Expressions Dance Studio

The residents of Flint and Ann Arbor, Michigan were treated to a very special event because of the University Musical Society (UMS): Yo-Yo Ma visited as part the performer's two-year journey to perform Six Suites for Solo Cello as a catalyst for social action and it marks the first time Ma extended the model beyond the Bach Project to a broader audience. Ma's visit was two-days filled of activities including a talk by him in the University of Michigan's Hill Auditorium on 'Culture, Understanding, and Survival,' as well as a Day of Action in Flint, Michigan with the theme, 'Flint Voices: Culture, Community, and Resilience.' At the Day of Action, Ma worked with community partners to transform lives and forge both a more connected world and a healthy and vibrant local community with the goal of the session to find new opportunities for collaborations across Flint's cultural communities and organizations. The strategy session was followed up by a community cultural show that was a celebration of Flint's vitality, diversity, and artistry. BroadwayWorld Detroit had a chance to speak with two of people heavily involved in brining Yo-Yo Ma and his Day of Action event to Michigan - Jim Leija (director of education & community engagement for UMS) and Natasha Thomas-Jackson (Flint-based arts advocate). Read our interview with them to see why this was an important event: