- Detroit Windsor Dance Academy
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Detroit Windsor Dance Academy Established 1984 Type School of Dance Students 500+ Location Detroit, Michigan, Michigan, USA Website http://www.detroitwindsordance.org/welcome/index.html Detroit Windsor Dance Academy is a place located in Detroit, Michigan where people of all ages can go to learn the great skill of dance. This is a nonprofit organization that is very generous when it comes to giving back to the community. This school of dance is very professional and they take a lot of pride in themselves which makes them the ideal academy for young children to attend as a hobby in their spare time. Over the years Detroit Windsor has won many awards for their outstanding service to many students over the past few years. They were honored in a 1998 issue of Essence Magazine as an outstanding facilitation in which people can come and learn a new helpful skill, or expand on those that may already have.
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History
Detroit Windsor Dance Academy was established in the year of 1984 by Mr. Bruce Hunt and his wife Deborah White-Hunt. Both the Hunt's believed that children should have a positive place to go after school and on the weekends in which they could learn how to do different styles and forms of dance as a way to express themselves through creativity. When starting in the year of 1984 the school was very small only offering a few basic classes, but since then the academy has grown to about 500 young students and many adult students.They now offer a dance class for every style of dance, and for every age.These classes are also held almost every day of the week. When the academy first started since they were so small they rented a few small rooms to hold their classes in in a small space at the address of 1515 Broadway. This space was located near the Opera House in downtown Detroit, Michigan. When word spread about how good the new dance academy really was their enrollment numbers soon grew forcing them to move into a much larger space. Detroit Windsor is now located in the New Center building in Downtown Detroit.
Classes
Detroit Windsor offers a large variety of classes for children and adults. The classes that are offered are usually split up by age and skill level of the person taking it. The enrollment age for students is three years old and it extends to also offer adult classes as well, just as long as you have a passion for dance. There are over fifty classes offered to people who choose to attend Detroit Windsor. There are basic classes that are offered including Tap, Jazz, Modern, Hip-Hop, Liturgical, and Ballet. There are also classes such as ballroom, and belly dancing. For those students who are a more advanced than others there are classes such as Pre-Professional, also called Pre-Pro for short that offers students a more challenging level of dance than others. Most classes are held on Saturdays since this is when most children do not have school, but for those who may have trouble attending Saturday classes there are a variety of classes also offered during the weekdays later in the evening.
Annual concert
Not only is Detroit Windsor a wonderful dance Academy they also hold a very large and prestigious recital at the end of every term of classes. The annual concert has been held since the year of 1985. The concert is usually held at the end of May or the Beginning of June as a show case in which all of the students have a chance to show everyone what that have learned in their dance classes. The end of the year concert is what everyone looks forward to and prepares for all year. The students who participate in the concert wear beautiful costumes that their teachers pick out for their class. Everyone's hair usually has to be pulled back into a bun, and they are required to wear red nail polish, and lipstick as stage make-up. This concert is usually held every year at the Music Hall in downtown Detroit, but there were some occasions when it was held at the Opera House, just across the street from Tiger Stadium. Family, friends, and loved ones may attend this concert. Tickets are sold to everyone who wants to attend towards the end of the term of classes and usually there are long lines of parents and guardians waiting to try to get the best view of the stage possible. There are usually a total of about 50 children's classes that participate in the concert, so it is a very large event. During the year all of the dance classes take pictures in their costumes that they plan to wear in the end of year annual concert. At the concert a souvenir booklet with all of the class pictures, personal congratulation pages from parents to students, the history of the academy and all of the class information is sold to all those who attend.
Connections to the community
Detroit Windsor was originally established as a way to give back to the community, and provide children with a creative outlet to express themselves. Since there is a fee to take classes at this establishment there are also scholarships that are provided to students with a passion for dance who may not be able to afford it. One of the generous scholarships is based on talent. The talent scholarships require students to audition and demonstrate great skills and techniques in dance. Students also have to need financial help. The scholarship covers just about all of the nine month classes leading up to the annual concert.
Crystal Ball
Every year a "Crystal Ball" is held as a way to raise money for different important causes, and also to celebrate another year that Detroit Windsor has been in business. This event is very upscale and tickets are usually very pricey. All the guest that attend the Crystal Ball are to wear dressy attire.
References
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