The Detroit News, 3/20

'(313) to the (212)' showcases Detroit, New York City dance ties
by Andrea Daniel

The artistic connection between two major cities takes center stage with the "(313) to the (212): A Detroit/New York Choreography Expo," at the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts at 8 p.m. Saturday. What the Music Hall has formed, says artistic director Vince Paul, is a night of 21st century, new, contemporary dance. New York dance companies, he says, are full of Detroiters. "A lot of people go to New York because it's a great place for presentation," he says. "So we found three from New York who have this very strong Michigan connection, and four in Michigan." The dancer/choreographers representing the New York (or 212) connection include Nicholas Leichter of Nicholas Leichter Dance in New York, who worked with the Wayne State University Dance Department in 2009; and WSU grads Bryan Strimpel and Sonya Tayeh, known for her choreography on TV's "So You Think You Can Dance." Strimpel worked closely with Leichter while at WSU.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140320/ENT05/303200010#ixzz2wVDVX1ut

 

Detroit Free Press, 3/19

Best of the best: 5 fun things to do March 20-26
by Greg Crawford

The 313 will encounter the 212 on a dance stage at 8 p.m. Saturday, but fear not, gentle Detroiters, this won't be one of those angry "Step Up"-style dance-offs. "(313) TO THE (212)" is a peaceful, collaborative affair that will bring together dance companies and choreographers from the Motor City with those hailing from the 212 area code (better known as New York City). Among those representing the D will be Alison Roller Woerner and Thayer Jonutz and their Take Root Company and Laurie Eisenhower and her Eisenhower Dance. The New York lineup includes several dancers and choreographers with ties to Wayne State, including Nicholas Leichter, Bryan Strimpel and Sonya Tayeh. All will be unveiling new works billed as "cutting-edge" at the Music Hall Center in Detroit.

http://www.freep.com/article/20140319/ENT05/303190037/marche-nain-rouge-molly-ringwald

 

Detroit Free Press, 3/16

Detroit bred choreographer Sonya Tayeh rockets to top of dance world
by Patricia Montemurri

Sonya Tayeh, one of the hottest dance choreographers in the country, choreographed the current off-Broadway play "Kung Fu" about the late martial arts icon Bruce Lee. Over the last several years, Tayeh also has worked with pop performers ranging from Florence and the Machine to Madonna. But she found her footing first in Detroit clubs as a house dancer and at underground raves, and in the dance classrooms of Wayne State University. She's back this week teaching classes at WSU and co-presenting a choreography showcase 3/22 at Detroit's Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts.

http://www.freep.com/article/20140316/FEATURES01/303150012/Sonya-Tayeh-choreographer-SYTYCD-Detroit-WSU-HFCC

View shots from one of Sonya Tayeh's master classes in our theatre/dance Flickr set.