The Detroit Opera House, Michigan

In March my friend Jen asked me if I could fly up to Detroit to see the Chinese ballet Shen Yun. She had bought plenty of tickets as a Christmas present for her mother and hoped to take the whole family. One by one they dropped out, so Jen gave me a call and I readily agreed. Yes, Kansas City has hosted the Shen Yun performances before, but most of my friends shy away from the arts. The closest I’d been to seeing a performance was by watching the billboards display dancers.

I flew up the day before the performance to spend a little time with Jen, and we ran a few errands. It turns out the family members returned to the fold and decided to go. Happily, Jen and I went to the store to get a few breakfast items as she decided to provide a brunch before online church and the departure to Shen Yun.

We had fun preparing for the ballet by first putting on hydration masks. Skepticism took over as we wore these masks to bed. Surely they would fall off in the middle of the night. Oh well, it created a fun picture and hope for a newly hydrated face. Don’t we look fabulous?

Needless to say, I found the mask crumpled in my bed the next morning. However, the line that forms between my eyebrows seemed to decrease. The mask must have plumped up my face a bit.

Once online church ended, we made our way downtown. The opera house is located directly across the street from their baseball stadium and a few blocks from the football stadium.

The most intriguing piece of art, the Millennium Bell, looks like a fish head. The city commissioned this bell to ring in the new millennium (1999 to 2000). Since that time, tradition dictates it be rung for every new year. I didn’t have time to run over and ring it, but I sure would have loved it.

The Shen Yun bus sat just outside the entrance to the Detroit Opera House. Look closely at the bus. It’s the only picture I have of the Chinese ballet dancers. All filming was prohibited.

I did get photos of the Opera House though. The building originally opened in 1922 under the name Capitol Theatre. Its name changed several times from The Paramount to Broadway Capitol then Grand Circus Theatre. It held 4,250 seats and became the fifth-largest theater in the world.

Time took away the charm as the building fell into disrepair and needed extensive repairs which began in 1996. Renamed the Michigan Opera Theatre the building eventually opened with a renewed splendor. Its current name change began in 2022.

Despite no pictures being allowed during the performance, I managed to take a few shots inside the theater too. Please note: I brought a lovely opera style dress to Michigan, but the weather did not cooperate. I relented and went for comfort over fashion. Just imagine me in a black dress with matching black sandals (and a fresh-looking “masked” face).

If you start with me and count to three, you’ll see the guests who stayed awake the entire performance. If you count from four to eight, word on the street is they had the performance displaying on the inside of their eyelids…at least in part.

The performance delighted many. It began with the curtain rising and ladies holding bright pink flowers sat in the midst of a heavy fog. The vibrant colors against the backdrop of the fog created a beautiful scene. As the show continued other features added to the innovative approach to storytelling. A background photo would show a video of people who made their way to the bottom of the screen. Then, like magic, the person in the background would jump out of the screen, come to life and dance on stage. The technique held the attention of many.

By the end of the performance most of us were ready to go. Because I had to be back by Monday, I decided to take the flight out Sunday night. I hugged my adopted family and headed into the terminal.

DTW

The Delta terminal provided both a monorail system and autonomous wheelchairs for passengers. The monorail helps people change gates with ease. I walked the entire length of the terminal, and it took just under a half hour from one end to the other. Using the monorail significantly cuts the time it takes. You have to take an elevator or escalator to get to the entrance, but the system is slick.

Another option includes the autonomous wheelchairs. Passengers who indicate they need a whhlchair can be assigned the AI version. These people use a tablet/joystick to navigate to their gate. Once they reach the destination, the wheelchair returns to its base. While some passengers need more support, these wheelchairs help those who can stand and transfer independently but need assistance with longer walks. I didn’t see an occupied wheelchair, so I don’t know how fast they move. Their return to base did not impress me with speed, but I did appreciate how it avoided hitting anything.

My trip to Detroit was short, but the time with friends was priceless. I’m thankful for the opportunity to take these adventures!