Cranbrook Schools’ Director of Dance Honored as Art Educator by Detroit Dance Collective

Cranbrook Schools Dance Director Kay Rediers was honored as an Arts Educator by the Detroit Dance Collective (DDC), a professional modern dance company, at its 45^th Anniversary Gala. The event was held at the Gem Thater on September 26. She was recognized alongside photographer John Sobczak and arts advocate Lora Frankel.  

 

Rediers, a dancer and choreographer at DDC for 26 years, was recognized for “significant contributions have guided and supported DDC's journey.”

 

Performers at the gala included Luke Koski,'16, who danced in the Cranbrook dance program and performed his capstone solo at Raider’s invitation. Koski graduated from Case Western this past spring with a master's degree in public health as well as a bachelor's degree in dance.

 

The following is the statement from the Detroit Dance Collective regarding the honor.

 

“Kay Rediers has been the Director of Dance at Cranbrook Schools since 2007, where she teaches dance as well as pilates and yoga. Her choreography can be seen in the Cranbrook Winter and Spring Festival Concerts, the annual Musical production, and the Evening Dance Concert which she produces. Kay earned her BS in Dance Education from Wayne State University. After graduating, Kay was a dance artist with Detroit Dance Collective for twenty-six years, where she choreographed and performed featured roles in numerous works produced by the company. She was their Associate Artistic Director and the Director of Education managing DDC’s outreach program.

 

Kay has extensive experience with special-needs students and worked as a dance artist with the VSA Arts of Michigan Integrated Multi-Arts Curriculum Project. Kay’s experience includes Director of the Saturday Dance Lab at Wayne State University, and the Dance Director of University of Michigan Summer Music Program. Kay has been a guest dancer with Detroit Dance Collective, More Dances Contemporary Dance Company, the HNM Dance Company and at the Bill Evans Summer Institute, performing works of Bill Evans, Claire Porter, and Edisa Weeks. Kay was the 2013 recipient of the Michigan Youth Arts Touchstone Award and Michigan Arts Educator of the year. Since 2009, Kay has spent her summer studies at the Bill Evans Teacher Intensive. She earned her certification in the Bill Evans Teaching Method in 2021. The Evans method continues to influence and inspire her teaching.”