Northern Michigan University musical theater major Don'Tae Mitchell has received a full scholarship to attend the summer 2025 training intensive at Giordano Dance Chicago, “America's original jazz company.” Artistic director Nan Giordano made the surprise announcement while the company was on campus to perform at NMU's recent North Coast Dance Festival (NCDF).
“I was speechless and flabbergasted in many different ways,” said Mitchell of learning about the scholarship. “It was unreal and unexpected. I'm really excited to go to the summer intensive because I am very new to dance. I watch a lot of dance videos on YouTube and I've seen a lot performed in different places. However, I've never seen a jazz company present such a compelling story. It was so moving. When I saw it, I said, ‘I would love to do that. They're doing what I love and they look so happy.'”
“The summer intensives are coveted spots and often the path that leads dancers into Giordano II and the main company,” added Jill Grundstrom, artistic director of the NCDF and assistant department head of NMU Theatre and Dance. “We are so proud of Don'Tae and are excited to continue our relationship with Giordano in the future.”
Mitchell was born in Louisiana and raised in Georgia. He completed high school in Austin, Texas, where he took his first dance class as a junior—a relative late bloomer—and co-choreographed a production of Wizard of Oz.
When he attended a thespian festival as a senior, his high school directors encouraged students to reach out to the universities represented and talk with the professors about their theater programs. The first table he came upon was Northern's, where he met assistant professor Kristen Ludwig (Williams).
“I talked with her for like three hours, sang for her in a hallway and showed her some of my dance videos," Mitchell said. "She said she could see me at Northern and told me about the environment. I went home and did some research on the university and looked up photos of Marquette, which were amazingly beautiful. My experience at Northern has been such a blessing. I've moved so far away from family, which can be hard, but my professors and my cohort in theater and dance make it so easy to feel at home here. I love how intimate the program is and learning from professors who've already achieved professional success in theater and dance.”
As a freshman apprentice in NMU's CO-LAB Company last year, Mitchell said he learned a great deal from advanced students who were full company members and especially from Karina Johnson, artistic director and head of the bachelor's degree program in dance. He invested more time and effort than required of an apprentice, even choreographing two numbers for a CO-LAB showcase: a commercial hip-hop piece to Sam Smith's Unholy; and a jazz presentation of That Girl by Maxi Priest ft. Shaggy. He also had a cameo in Spamalot and appeared in Othello and Anything Goes.
As he enters his sophomore year, Mitchell is now a full member of CO-LAB Company and has been cast in Forest Roberts Theatre's first mainstage show, Cabaret. He will appear in and choreograph numbers for Home for the Holidays and CO-LAB's Alice in Wonderland: An Immersive Experience.
With the recent surprise scholarship offer, Mitchell already has plans for June 9-14, 2025. He is eagerly anticipating the summer intensive at Giordano Dance Company in downtown Chicago, where he will strengthen his technical skills in multiple dance genres.
“It's a dream to be able to learn more from them,” said Mitchell. “Having the chance to see them perform on campus this summer and just be in their company was surreal. They're superstars on stage—so profound and efficient at what they do—but they're very down to earth afterward. We were able to have conversations with them and exchange contact information. It was amazing and I'm such a fan.”
After Northern, Mitchell's goal is to pursue his two passions: performing, whether on stage in national tours of Broadway musicals, on TV or in film; and continuing to release original R&B and pop music. Some of his songs are available on most streaming platforms under his stage name Don'Tae Da'Marcus. His Instagram handle is @Dontaedamarcuss.
