SIMILAR TO THE RIVERA COURT STAGE HOWEVER ON AN OUTDOOR STAGE, DCF-DETROIT’S SUMMER STAGE IS A SERIES OF SHOWCASES DESIGNED TO HIGHLIGHT LOCAL AND NATIONAL TALENT, SHARING DIVERSE STYLES OF DANCE ALL THE WHILE DCF AUDIENCES ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL SUMMER WEATHER.
Sunday, September 20
Schedule TBD
Saturday, September 19
Adrian Martinez
Katie Hazard
Meghan O'Connor
Kezia Saine
Morgan Joanne Grube
Lisa Podnar
Guru Shri Kelucharana Mohapatra
Allison Zardus, Ashley Zardus
Andi Salazar
Visalini Sundaram
Dynamic Vision
Rashaun Massey-Johnson
Ari Mokdad
June Wallace
Devon Campbell
Read about our 2026 summer stage Artists!
Meghan O’Connor
Meghan O’Connor is a Detroit-based dance artist and current junior at Wayne State University, where she is pursuing a BFA in Dance. Her early dance years began in the competitive world, which consisted of many masterclasses through various competition circuits. Her knowledge of the dance world tremendously evolved after dancing with a pre-professional youth company, Young Dancers Initiative, for various years, where she trained under Jodie Randolph, and had the pleasure of taking classes from a variety of guest artists, including Sean Howe. It was at this time that she discovered a gravitation towards Contemporary dance as well as the Dance-Theatre realm. This past Summer she had the privilege of performing at the GOODLOVE Detroit Dance and Arts Residency Launch event, where she performed alongside New York-based ABBODANZA Dance Collective as well as other Detroit Artists. Most recently, she had the pleasure of performing in works by Amadi Washington, Sam Pratt (Baye and Asa), and Christina Smutek at Wayne State University's December Dance Concert. As Meghan continues to develop her artistic voice, she prides herself on her efforts to remain as versatile as possible and has found a passion in exploring the interconnectedness of various dance genres.
MoJo Co.Lab
MoJo Co.Lab is a Cleveland-based contemporary-theatre movement project, founded in 2021 and directed by awarded and nationally recognized choreographer and inclusivity advocate, Morgan Joanne Grube. Meaning magic charm, magic power, or spell, “MoJo” represents the vision, purpose, and commitment to recognizing that movement is created by the individual and that every artist has a profoundly unique and important voice to share. Meaning a community collecting to connect, collaborate, and share conversations as a company, “Co.” represents the vision, purpose, and commitment to featuring and honoring all artists within the creative space as part of the creative process. Together, with the belief that inclusion leads to creation and innovation, MoJo Co.Lab’s mission is to create space for all creators and those who wish to explore and share their stories by providing collaborative choreographic spaces, performances, creative workshops, and classes reflective of the unique identities of the community within it. MoJo Co.Lab’s focus of contemporary dance is intended to expand and breathe through various art forms anywhere that creativity and community happens.
Embodied Arts Collective
Embodied Arts Collective is a pre-professional dance company from Traverse City, MI.
Adrian Martinez
Adrian Martinez, originally from West Michigan, earned her Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a minor in Advertising & Promotion and a Dance Studio Management Certificate from Western Michigan University in May 2026. During her studies, she had the opportunity to work with choreographers including Mike Esperanza, Noelle Kayser, Kaitlyn Pollock, Marisa Bianan, Jeremy Blair, and Megan Slayter.
Adrian has performed throughout the Midwest, including performances at RADFest (2026), the DCF Detroit Summer Stage (2025), and Kalamazoo Art Hop (2024–2025). She was also selected to perform Loïe Fuller’s Lily of the Nile at the East Central American College Dance Association Festival in 2026. Inspired by contemporary, modern, and jazz techniques, her work emphasizes fluidity, musicality, and community-centered connection through dance.
Preethi Saravanakumar
Preethi Saravanakumar is a Software Developer living in Michigan. She is a published author of 12 books. She has been training in Indian classical dance, Odissi, for more than 5 years. She has performed on various stages in the locality including Dance City Festival (Summer Stage) 2025.
Rashaun Massey-Johnson
Rashaun is in his 3rd year of pursuing a BFA in dance with a minor in exercise and sports science at Wayne State University, located in the heart of Detroit Mi. Although dance has been something that resonated deeply within me, I feel my truest self when I’m able to choreograph a piece. Being able to take moments from real life experiences and put them into movements , and then taking those movements and building a story is true art.
Diversiform Dance Project
Diversiform Dance Project was formed in 2021 to create a professional dance company that would welcome professional dancers of all sizes, ages, and dance backgrounds to perform new work for the greater Detroit community. The company explores and fuses a wide range of dance styles including modern, jazz, ballet, and social dance which provides an eclectic repertoire and an exciting amount of variation within just one company.
Now in its 5th season, Diversiform Dance Project has performed at the Detroit City Dance Festival, Detroit Dance Race, Oakland Dance Festival, The Roxy in Downtown Rochester, National Dance Education Organization Conference, Flair on the Square in Ohio, Dancing in the Summer the Festival, the OPC, and numerous community events. They also present a full length show each season. Contact us at: diversiformdanceproject@gmail.com if you are interested in having us perform at your event.
Diversiform Dance Project Youth Company
Diversiform Dance Project Youth Company located in Rochester Hills, Michigan provides dedicated young dancers ages 8-18 with performance opportunities in multiple dance styles. Youth Company director and choreographer Lisa Podnar is an alumna of Wayne State University with a B.S. in Dance Education. While studying at Wayne State, she has also received certifications with organizations such as the Cecchetti Council of America, AZ Dance Medicine, Progressing Ballet Technique, and Acrobatic Arts. She was previously a member of Diversiform Dance Project, Detroit Tap Reparatory, and Dance Uprising. Her choreography has been presented at the Oakland Dance Festival and Dancing in the Summer, the Festival as well as by numerous dance studios.
Naayika Arts
Visalini Sundaram is a Bharatha Natyam dancer & Carnatic vocalist in Southern California. She has been involved in the arts for the past 30 years, and hails from a family of musicians and dancers.
Visalini was a student of Guru Ramya Harishankar, and has participated in several performances, both as a student of dance and as the vocal support, and has performed in the US, India, and abroad. She now continues her advanced training from Chennai based award winning dancer Shri. A. Lakshmanaswamy.
She has been teaching music since 2007 and dance since 2016. As a full time artist, Visalini has been the main vocalist for many dance arangetrams and productions, singing for young students of dance to professional dancers. In 2022, she was awarded the Alliance for California Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Grant to work on bringing together her love of dance and music together.
Visalini is the Artistic Director of Naayika Arts where she teaches Bharatha Natyam and Carnatic vocal music, as well as the founder of The Naayika Collective, a creative and collaborative space for artists.
Summer Stage Memories
