Heart of Detroit: Mosaic Youth Theatre

DETROIT – Without the Mosaic Youth Theatre, a handful of metro Detroit high schoolers wouldn't have a place to perform.

Rick Sperling started Mosaic 20 years ago with a couple dozen kids and no budget. Today it is six times that size, with kids from 50 different schools. Mosaic is internationally renowned and not just for singing and dancing.

"Ninty-five percent of the young people who have gone through Mosaic have gone to college," Sperling said.

The group's latest show, which is at the DIA this weekend, celebrates the teen legends of 1962 Motown, by playing them with Detroit teens of today.

"When people see Detroit teenagers, uh, who don't always get the best rep in the press, in the media. When they see them doing something, they can't believe is possible. I think it changes their perception of what is possible for these young people," Sperling said.

Giving young people a voice and a stage, Rick Sperling and the Mosaic Youth Theatre keep the beat in the Heart of Detroit.