Upcoming Happenings
Salt in the Soil: Seeds & Fruits (Copy)
Salt in the Soil: Seeds & Fruit by Shanzell Page unfolds through tap dance, libation, & Black vernacular practice through eight offerings.
Salt in the Soil: Seeds & Fruit is a new work by Shanzell Page.
The 8-piece chronicle moves through a series of offerings, expressed through tap dance, libation, and Black vernacular practice.
This iteration takes shape across a period of grief, transition, and reorientation. It does not aim to resolve these states, but to move through them physically, rhythmically, and in real time.
With reference to pioneers of jazz and gospel, the cast converses through improvisation and elements of patting juba, holding reverence for the origins of the form.
Developed during her University Musical Society 2025–26 residency, this work marks an ongoing shift in Page’s choreographic practice.
Drawing from the Parable of the Sower, Seeds & Fruit considers cultivation as a process shaped by experience, where responsibility informs the conditions that determine what is able to proliferate.
Moving through first person, collective, and ancestral registers, Page works through synesthesia to shift the space as the performance unfolds, holding what can be felt alongside what is seen and heard.
This is a continuation.
Salt in the Soil: Seeds & Fruits
Salt in the Soil: Seeds & Fruit by Shanzell Page unfolds through tap dance, libation, & Black vernacular practice through eight offerings.
Salt in the Soil: Seeds & Fruit is a new work by Shanzell Page.
The 8-piece chronicle moves through a series of offerings, expressed through tap dance, libation, and Black vernacular practice.
This iteration takes shape across a period of grief, transition, and reorientation. It does not aim to resolve these states, but to move through them physically, rhythmically, and in real time.
With reference to pioneers of jazz and gospel, the cast converses through improvisation and elements of patting juba, holding reverence for the origins of the form.
Developed during her University Musical Society 2025–26 residency, this work marks an ongoing shift in Page’s choreographic practice.
Drawing from the Parable of the Sower, Seeds & Fruit considers cultivation as a process shaped by experience, where responsibility informs the conditions that determine what is able to proliferate.
Moving through first person, collective, and ancestral registers, Page works through synesthesia to shift the space as the performance unfolds, holding what can be felt alongside what is seen and heard.
This is a continuation.
Dancing in the Streets: Thresholds
A night at the Flint Institute of Arts with movement, rhythm, and shared experience. In collaboration with Emma Davis and curated by Tunde Olaniran, and the Magic Wheel Creative, Dancing in the Streets: Thresholds brings together artists across disciplines to explore what it means to gather, express, and move through transition. Featuring live performance, cultural dance, and visual art, this free event invites the community into a space of connection and expression.
Detroit Dance Collective Concert Series
Shanzell Page will appear as a special guest artist in Detroit Dance Collective’s Collage Concert, the company’s annual performance celebrating collaboration, community, and the power of movement to connect.
As part of this layered program, Page will present an original solo tap work drawn from her ongoing artistic practice. The piece explores how rhythm carries meaning through lineage, structure, and lived experience, positioning tap as a living historical language that honors tradition while embracing contemporary expression.
Presented alongside repertory and in-progress works by Detroit Dance Collective and performances by regional youth dance groups, Collage Concert offers audiences a range of choreographic voices, generations, and movement languages within a shared performance space.
In alignment with Detroit Dance Collective’s commitment to education and mentorship, participating youth dancers will also take part in a masterclass led by DDC artists prior to the performance.
Event Details
Dates: Saturday, February 28, 2026 – 7:30 PM
Venue:
Marlene Boll Theatre
YMCA, 1401 Broadway St
Detroit, MI
Presenter: Detroit Dance Collective
Guest Artist: Shanzell Page
Tickets: http://tinyurl.com/3wy5c53t
This appearance reflects Page’s continued investigation into tap as cultural knowledge, authorship, and inheritance across generations of the African diaspora.
Ready Yet?
An evening of contemporary dance featuring interdisciplinary choreographers from across Michigan. Produced by Theo Renee Seibert.
Tap Dance Workshop
Join Michigan Momentum and UMS/UM-Flint Artist in Residence Shanzell Page for a fun, high-energy tap dance workshop!
Shanzell Page is the University Musical Society and UM-Flint's 2025 artist in residence as a local movement artist, educator, and cultural strategist with over 30 years of experience in tap dance and arts education.
This free session is open to all skill levels from complete beginners to experienced dancers. You’ll learn the basics of tap, explore rhythm and movement, and enjoy an engaging, creative environment led by a professional artist.
📅 November 19
⏰ 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
📍 Northbank Center Dance Studio, 432 Saginaw St, Flint, MI
Salt in the Soil
Salt in the Soil by Shanzell Page at Sidewalk Festival 2025
Location: Eliza Howell Park, Detroit
Date & Time: Saturday, August 2, 2025, at 2:30 PM
Admission: Free
Experience “Salt in the Soil,” an interdisciplinary performance by tap dancer, choreographer, and cultural practitioner Shanzell Page.
Blending tap dance, Black traditional movement, and live music rooted in Detroit’s jazz legacy, this outdoor performance invites audiences into a deeply personal ritual of rhythm, release, and reunion. Featuring longtime collaborators and live musicians, the piece honors ancestry and connection while offering space for transformation and communal joy.
“Salt in the Soil” explores themes of cultural preservation, artistic inheritance, and embodied storytelling. Set in nature at Eliza Howell Park as part of Sidewalk Detroit’s 10th anniversary, this free performance invites the public to witness the healing power of rhythm and the resilience of community.
Tap Class with Shanzell
Take your tap dancing skills to the next level with this Intermediate/Advanced Tap Dance Class in Flint, MI. Join professional tap artist Shanzell Page for a fun, engaging session designed to enhance rhythm, musicality, and technique. Perfect for dancers eager to refine their craft. Register now for this exciting opportunity to learn in a supportive environment. Limited spots available!