Master of Fine Arts in Dance candidate Kiana “KC” Cook and the University of Michigan Department of Dance present THE NOISE CAME FROM HERE: A Homage to the Old West Side in two unique site-specific performances. The first will be held at 7:30 PM on Saturday, September 6th in the Dance Performance Studio Theatre (1000 Baits Dr, Ann Arbor), followed by a second performance at 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 7th at Albert Wheeler Park (200 Depot St, Ann Arbor) (Rain location: Dance Performance Studio Theatre, 1000 Baits Dr). The performance runs for one hour with no intermission. Tickets for the September 6th show are free and available at the door, while the September 7th park performance requires no tickets. The event is ADA accessible and suitable for all ages.

THE NOISE CAME FROM HERE is a living tribute to Ann Arbor’s Historically Black “Old West Side”—a neighborhood where Black families built deep roots before systemic gentrification altered the community. The term noise in this work is both literal and symbolic: a celebration of presence and a refusal to be erased. Developed in direct conversation with the Community Leadership Council of the Dunbar Tower, who are tied to the neighborhood’s legacy, the performance honors their stories through dance, sound, and collective remembrance.

The performances feature Buff1, Anyse, Lobo, Banga, Jerwaun “Renegade” Suddun, Rachel “Prysm” Johnson, and student artists Ava K. Garland, Hope Hanna-Casupang, Gabriele Shepheard, David Kim, Bobby Currie, and Erika Siblesz with original lighting design by Scott Crandall.

THE NOISE CAME FROM HERE is made possible through generous support from University of Michigan-Ann Arbor’s School of Music, Theatre, & Dance, and the Arts Initiative.