A few months ago, my teenage son asked me to give him a ride to watch his friend’s dance studio perform at the high school stage in Martin, MI, in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. I had imagined cutesy or awkward dance performances so I had planned I’d drop off my kid and then go kill time someplace else. But for those of you familiar with Martin, MI, you know there is no “someplace else” in Martin so I stayed with my son to watch his friend’s dance show. The next 60 minutes blew me and all of my preconceived notions out of the water!
That Sunday afternoon was the day the Mosaic Dance Center would preview the dances they would take on the competition circuit that season. These were no “I’m a Little Teapot Short and Stout” dances, but rather explosive high-concept pieces of art perfectly performed, by, of all people, kids six through eighteen years of age. The kids showed as much – if not more – athleticism as can be found on any basketball court, football field, or hockey rink. Additionally, most had a visibly artistic understanding of their every movement in a way that would rival any physical artists three times their age.
After the performance, I admitted to my son that his friend and her dance center floor me beyond expectations. My shock and joy were so intense that I thought we should do a story about the Mosaic Dance Center so that others could also get an idea of what incredible work was being done by this award-winning studio.
