Edge of Belonging

Full Cast - Including Guest Artists Darrell Haggard, Antonio Jaimes, and Michigan Ballet Academy Students

Choreography by Summer Odell Ovies

Set to an evocative musical score, this poignant ballet delves into the universal human quest for connection and acceptance. Through tender moments and turbulent struggles, it exposes the vulnerabilities of the human experience. Illuminating the fragile beauty of belonging and the risks we take to find our rightful place.

This riveting dance narrative is choreographed by Summer Odell Ovies in collaboration with the Deos dancers.

“Edge of Belonging” rehearsal photos by Lynell Miller

Nightfall

Movement 1 | Lauren Hansen (soloist), Bronwyn Smith, Katie Brown

Movement 2 | Bronwyn Smith (soloist), Lauren Hansen, Katie Brown, Allison Haan, Leah Haggard

Movement 3 | Isabelle Ramey (soloist), Lauren Hansen, Bronwyn Smith, Katie Brown, Allison Haan, Leah Haggard

Choreography by Tess Sinke

Nightfall is a ballet in three parts, featuring technically demanding pointework and extremely quick footwork. The three-movement work ranges from an operatic trio to a tender and melancholic lullaby soloist, completing with the famed “Danse Macabre.”

Cry, Carry

Soloist One | Leah Haggard

Soloist Two | Allison Haan

Soloist Three | Isabelle Ramey

Choreography by Tess Sinke

Cry, Carry displays three very different contemporary ballet solos highlighting the ways women lean on each other and process sorrow.

Martha

Lauren Hansen (soloist), Bronwyn Smith, Isabelle Ramey, Maren Lowry, Evie Kragt

Choreography by Tess Sinke

Martha is a burst of powerful modern dance from a corps de ballet of four women and soloist dancer. Named after and inspired by a friend of Sinke, Martha is a tribute to women’s resiliency in the face of medical uncertainty and navigating difficult diagnoses. Martha was first presented in 2019 and again in 2021, making this its third return to the stage and with an entirely new cast.

“Bringing a crowd favorite back to the stage is always a treat for the choreographer, dancers, and audience,” said Sinke. “Seeing how new dancers breathe life into the work makes it feel like an entirely new experience. How the ballet fits into the context of the world around it is also very different, so audience members from 2025 can take away something entirely different from those at the 2019 premiere.”

Regency Belles

Allison Haan, Leah Haggard, Katie Brown

Choreography by Grace Sinke

After its 2023 premiere, Sinke’s original “Regency Belles” returns to the stage with a new cast of dancers! Three regency debutantes are at a luxurious ball, and each one spots their “Mr. Darcy” equivalent from across the room. They are each too shy to actually go over and speak with their prince charming, so instead they flirt from afar and try to gain his attention. This fun, light, elegant trio will transport you back to a regal time!