So many faces and facets of Detroit

Labor Day is over. September is in full swing. It is the time of year that excites just about everyone. First-day-of-school photos inundated social media for a few weeks. Fundraising events have kept our September calendars full. Arts and cultural seasons open in October. And Detroit sports fans have plenty of options for watching their favorite teams. But at the end of the day, it is the many individual faces, and many interesting facets that make up the “day-in” and “day-0ut” of Detroit. Please enjoy:

If you missed it in 2012 (sad for you), it returns this weekend, on September 26 and 27, 2014 in Midtown Detroit. DLECTRICITY took the Midtown Corridor by storm two years ago, making a very big splash by creatively lighting Woodward Avenue buildings. “DLECTRICITY is Detroit’s nighttime festival of art + light that features over 35 world-renowned and emerging artists whose cutting-edge works of art will illuminate Midtown Detroit, from the Detroit Institute of Arts down to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.” You need to check this out.

With offices housed on the campus of Wayne State University, InsideOut Literary Arts Project, like many organizations, is ramping up now that September has arrived. Securing talented Detroit-area writers and securing partner schools (many of which are in Detroit) are two key components that allow InsideOut to amplify the voices of thousands of students, helping these students become the creative writers, poets, and presenters they were meant to be. You should check this organization out: InsideOut.

Interested in volunteering? You might consider joining the troop of Detroiters that will help them celebrate their 20th anniversary. Send an email to inquiry@insideoutdetroit.org.

Three young adults, looking picturesque, almost as though they’re characters in a movie, listen to Laurie Eisenhower and dancers from Eisenhower Dance discuss choreography, movement, and expression. Moments after this photo was taken, the youth of The Ruth Ellis Center danced freestyle to an admiring audience of professional dancers. When they were suitably tired, the tables were turned, and they waited breathless, as the Eisenhower Dancers performed a duet for them. The groundwork for the workshop was laid. The next hour produced some incredibly raw, passionate, and original work. The Ruth Ellis Center just had its annual fundraiser “VOICES” in September, and while always successful, please read here to find out how you can support this incredibly important organization.

Meanwhile, Eisenhower Dance will open its season on October 18 and 19 at Oakland University’s Varner Hall with “On the Move”. However, Detroit fans, you won’t have to travel too far to see Michigan’s premier contemporary dance company perform this year because they will be visiting the Detroit Opera House on January 31 with the brand new, cutting edge, multi-media work, “The Light Show”. You can watch the trailer here.

And while you’ll have to wait another year to attend this intriguing event, the famed Diner en Blanc was a major hit with 300+ Detroiters. A final hurrah to summer, and what strangely seemed like a “welcome back” party after extended summer vacations, Diner en Blanc was the perfect way to punctuate August.  Admittedly a foodie-laden crowd, all that was required of each guest was a chair, full place setting, food, drinks, and formal white dress. People delivered. Eastern Market may have been surprised by the convergence of 300 unplanned guests dressed in white, but with a few quick adjustments, the night went on without a hitch. After all, it is the many faces and facets of Detroit that define the spirit of our city.