Dance PlayHouse is a nonprofit organization and professional dance theatre company in Grand Haven. Focused on inclusivity and accessibility, students learn to move within their bodies and with others in shared spaces. The company emphasizes collaboration and interdisciplinary experimentation to create provocative new choreography for stage performances, site-specific works, and art installations.
We recently met Kelsey Lee, founder of Dance PlayHouse, for a quick interview about her latest venture, upcoming workshops, and how she hopes to evolve dance along the Lakeshore.
Please tell us about yourself and your background!
Hi! My name is Kelsey Lee. I am a dancer, choreographer, contact improviser, teacher, and, most recently, the founder of Dance PlayHouse in Grand Haven. Dance and movement have been part of my life from a young age! I began dancing at eight years old at the Dance Factory in Delavan, WI, where I studied ballet, modern dance, and jazz. While at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, I earned a BFA in Contemporary Dance & Choreography with a double major in Psychology. Studying psychology helped hone my holistic approach to teaching dance and movement. My artistic approach looks to expand the language of dance and use movement to explore past stories, assumptions and the entire expanse of future possibilities. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my husband and toddler and exploring the Lakeshore – on the Michigan side!
What inspired you to found Dance PlayHouse?
I always knew I wanted to start a dance company, but before this year, I had moved a lot, from studying in New York to dancing professionally with a number of companies. With my recent move to Grand Haven, I was ready to set down roots and start Dance PlayHouse! There aren’t many dance companies outside of metropolitan areas like Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo, and through Dance PlayHouse, I hope to create more space for dance in West Michigan and along the Lakeshore.
How did you start collaborating with Central Park Place?
It was truly serendipitous! I took my toddler to Loutit Library for a playgroup, but we arrived too early and decided to explore Central Park Place. While walking through the Atrium Gallery, I met Char, and we began talking about the facility and its history. I mentioned my background in dance and future goals to open a company locally. Char explained how they were interested in bringing more arts and performances to the space, and after working out the details, the collaboration ended up being a match! Dance PlayHouse workshops will begin in August, and classes will start at the Acacia Theatre in September.
Tell me more about upcoming classes and workshops offered through Dance PlayHouse! When does the season start?
Starting in September, I will offer two intergenerational classes for children ages 0-2 and their caregivers: Dance & Learn and Dance With Me! I will also provide Creative Movement classes for 3 to 6-year-olds and Open Company Class for adults. The adult class will be for advanced movers.
My upcoming workshops are a little different! They will be held on Fridays in August and are free to all participants. I will be offering my standard classes (Dance & Learn, Dance With Me!, and Creative Movement) and two special class offerings: Beginner Teen Contemporary Modern for ages 13-17 and All Levels Adult Contemporary Modern for ages 18+. Depending on their popularity and how these classes flow, I might incorporate them into my yearly offerings!
Registration for workshops and classes is open.
Your website mentions bringing people together through movement, storytelling, and touch. How do you accomplish this in your classes, and how are your dance classes unique from other companies? Is there a particular style of dance that you primarily focus on?
A couple of dance styles inform the classes offered at Dance PlayHouse, including ballet, modern, contemporary, and contact improvisation techniques. My classes focus on collaboration, working together to create new ideas in a shared space. I tell my students to prioritize their progress over achieving perfection, and to value creativity over competition. This is especially true for my younger classes, where students have choices to help guide how they move. It definitely differs from more traditional dance studios that focus on training-specific techniques and competitions! Through Dance PlayHouse, I hope to foster an inclusive space that celebrates all types of movement for students of all ages and accessibility levels.
Most people are likely familiar with ballet and contemporary dance, but can you tell us a little more about Contact Improvisation?
Contact Improv is a dance form that uses touch as the starting point for movement. With influences from martial art forms, it uses gravity and physics to find fall points, different types of movement, and collaborative movement in response to others within the shared space. Similarly to improvisational acting, Contact Improv embodies the practice of “yes and…”
What are your future goals and plans for Dance PlayHouse?
My short-term goal is to schedule the company’s debut performance for April 2025! This will include guest performances, a full-length company piece built around a theme, and children’s class recitals. Right now, I’m exploring light as a broader theme. I’ll use this to guide my creative process as I challenge preconceptions, thoughts, desires, and awaken new ideas.
From a more long-term perspective, I hope to curate a rotating list of guest artists who will periodically join the company! I also plan to develop more intergenerational programs and classes. I would love to use dance to build bridges and explore collaborations between seniors and younger generations.
Anything else you would like to share?
As a nonprofit, I work to ensure that all performances and classes are affordable and accessible to anyone who wants to participate. At Dance PlayHouse, we offer free outreach performances, strive to keep tuition low and provide scholarship options. No one will be turned away for not being able to pay!
I was also commissioned by Cultivate in Grand Rapids to create an outdoor performance art installation this past July in Grand Rapids as part of The Artist’s Way Project. This 12-week city-wide public art project seeks to transform spaces through workshops and community events and foster greater curiosity, art accessibility, creativity, and connection. I recommend checking out the rest of their upcoming events this month!
Thank You, Dance PlayHouse!
Thank you to Kelsey and the entire Dance PlayHouse team for bringing dance, movement, and exploration to Central Park Place. We are beyond excited for classes to start this fall. Visit their website to learn more about upcoming classes, tuition and scholarships, and the Fall class schedule.
