Bring the family (along with blankets and lawn chairs) for an afternoon of dance on the DIA’s lawn. Featuring performances by local, national, and international talent curated for family audiences, Summer Stage promises to be a festival highlight for all ages.

Saturday will include a College Fair from 2:30–4:00 p.m. for aspiring dancers interested in pursuing dance careers after high school. Dancers from these colleges will also perform during the show.

Sunday will feature family-friendly outdoor activities to get everyone moving!

Dance City Festival (DCF) is an annual community building event that celebrates dance in its various forms and disciplines. Now in its thirteenth year in Detroit, and first year in Chicago and New York, DCF-Detroit includes performances, master classes, and networking opportunities all held in the vibrant city of Detroit at the festival’s central venue, Detroit Institute of Arts. Our mission is to educate diverse audiences about the impact of dance, provide opportunities for artists to share their work, and create an artistic network linking Detroit, the greater US, and the world!

On the DIA’s Woodward Plaza

For full festival schedule visit their website.

Sponsored by Dance City Festival and ArtLab J

Dance on Screen provides a space for dance filmmakers to present their work. Presented in the Marvin and Betty Danto Lecture Hall, dance on screen highlights local, national, and international dance films in diverse styles of dance. (90 min.)

Dance City Festival (DCF) is an annual community building event that celebrates dance in its various forms and disciplines. Now in its thirteenth year in Detroit, and first year in Chicago and New York, DCF-Detroit includes performances, master classes, and networking opportunities all held in the vibrant city of Detroit at the festival’s central venue, Detroit Institute of Arts. Our mission is to educate diverse audiences about the impact of dance, provide opportunities for artists to share their work, and create an artistic network linking Detroit, the greater US, and the world!

In the DIA’s Lecture Hall. Capacity is limited, seating begins half hour before performance start.

For full festival schedule visit their website.

Sponsored by Dance City Festival and ArtLab J

Saving the best for last, Dance and Celebration brings together world-renowned dancers and choreographers to provide a fitting endpiece for a weekend full of dance. Featuring works by inventive choreographers who play with movement, light and sound to create expressive works that emotionally impact the audience, this showcase is truly a celebration of dance and is not to be missed! (90 min.)

Dance City Festival (DCF) is an annual community building event that celebrates dance in its various forms and disciplines. Now in its thirteenth year in Detroit, and first year in Chicago and New York, DCF-Detroit includes performances, master classes, and networking opportunities all held in the vibrant city of Detroit at the festival’s central venue, Detroit Institute of Arts. Our mission is to educate diverse audiences about the impact of dance, provide opportunities for artists to share their work, and create an artistic network linking Detroit, the greater US, and the world!

For full festival schedule visit their website.

Sponsored by Dance City Festival and ArtLab J

This curated showcase brings together an inclusive representation of local, national, and international artists and dancers to share their current projects with fellow professionals and general audiences alike. Set within the historic DFT Auditorium, experience the creativity and passion of contemporary choreographers as they bring their visions to life on stage. (90 min.)

Dance City Festival (DCF) is an annual community-building event that celebrates dance in its many forms and disciplines. Now in its thirteenth year in Detroit — and its first in Chicago and New York — DCF-Detroit features performances, master classes, and networking opportunities, all held in the vibrant city of Detroit at the festival’s central venue, the Detroit Institute of Arts. The festival’s mission is to educate diverse audiences about the impact of dance, provide opportunities for artists to share their work, and create an artistic network linking Detroit, the greater U.S., and the world.

In the DIA’s Detroit Film Theatre Auditorium. Capacity is limited; seating begins half an hour before the performance starts.

For full festival schedule visit their website.

Sponsored by Dance City Festival and ArtLab J

Join us for a dynamic showcase celebrating local, national, and international talent. The Rivera Court Stage brings diverse styles of dance to Dance City Festival audiences in an inspiring museum setting. (60 min.)

Dance City Festival (DCF) is an annual community-building event that celebrates dance in its many forms and disciplines. Now in its thirteenth year in Detroit — and its first in Chicago and New York — DCF-Detroit features performances, master classes, and networking opportunities, all held in the vibrant city of Detroit at the festival’s central venue, the Detroit Institute of Arts. The mission is to educate diverse audiences about the impact of dance, provide a platform for artists to share their work, and foster an artistic network connecting Detroit, the greater U.S., and the world.

Location: Rivera Court at the DIA. Capacity is limited.

For full festival schedule visit their website.

Sponsored by Dance City Festival and ArtLab J

Use a variety of decorative papers to create your own handmade book, bound using a traditional form of stitching. All materials are provided, and no experience is necessary — just bring your creativity!

Japan, 1957 — Directed by Akira Kurosawa | 109 min.

A vivid, visceral adaptation of Macbeth, Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood sets Shakespeare’s definitive tale of ambition and duplicity in a ghostly, fog-enshrouded landscape of feudal Japan. As a hardened warrior who savagely rises to power, Toshiro Mifune delivers a remarkable, animalistic performance, matched by Isuzu Yamada as his ruthless wife.

Throne of Blood fuses classical Western tragedy with formal elements of Noh theater to create an overwhelming cinematic experience — one of Kurosawa’s undeniable masterpieces, especially in this dazzling new restoration.

The screening will be introduced by Chassica Kirchhoff, DIA Assistant Curator of European Sculpture & Decorative Arts, who will discuss how the film’s extraordinary costume design connects to the current DIA exhibition Guests of Honor: Armor as Fashion. 

Join us for The Art & Culture of Eating, a special evening featuring Jamila Robinson, editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit and Epicurious and one of today's most influential voices at the intersection of food, art and culture.

A native Detroiter who grew up visiting the DIA, Robinson brings visionary leadership to food media, shaping conversations that explore how food expresses identity, tells stories, and brings communities together.

In this intimate on-stage conversation with Rochelle Riley, longtime journalist and Director of Arts and Culture for the City of Detroit, she'll reflect on the cultural influences that inspire her, the dual role food plays as sustenance and entertainment, and explore the creative overlap between food, art and community.

Audience Q&A will follow the conversation.

Presented with American Sign Language interpretation

China/2024 — directed by Jia Zhangke | 111 min.

The preeminent dramatist of China’s rapid 21st-century growth and transformation, director Jia Zhangke takes his boldest approach yet with the marvelous Caught by the Tides. 

Using footage shot over 23 years,Caught by the Tides is told from the perspective of Qiaoqiao (Zhao Tao) as she wanders an increasingly unrecognizable country in search of her long-lost lover, who left their home city to seek financial prospects. 

At once delicate and narratively breathtaking, Jia’s lyrical new masterwork reminds us of cinema’s unique ability to capture the passage of time and the persistence of change.

Palme d’Or Nominee, Cannes Film Festival. In Mandarin with English subtitles.

"Brilliant. A generous-hearted testament from one of our greatest living filmmakers." — Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

Experience the highlights of the Detroit Institute of Arts on a free, guided tour with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation. 

Explore some of the museum’s most beloved works of art while learning about the stories, history, and artists behind them. 

Tours meet in the Great Hall at 1 p.m. and last approximately 45 to 60 minutes.