Fall 2012 Workshop Announced!!

Hooray we are nearing another session of Detroit Arts Immersion!
This fall we will hold our workshops from November 12-16, 2012.

If you are interested or know of anyone who might be, please be in touch.  We are looking for volunteers to help us carry out the program.
This is a great opportunity to gain experience in arts teaching, cross-disciplinary learning, improvisation and helping the communities of Detroit!

*Food stipend and transportation provided for teaching artists during the workshop period

A sharing

The program has come to a conclusion for the summer and while we are eagerly working to set up more frequent workshops, the idea of sharing does not leave my mind.

Detroit has many problems, yes, and the work we do, being not quantifiable, is difficult if not impossible to measure. Yet, the amount of growth I experienced is amazing! Not only in the youth but in myself and teammates as well.

The opening up and willingness to share was heartwarming and inspiring on both ends. As a group we were accepted by the youth as we shared our tools and were rewarded with their creativity, thoughts and remarkable talents!

I was blown away by every person's agreement and bravery to stand up and share in front of the group.

It was an added treat to have many of our young Holy Cross students perform with us at our final performance as well :)

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Now a few days post-project, the gifts I've gained are starting to sink in and as I unpack and organize I want to share something I found in one of our boxes.

This is from one of our written response periods. The topic was "What do I want to share with the world?" A rough draft, these first thoughts turned into a poem:

Beauty and inspiration

Joy and passion

My life, my love, my abilities.

Openness and perspective.

I want to bring what I have and do with it what I can.

Why hold on?

To share is true living.

Make real connections

Make beautiful connections

Give and get

Always learn

Discover

and Play

Live in the present and see with fresh eyes.

Always living, always alive.

Thank you for a great project and program!!

Fun and changes

We have been teaching for three days now and some lessons are starting to set in.

Not only for the students, but for us too.

We have seen trust challenged and strengthened, communication developed and body awareness increased with comfort and openness.

An emotional day three as we performed at Covenant House in the evening for students and other residents there.

We were able to thank the students for their sharing and openness.

Many of the artists are seeing why what we do is so important. With a student telling us this is the first time he hasn't felt ashamed of his situation, perspective is setting in.

We are so thankful for the opportunity to get to work with such great young people and share ourselves with great response!

More to come....

Check out our coverage on the news! Look at the videos, ours is called "Juilliard students provide inspiration"

http://www.wxyz.com/subindex/v

ideo

Looking forward...

Tomorrow our teaching begins!

We are looking forward to sharing with the students.

The team is prepared and excited... starting bright and early we will head to the Covenant House for our first workshop, followed by two more at Holy Cross Children's Services.

Our goal: Respect. Develop mutual respect, listening and a clear understanding of who we are.

After a great weekend of performances, we are rested, energized and inspired to begin!

More to come....

Photo taken at our Artist Village performance on Saturday, June 25th.

Late night/early morning poem for DAI

Winking drivers and sometimes drinking drivers.
This is Motor City.

Oh, but a wealth of inspiration.
We worked alongside the works in progress of Tyree,
walked past larger than life mural de Diego Rivera housed at the DIA,
and were invited to perform in a marble room with high ceilings and encased suits of armor,
and in the room next door, the Saline Fiddlers were gettin' down.

And yes, the Temptations are still alive, a pulse still present.

Most unbelievable, is the real fun is yet to be had.

by: Zoe Kumagai