stage floor so we can provide just that.”
Dance PlayHouse Looks To The Future
This family-friendly art event will now be an annual occurrence at Central Park Place, Lee said. All proceeds from the event help Dance PlayHouse continue its nonprofit operations, including dance classes for those as young 2.
“For me, Dance PlayHouse is my solution for a lot of local dance artists looking to share their craft in an area with limited opportunities to do so,” Lee said. “Audience attendance means supporting over a dozen local artists who are performing and working behind the scenes to make this premiere concert possible.”
Learn more about Dance PlayHouse by visiting its website at www.danceplayhouse.com.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Jackson/Ray Nard Imagemaker
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