Out of Ashes: An Artist’s Witness from Grand Blanc
After a life-changing residency in New York, one choreographer’s dance became a meditation on loss, faith, and the ashes left behind after a tragedy in Grand Blanc, Michigan.
Credits: Videography: McCall McClellan, Editing: Tyler Gathro
Moving Testimony
Originally inspired by burnt landscapes in Arizona, choreographer Thayer Jonutz spent his Artists Residency at the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts shaping a new work called Scorched—a meditation on fire, labor, and endurance.
Days after returning home to Michigan, his own community in Grand Blanc was engulfed by tragedy when his stake center was set on fire following a mass shooting.
What began as a personal reflection on loss and renewal became something more profound. Thayer created a new section of choreography as a way to process, memorialize, and honor the tragic event. Incorporating it into his choreography felt like a sacred experience. “It felt very in tune with the Spirit,” he says of creating the piece. “Almost like I was bearing my testimony in movement.”
In this dance film, he reflects on grief, faith, and the divine urgency that drove him to finish Scorched—a work that now moves like prayer, bearing witness to what can rise from ashes.
Scorched Premiere and Benefit
Scorched will premiere Saturday, November 15, 2025. Funds raised from the event will benefit the Victim Compassion Fund, administered by the ELGA Credit Union Foundation for Impact. The fund was created by the Grand Blanc Township Police Department, in partnership with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, to provide direct support to victims and families affected by the attack. The concert is at Eisenhower Dance Detroit (450 Enterprise Ct. Bloomfield Hills, Michigan). Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the performance at 7:00 p.m.
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