We were lucky to catch up with Kay Rediers recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kay, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
It seems I have been drawn to performing arts of one type or another during my whole life. As a child, I watched musicals on television and wished that everyone would sing and dance in the streets in real life. In high school, I had the option to take dance as my physical education credit, which I quickly decided on. This is where I found my voice, a creative outlet, and a way to express myself fully. I grew up in a household that was loving, but chaotic and unpredictable due to mental illness and the substance abuse of both of my brothers. In dance class, I felt safe, purposeful, and fully alive. I went on to major in dance in college at Wayne State University (WSU) and found an even deeper meaning and purpose in the art of dance. I experienced how movement could express all parts of humanity. I performed several times a year with the WSU Dance Company and being on stage oddly enough erased my shyness and self-doubt. I became part of a wonderful community of dancers who have become lifelong friends. After college, I was invited to be an apprentice in a regional professional dance company, Detroit Dance Collective (DDCdances) and became a member six months later. We toured in schools and in professional theatres throughout Michigan, and the rest of the country. I loved the dramatic and innovative choreography that the directors of DDC created and the thrill of performing. We often collaborated with musicians, painters, sculptors, and poets. I loved being part of this community of artists. When my brother passed away from liver failure, I created a dance, a quartet titled Oh Brother, to help get me through the loss and pain of his troubled life which ended way too soon. This dance was cathartic for me. While part of DDC, I also started teaching many classes as a guest artist in schools, connecting dance to curriculum. I taught creative movement to young children as well as classes in technique at the local community college. I later became DDC’s Educational Outreach Director and Associate Director. I loved bringing the world of dance to students of all ages. After twenty-six years as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher with DDCdances, a wonderful opportunity presented itself for me to become the Director of Dance at Cranbrook Schools. Cranbrook is world renowned for its amazing architecture, sculptures, natural settings, and academic rigor and artistic merit. I spend my days in the dance studio overlooking a lake and beautiful sculptures with amazing, young dancers. I aim to give students a space where they can feel free to expressive themselves through movement. I expose my students to modern dance and contemporary techniques while we co-create dances that are performed during several performances throughout the year.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I continue to teach and create choreography with my dance classes at Cranbrook and expose my students to the Art of Dance. Last year we created a wonderful dance titled the Last Wave, based on the works of our painting teacher who is an amazing artist in his own right. The paintings were projected onto the scrim as the dancers performed a series of wave-like movement patterns. I feel fortunate to be supported by the community at Cranbrook Schools. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, one of my dance students wrote a lovely poem about me for an English assignment expressing the strength and determination that she saw in me. I felt honored. Upon my return from treatment, my students all welcomed me back with open arms and lovely cards. All this care inspired me to create a dance titled “Kindred Spirits”. The movement was meant to express how we support and lean on each other. I also have been fortunate enough to be supported by various parent groups at school as well as school administrators who have funded my professional development to become a certified Evans Teacher. (Created by dance artist/educator, Bill Evans). The principles of this training are cultivating community, embracing change, seeking clarity through specificity, honoring personal uniqueness, and sensing dance as an experience of the human spirit. These values remain my guide as a dance teacher. This year, I look forward to creating new dances, coaching my students in their own creations, and watching the joy and inner expressions flowing outward through their movement.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Being flexible and open to new possibilities. Being open to new ideas, having a willingness to continually learn and grow, and keeping your eyes open to arts, nature and the human condition to inspire dances and creations. My advice to dance teachers is to teach to the folks who are in front of you. We often come into a class with great plans of what we will accomplish, but it’s important to actually see your students and their own personal uniqueness. They have a lot to offer.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
I’ve had many wonderful teachers in my life who have mentored me or modeled the courage, skills, and tenacity that it takes to direct, teach, and create dance. Starting with my college dance professors to my recent summer intensives with Bill Evans and Don Halquist. The Directors of DDCdances, Paula Kramer and Barbara Selinger especially in my role at Cranbrook, have and continue to encourage, advise, and support my endeavors as a dance artist. My sister and nieces are always there for me, and my husband Benny and son Nate have been my biggest fans who inspire me to be my best each day.
Contact Info:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/rediers
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kay.rediers
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kay-rediers-a9507814
Image Credits
Tom Kramer John Sobczak
