Meg Paul believes there is enough dance and theatrical talent in Detroit to compete with any city in the world. And she’s bringing in the best of Broadway to downtown Detroit to prove it.

Paul, the director of dance for the Detroit Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, will place more than 120 youth and adult performance artists from throughout southeastern Michigan together on the same stage with stars from the New York Ballet, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, and "The Color Purple" musical during the National City Stars of Ballet and Broadway Extravaganza.

Miss America Kirsten Haglund, a Farmington Hills native, will also perform in the showcase.

Paul says the purpose of the event is to raise proceeds for the Music Hall’s youth and young adult dance training and outreach classes; the event will give the local performers the experience of performing in a Broadway-style production.

The annual charity event has gone on for several years, however this is the first time local actors, dancers and singers will be featured.“This produces something that we’ve never had before. (Metro Detroiters) will have an opportune chance to participate in a quality production here in downtown Detroit,” says Paul, a Grosse Point resident and an award-winning chorographer and stage director who wanted to provide a venue for locals with raw talent to hone their skills in their hometown. “They don’t have to go to New York or Los Angeles for training,” she adds.

As the experience of performing in the same production with Broadway professionals is an accomplishment, according to the participating local artists, learning from the show professionals is just as valuable. “I’m trying to soak up as much information as possible,” says 17-year-old Andrew Kaczmarek, a Clawson native who will be participating in his first performance at the Music Hall.

Kaczmarek, who has plans on being a part of a professional dance company after his high school graduation, says being able to talk and practice with the dance professionals and other local participants is helping him to become a better performer. “Getting to know all these dancers and learning from professionals is a great experience,” Kaczmarek says.

Local professional singer Chiara Clayton, lead singer of the group Chiara Chanel and the Experience, says the practices for the extravaganza are also helping her expand her performance repertoire.

“I haven't done theater since 2001, so it has given me an opportunity to sharpen my acting and dancing skills,” says Clayton, 32, who is among a group of Metro Detroiters who will perform a medley of songs from the Broadway hit musical “A Chorus Line” during the show.

Clayton, who sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” during the 2007 Detroit Grand Prix,  says she and cast mates are not only responsible for the harmony and the melody of the piece but also the dance steps to accompany it. “It's a whole different type of performing when it comes to musical theater than when talking about the singing I do with my band,” she says.

Paul says the learning is not limited to those who made the auditions. Several of the professional cast-members will lead free workshops on acting, dance and singing on a first-come first-serve basis. While expecting the workshops to fill up rather quickly, Paul says the Music Hall will do their best to make sure youth and young adults interested in participating will have a chance.

“We will do our best to ensure that everyone who wants to learn has an opportunity to attend,” Paul says. As for those performers who will represent Detroit on stage this weekend, Paul says from the dedication and drive exhibited from the group at rehearsals she could not ask for a finer group.

“There is tremendous talent in this town.”