Interview with PROJECT Dance of Michigan (Part TWO)

Innovation and Dance are Alive and Well in Michigan!

PART TWO of my Interview with Kathy King and company of PROJECT Dance of Michigan

Link to PART ONE of Interview

This is part two of my interview with Kathy King and her crew of PROJECT Dance of Michigan, an innovative, new dance company that is seeking to expand the senses and cultural experiences of Michigan through dance, including dance classes, amazing performances, and charity and other social outreach efforts. For them, it’s not about money. It’s about dance, creativity and offering up a delectable cultural feast for their community as well as giving young dancers hope for the future and the opportunity to succeed.

This interview has been presented in two parts. This is part two. All photos in both parts, courtesy of Kathy King, were taken by photographer George Petersmarck (www.georgepetersmarck.com). Please do not copy them or this article without my AND Kathy King's express permission.

I was very impressed with this group, and not just because of the images I was seeing of their performances, especially Art Kinetic. I was impressed by their community outreach efforts, their sincerity in trying to bring more dance opportunities and exposure to Michigan and their current level of achievement in so short a period of time.

I was also surprised.

First, by the fact that PROJECT Dance is a non-profit organization (remember, I’m a neophyte in many things “dance”) and second, by the relatively young age of the founder and director, Kathy King. It takes a great deal of determination and drive to create any company, dance related or not, much less make it a success. It’s unusual to find that in a person who hasn’t graduated college yet—not unheard of, but still…unusual…and perhaps more so, since we aren’t talking about a business student out to start their own dot com, or a computer geek/genius putting together the next great technology wave in their dorm room or their parents’ garage. I’ve met many of those types.

No, instead we are talking about a dance company and a non-profit one to boot. This is my first experience with a company and a founder like that! (But then, I fully acknowledge my neophyte status and my own inner stereotypes that I continually struggle to dissolve so that I might see the world more clearly.)

[Question] PROJECT Dance is a non-profit organization? Why go that route (versus say, the dance company/sponsored route)?

[Kathy] Actually, you’d be surprised to see how many dance companies operate as non-profits. I decided to go this route with PDM because I knew that it would be easier for the community to open their arms to a non-profit as opposed to just another person out there trying to make money. I’m not in this to make money, I’m in this to make art and share that art with the community.

[Question] Tell me about some of the things you've done that you are most proud of.

[Kathy] Well, starting this company has been a huge milestone in my life. I’m young, only 21 years old, and this has been my dream, so I guess this would be my proudest moment. Teaching dance also gives me a great sense of pride. When parents come to me and tell me that their children cannot stop talking about “Miss Kathy” at home, I know that I’m doing something right with my life. I love passing my enthusiasm for art on to my students.

[Tiffany] I am proud of Kathy because I have lived with her since she got the idea to start her company. So I have seen everything that she has put in this company and how dedicated she is. Without Kathy, we would be nowhere.

[Question] What are some of the biggest hurdles or setbacks that you've experienced?

[Kathy] We’ve had awesome luck getting the company up and running, but of course, life isn’t perfect. Being young has certainly made people skeptical of my abilities to develop and run a professional dance company. Also, because we are still so new, we don’t have much funding yet. We only get to rehearse and have company classes on weekends because I don’t have the money to pay my dancers to be there every day of the week. That certainly hinders my ability to train the dancers as I wish or work on choreography as often as I would like.

[Question] You seem to be heavily involved in not only groundbreaking and a higher level of performance, but also teaching and charity work. Can you tell me a little about that and what you've done, what you want to do still and what you've gained from those experiences?

[Kathy] I absolutely love teaching people of all ages about dance. I think that if this company is on a mission to creating a stronger dance community in Michigan, we must get out there and work with as many people as possible. We have been opening our company classes to the public so that advance level dancers in the area have an option to take a professional level class at a low cost. We have gone into public schools and taught dance to children who otherwise would never get to experience a dance class. Recently, we held a small benefit concert to raise money for the local food bank. It was a huge success and helped bring the community together, even if just for one night. I want PROJECT Dance to always be remembered as a company that not only put on a great show, but also helped the community in so many ways.

[Heather] We would love to be able to travel more to teach and perform. It has been a great experience teaching these children. It is always fulfilling to share what you do with others. We have taught from the dancer that has never set foot in a dance class to the advanced dancer.

[Question] Tell me about ART KINETIC. It looks like it was an amazing show. What prompted it? What inspired it? What is the basic theme or themes that run throughout it?

[Kathy] Art Kinetic was our very first full-length show as a company. It was an amazing weekend and that good energy will stick with me forever. The title “Art Kinetic” came from the fact that our show was so diverse and full of life, and those two words seemed to capture best what the show offered. Each piece was completely different. We had modern, lyrical, jazz, hip-hop, break dancers, improvisational dancing, and musicians. Our guiding theme was “let’s create something for everyone”.

[Question] You have some still photographs on your MySpace site and your main site of Art Kinetic, and some video clips of practice sessions. Will you have any video clips of Art Kinetic up soon?

[Kathy] Yes! I am getting our show tapes transferred to DVD and will be putting together a little sampling of Art Kinetic to share with all of our Internet friends.

[Question] Where do you want to go with Art Kinetic? Was it just a one time deal—a one time performance, or is it meant to grow into something more (or an annual/semi-annual/etc event)?

[Kathy] At first, the show was planned as just a one time deal. However, I would love to make Art Kinetic our annual winter concert series. I love that title too much to let it be used only once!

[Question] How has the Michigan community responded so far?

[Kathy] I have been very pleased with the way the community has responded thus far. It is funny because people around here honestly don’t understand what we’re doing or the concept of a dance company, but they are so excited about all of our little projects. It has surprised me because there are a few other great professional companies around Michigan, and they have been around for 25+ years, but then here comes this new company and the general public acts as though they’ve never even heard of a professional company. We’re slowly but surely educating the public about what we do, and they are more than willing to listen.

[Heather] The Michigan community has responded with enthusiasm and a great amount of support. We have received many compliments and encouragement for MORE. The community has taken great interest and seems very excited about the new company.

[Question] So? What's next? What does the future hold for PROJECT Dance? For all of you? Where do you want to go? Who do you want to be? What do you want your legacy to be? When it's all said and done, "who are you really?" and "what do you want?"

[Kathy] My number one goal is to get PDM off the ground and into the public eye. I want PDM to become a nationally known company. As for myself, I will always continue to choreograph… it is just what I do. I am so excited to be supporting the arts right now, and I hope that I can be known as someone who always takes the time to help others achieve their goals. There are so many talented dancers in Michigan, but they go unknown because there is nowhere for them to go. I want to be the person they can go to… I want PDM to become a backbone for dance in Michigan.

[Heather] I plan to stay with PROJECT Dance as long as I'm able to. I can't stay in Michigan forever, as I have a husband going through school and what not. I will stay here and support PROJECT Dance as long as life allows me. If I have to leave, I plan to come back, choreograph, and support in any way I can. PROJECT Dance is a cause I believe in and that I am positive will continue to grow and prosper in the future.
As far as my legacy and who I am… I am someone who wants to change the world of dance by giving dancers that opportunity to get the job for the right reasons... To give more opportunities for dancers that won't be demoralizing or degrading... Exploring all forms of movement and choreography.... And to be remembered for putting on a GREAT SHOW!

Many thanks to all of you for taking the time to answer my questions. For more information about PROJECT Dance of Michigan, please go to either their MySpace site or their main website.

MySpace site:

www.myspace.com/projectdanceofmichigan
Main Web Site: http://www.projectdanceofmichigan.org/

Next week, more great stuff...the primary of which will be an interview/profile of another of the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Award winners, namely, Karen Nielsen, the writer/director of Perceptions, a short film that merges dance, drama and social commentary.

Stay tuned!

CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media
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