The University Musical Society (UMS) proudly announces Shanzell Q. Page as the 2025-26 UMS/UM-Flint Artist in Residence. A celebrated tap dancer, choreographer, and educator, Page will create a new work, Salt in the Soil: Seeds and Fruit, which will explore how rhythm can nourish the human spirit, in addition to other activities.
Born and raised in Flint, Page has been shaped by the city’s unique rhythm and resilience. “Flint is my blueprint,” Page says. “It’s where rhythm and storytelling first entered my life, and where I learned to hold more than one truth at a time.” As a teenager, she performed one of her first full-length shows at the University of Michigan-Flint. This residency represents a full-circle journey, honoring her history while inspiring new work.
“We are thrilled to welcome Shanzell Page as our 2025-26 UMS/UM-Flint Artist in Residence,” says Cayenne Harris, UMS Vice President of Learning and Engagement. “This initiative is a cornerstone of our commitment to sharing our resources with the UM-Flint campus, deepening our relationships with the Flint community, and supporting artists who are at the very heart of the city’s culture. Shanzell’s work is a powerful testament to the resilience and rhythm of Flint, and we’re excited to see how she connects with students and residents alike.”
The residency, part of the UMS Learning & Engagement initiatives, is designed to deepen UMS’s relationship with the Flint community through ongoing artistic engagement. As the latest artist in this program, Page will develop a new performance work while also engaging with the community through additional activities, including classroom visits at UM-Flint, a public event with an external community partner, and a culminating work-in-progress showing. The residency provides artists with funds and resources to support their creative practice and forge interdisciplinary connections.
“This project feels like a natural continuation of my work preserving and uplifting cultural traditions through tap dance and traditional movement, while fostering inclusive spaces for learning and intergenerational exchange,” Page shared.
A passionate educator, Page uses tap dance to open doors to other disciplines, turning rhythm patterns into lessons on fractions and choreography into history and storytelling. Her teaching philosophy centers on creating safe spaces where students feel empowered to take risks and see themselves as artists and keepers of culture.
UMS is honored to welcome Shanzell Page to share her artistry, her story, and the “unshakable” rhythm of her hometown with the community as the UMS/UM-Flint Artist in Residence.
During the residency, Page looks forward to leading workshops in Flint and Ann Arbor that center call and response, oral storytelling, and collective rhythm, creating spaces where dancers of all ages and abilities can learn across one another. Her time in the University of Michigan archives will be spent exploring sources that speak to cultural memory, movement, and rhythm. These elements will support her ongoing process and allow the past to remain an active part of her work’s unfolding.
Residency and event information can be found at UMS.ORG. Additional activities to be announced.
