DETROIT – Dance is a form of self-expression that can change lives, and for 40 years, the Detroit-Windsor Dance Academy has been helping people amplify their voices through movement.
“It kind of calms my nerves a little bit, and it kind of gives me an outlet to meet new people,” said student Nylah Morris, who is in her eighth season at the academy. “It has developed my character a lot. I think that I’m a better person because I am here.”
The academy, located in the New Center neighborhood, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
“I wanted to start it because I wanted to make sure that the children here had somewhere they could go and develop and hone a skill,” said Detroit-Windsor Dance Academy Cofounder and Artistic Director Debra White-Hunt.
Over the decades, she said the academy has served over 15,000 students.
“We’ve had grandparents that brought their children,” White-Hunt said. “Those children have grown up, they’ve brought their children.”
The academy is hosting its annual Black History Month concert at the Detroit School of the Arts on Thursday (Feb. 22) at 7 p.m.
Morris choreographed a piece in the concert called “Herstory,” which focuses on the story of Rosa Parks.
The Cass Tech junior said she hopes to continue to express herself through dance beyond high school.
White-Hunt said she wants the dance academy to be a refuge for dancers for generations to come.
“I’ll never stop dancing as long as I’m alive and the good Lord gives me the energy and the ability,” she said.