The Detroit Film Theatre will end its 50th Anniversay Season with a holiday gift for DIA visitors; a special matinee screening of Charlie Chaplin’s classic silent film The Circus, presented with a live score composed and performed by virtuoso silent film pianist David Drazin. 

Chaplin’s extraordinary blend of comedy and heart shines as his iconic Tramp stumbles into the ring of a traveling circus and soon becomes the star of the show and falling for a charming equestrian artist along the way. This perfect comedy ranks among Chaplin’s most iconic, with audacious set pieces, close brushes with a lion and a climactic tightrope walk with a company of monkeys. For all ages.

“There's an edge to The Circus that suggests a man gazing deep into the void, laughing at the darkness and urging us to do the same.” -Keith Uhlich, Time Out

Featuring Vijay Iyer, piano
Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings

Holi is known around the world as a joyful, chaotic, and colorful Indian celebration of springtime. In response to Stravinsky’s own famously chaotic Le Sacré du Printemps. pianist and composer Vijay Iyer, and filmmaker Prashant Bhargava were intrigued by the possible connection with Holi. Radhe, Radhe: Rites of Holi is a journey of devotion for the goddess Radha, where Iyer and Bhargava answer back to the Sacré score and with a new work for chamber ensemble and film. This performance will be an encounter between live music and film, lived experience and myth. 

Travel across the varied and beautiful regions of Mexico with Ballet Folklorico de Detroit, a Detroit based community group of passionate dancers who dedicate their time and talent to preserve Mexican culture and traditions through dance. With each style of dress, music and footwork showcased in every performance, these dancers hope to delight and ignite a spark of interest and respect of Mexican culture.

For families of all ages. (60min.) This program is free with museum admission. Capacity is limited – seating begins 30 minutes prior to performance start.

After the performance, be sure to see the 12th installment of Ofrendas: Celebrating el Día de Muertos, running through November 4, 2024. Free with museum admission.

Detroit Dance City Festival's Dance & Celebration program brings together world-renowned dancers and choreographers to provide a fitting end to 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!

This year’s celebration features the works of:

• ArtLab J I
• Norberto Collazo
• Young Soon Kim
• ArtLab J for Grown-Ups
• DDCF 2024 Best Dance on Screen

This program is free with museum admission. Limited capacity seating begins 30 minutes prior to performance. Ticket reservations are required from detroitdancecityfestival.com

Detroit Dance City Festival (DDCF) is an annual community building event curated by ArtLab J that celebrates dance in its various forms and disciplines. DDCF brings the work of renowned local, national, and international performing artists, choreographers, and companies to the stage in a weekend full of performances, master classes and networking events. For full festival lineup, please check out detroitdancecityfestival.com

Detroit Dance City Festival's College Showcase and Choreographers program was developed to give platform and agency to collegiate choreographers, professors, and guests artists to present their newest work. Get ready for an evening of exciting dance!

This year’s showcase features:

• Kara Roseborough, University of Michigan
• Thayer Jonutz, Oakland University
• Kaleigh Estby, Hope College
• Kayt MacMaster, Alma College
• Roderck George, Western Michigan University
• June Wallace, Oakland University
• Sarra LaCour, Hope College
• Katie Katfield, Western Michigan University
• Chloe Ryherd, Lindenwood University

This program also includes new works by local, national and international artists, and dancers, including:

• Hot Crowd Dance
• Lauren Blair Smith Dance Company
• Carolyn Pavlik
• Ashlyn Works
• Techmoja Dance and Theatre Company

This program is free with museum admission. Limited capacity seating begins 30 minutes prior to performance. Ticket reservations are required from detroitdancecityfestival.com

Detroit Dance City Festival (DDCF) is an annual community building event curated by ArtLab J that celebrates dance in its various forms and disciplines. DDCF brings the work of renowned local, national, and international performing artists, choreographers, and companies to the stage in a weekend full of performances, master classes and networking events. For full festival lineup, please check out detroitdancecityfestival.com

Perfect for the whole family, this program is an afternoon on the DIA's North Lawn. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs. Detroit Dance City Festival's Summer Stage program features performances from local, national, and international talent.

Saturday will also feature a College Fair from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. for all aspiring dancers seeking to further their dance careers after high school.

Saturday performances include works by:

• Dakota Blue
• Diversiform Dance Project Youth Company
• Kaylin Bazick and Turning Pointe School of Dance
• Mrudani School of Performing Arts
• Colorado State University
• Western Dance Project
• Embodied Dance Collective
• Unspoken Dance
• Misfit Dance Collective
• Co/Lab Dance Company
• Julia Schaeffer
• Morgan Walker
• Aura Orengo
• ArtLab J Youth Creative Intensive

Sunday will feature family outdoor activities from 1:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. to get everyone moving with a K-POP dance class and kids ballet class!

Sunday performances include works by:

• Oehrlein Dancers
• Scott Stafford
• Kaleidoscope Movement
• Srijan Dance Company
• 2nd Street Swing
• Bridget Vander Hoff
• ArtLab J II

This program is free with museum admission and takes place on the DIA's North Lawn. Limited capacity seating begins 30 minutes prior to performance.

Detroit Dance City Festival (DDCF) is an annual community building event curated by ArtLab J that celebrates dance in its various forms and disciplines. DDCF brings the work of renowned local, national, and international performing artists, choreographers, and companies to the stage in a weekend full of performances, master classes and networking events. For full festival lineup, please check out detroitdancecityfestival.com

This curated showcase brings together an inclusive representation of local, national, and international artists and dancers to share their current projects with other professionals and general audiences. Set within the historic DFT Auditorium at the DIA, witness the creativity and passion of contemporary choreographers as they bring their visions to life on stage.

This year’s showcase features the works of:

• Allison Lincoln
• ConteXture Dance Detroit
• Smutek Dance
• gracegallagherdance
• Jack Murphy
• Mark Gonzalez
• RESILIENCE Dance Company
• Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers
• Suttle Dance
• Symbiosis Arts
• CPR Dance: Inhale Movement
• Detroit Dance Collective

This program is free with museum admission. Limited capacity seating begins 30 minutes prior to performance. Ticket reservations are required from detroitdancecityfestival.com

Detroit Dance City Festival (DDCF) is an annual community building event curated by ArtLab J that celebrates dance in its various forms and disciplines. DDCF brings the work of renowned local, national, and international performing artists, choreographers, and companies to the stage in a weekend full of performances, master classes and networking events. For full festival lineup, please check out detroitdancecityfestival.com

Join us for a showcase designed to highlight local, national, and international talent. Rivera Court Stage shares diverse styles of dance with Detroit Dance City Festival audiences in an inspiring museum setting.

Friday's showcase features works by:

• Rachel Stratton
• Claire Bechard
• Sophia & El Kronox
• Compañeros de Flamenco
• Dance Uprising
• HBY Ensemble
• Malaak Aburahmeh and Nina Contreras
• Haley Tarling and Dancers
• Thayer Jonutz
• Embodied Arts Collective
• Eleanor Raygorodsky
• Dua Colon

Saturday’s showcase features works by:

• Lauren Blair Smith Dance Company
• Oakland University Repertory Dance Company
• Movement Reservoir
• Bodies of Water
• The ChoreoJoey Project
• Suttle Dance
• Sean Hoskins & Tower Dancers
• Natalia de Miguel Annoni
• Currents Dance Theatre
• Savanna McFadden and Sophie Williams
• Angelina Diaz

This program is free with museum admission. Limited capacity seating begins 30 minutes prior to performance in the DIA’s Rivera Court. Ticket reservations are encouraged from detroitdancecityfestival.com

Detroit Dance City Festival (DDCF) is an annual community building event curated by ArtLab J that celebrates dance in its various forms and disciplines. DDCF brings the work of renowned local, national, and international performing artists, choreographers, and companies to the stage in a weekend full of performances, master classes and networking events. For full festival lineup, please check out detroitdancecityfestival.com

The DIA's Friends of Asian Arts and Cultures invites you to an evening immersed in Korean tea culture. The evening will begin with translated readings of Korean Buddhist Monk Ch'oŭi's writings about green tea by poet Dr. Ian Haight, followed by a traditional dance performance and a presentation of the Korean Tea Ceremony by Donghee Kim.

With opportunities for audience participation and tea and snack sampling, this event, presented by Korean Connection, promises to enhance your appreciation of Korean Culture and please your taste buds! (90 min.)

Capacity is limited. Seating begins 30 minutes prior to performance.

Mike Monford is a dynamic jazz musician, saxophonist, composer, jazz historian, and executive producer based in Detroit. He has dedicated over 30 years to practicing, performing, and experimenting with the universal language of Jazz.

Monford has spent the last 10 years touring the world performing with Les Nubians and Marc Cary’s Harlem Sessions. In February 2022, he played at Carnegie Hall with the Autophysiopsychic Millennium, a music collective that studies the music methodology of the late Dr. Yusef Abdul Lateef.