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Our Mission

Bluewater Dance Theatre exists to inspire young dancers, nurture their artistry, and strengthen our community through meaningful training and performance opportunities. Our summer program brings dancers together from across the Bluewater area to rehearse and present a fully staged production, while additional initiatives—such as the Student Choreographer Program—support emerging creators as they develop their own artistic voice. We celebrate the dedication and talent of local dancers and welcome the community to participate as performers, volunteers, sponsors, or audience members.

Our Story

Cinderella: A Fairy Tale in Dance premiered in October 2005 at McMorran Auditorium under the direction of Donna Galbraith and the International Performing Arts Company. The production returned in 2006 and 2007, becoming a beloved community tradition. In 2013, a new rendition was choreographed by Pauline Schultz, continuing the legacy of bringing dancers from multiple studios together to perform a full‑length ballet. Cinderella has always been a collaborative effort, uniting young dancers across the Bluewater area and offering them the chance to experience the magic of storytelling through concert dance.



In 2015, Bluewater Dance Theatre was founded under the artistic direction of Brandon Harneck, continuing the beloved Cinderella tradition while expanding the company’s artistic reach. In the seasons that followed, BWDT introduced additional full‑length and one‑act ballets such as Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, and began incorporating contemporary dance into its productions. This blend of classical storytelling and modern movement has shaped the company’s identity and broadened opportunities for dancers across the Bluewater area.

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Artistic Director

Brandon Harneck graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2012 with his BA in Dance. During his performance career, Brandon served as company dancer for Thodos Dance Chicago, under the direction of Melissa Thodos, and later ArtLabJ, under the direction of Joori Jung. Brandon has also performed with Grand Valley Dance Ensemble, Dance in the Annex, Momentum, Opera Grand Rapids, The Grand Rapids Symphony, Detroit Dance City Festival and New Dances Chicago. He has had the privilege to perform historic and contemporary works by notable choreographers such as Bob Fosse, Ann Reinking, Sybil Shearer, Lucas Crandall, Brian Enos, Kristina Isabelle, Autumn Eckman, Julie Blume, Lizzie Mackenzie, Lauren Edson, Shawn T Bible, Kangseok Lee and more. 


Brandon is currently the Artistic Director and Co-Owner of The Dance Company Conservatory, as well as the Founder and Artistic Director of The Bluewater Dance Theatre. Previously, he served as Assistant Director of ArtLabJ and Director of ArtLabJ II. Brandon has been a teacher/choreographer for over 18 years, having created many professional and student-level works throughout Michigan and Illinois. He has presented his choreography at New Dances Chicago, Dance Chance, Trip the Light, Detroit Dance Race, Detroit Dance City Festival, Novi Dance Collaboration and Oakland Dance Festival.