Archive

Erin Thompson’s “Ring in the New Year” Class at Zenon

Please join Erin Thompson for a “Ring in the New Year” contemporary dance class in honor of the turning of the year on Thursday morning, December 28 from 10:00am-11:45am.

Before you make your New Year’s resolutions, come find peace with internal awareness, thrust your holiday limbs into the ground, and fly across the floor flinging 2023 away!

Intermediate-Advanced Contemporary/Modern
Thursday, December 28
10:00-11:45am
In-person only!

Registration is open through Zenon’s MindBody portal.

Audition for Minnesota Ballet Collective

Advanced ballet dancers aged 18 and up are invited to audition for Minnesota Ballet Collective! The Minnesota Ballet Collective is committed to empowering advanced ballet dancers by fostering artists’ creativity, collaboration, and passion. We seek to inspire our community through ballet’s storytelling ability and inherent beauty. The Minnesota Ballet Collective believes in the transformative power of dance and its positive impact on the community.

We rehearse once a week on Saturdays from 5:00-7:00pm, with an optional warm-up class from 4:00-5:00pm.

For more information, check out our website.

The audition will be on January 6 from 5:00-7:00pm at Platinum Dance Center.
Dancers are welcome to arrive up to 30 minutes early to warm up.
Please wear ballet attire. Bring ballet shoes and pointe shoes. Please bring a printed headshot and first arabesque shot.

The registration deadline is January 5.
There is no audition fee required.

Wonderland Family Performances

This special family adaptation of our hit show about mental health has lots of fun components for kids!

The Mad Hatter will lead children in theater games to start the show. Kids will learn a dance combination that they will be invited to dance with the cast at the end of the show. Families can get photos with the characters – all while providing a positive message about mental health and empathy!

Saturday, January 20, 2024
10:00am and 2:00pm
At the Andy Boss Stage at Park Square Theatre

Get tickets and learn more.
Run time: 60 minutes, no intermission
Tickets: $15–$25

About the Show
Wonderland is a theatrical dance production that aims to de-stigmatize mental health issues. Set in a psychiatric hospital, characters from Alice in Wonderland face challenges, explore what “normal” means, and share an uplifting story of empathy, acceptance, and friendship in the face of mental illness. The story is told using Collide’s signature blend of high-energy dance set to a pop-rock soundtrack.

TU Dance Center: Dancing Together Workshop

The Dancing Together Workshop is a child and parent/caregiver Creative Movement class. This 8-week workshop is designed for children ages 2-4 and their parent/caregiver who is interested in a shared movement experience that engages the senses of curiosity and play.

Both child and caregiver will participate in developmentally appropriate movement exercises that incorporate elements such as effort, shape, and tempo. Music will play an essential role in the class as students will be asked to respond to sounds as well as make sounds themselves. Participants will be encouraged to join at their comfort level with the understanding that observation is often the best form of learning with younger children. This class will give children and caregivers the opportunity to learn more about themselves and one another through the art form of dance.

Saturdays, 9:00-9:45am at TU Dance Center.
Session 2: January 20-February 24
Session 3: March 16-May 4; No class on April 6 and 13.

To register, please click here.

Contemporary Forms Workshop with Sarah McCullough

Special holiday gift for the dancer in your life? Or a “treat yourself” holiday gift?

Wednesdays, March 6 – April 24, 2024
8:00–9:30am
Pre-registration required – no drop-ins.

Early bird registration – now open: $120
After February 6: $160
Registration closes: February 25.
Register.

Contemporary Forms
The core themes of this practice will include sensory exploration, movement as meditation, and engaging with the body’s intuition. In each class, we will move through improvisation and phrase work to engage the senses and awaken the body. Movement material will have an expansive, animal-like virtuosity. Over the course of the series, we will extend phrase work, using imagery and prompts from our research to explore individual choice making. This series is designed for intermediate/advanced movers that are interested in researching their unique movement modalities in a space based in curiosity and joy.

Sarah McCullough (she/her) is a Minneapolis-based movement artist and educator. Originally from Virginia, she attended James Madison University and earned her BA in Dance and Mathematics. Since joining Minneapolis’ dance community in 2018, she has performed the works of Carl Flink, Mathew Janczewski, Alexandra Bodnarchuk, Berit Ahlgren, Helen Hatch, Marisol Herling, and more. Alongside her performance work, Sarah is an educator in contemporary forms. While at JMU, she served as Co-Director of JMU’s Associate Dance Ensemble where she led a weekly company class and mentored 20 first year dance majors in the early stages of their collegiate dance journey. She has lead classes at the Limón Twin Cities Intensive, ARENA DANCES’ Instinct Summer Intensive, The University of Winchester (UK), North Carolina State University, as well as several high school dance programs and studios across Minnesota and Virginia.

Contact Improvisation Jam

Mondays at 6:30pm
The Center for Performing Arts – entrance at new wing on 38th Street.

The opening circle starts at 6:30pm with a facilitated warm-up.
The closing circle will begin at 8:30pm.

All levels of dance and abilities are welcomed.

Erin Thompson Teaches Advanced Contemporary Classes in Person and on Zoom

Erin’s advanced-level contemporary dance class at Zenon Dance School includes floor work, standing warm-ups, and phrase work, all designed to enhance the healthy use of joints and muscle groups as dancers release their weight fully into the support of the ground. Experiential awareness, body mapping, improvisation, and creative work are included as dancers channel their own expressive artistry within the movement.

Thursdays, 9:30-11:00am

Registration is open through Zenon’s MindBody portal.
See you soon!

Modern Dance Class with Thern at Tapestry

Dancing and finding pleasure in movement is for everyone of any age!

I’ve taught dance for all ages and experience levels for over fifty years. In my weekly session of modern dance classes, we’ll be working with somatic movement, structured improvisation, and floor work to build strength, flexibility, and ease of movement. You’ll learn patterns that move through space in community with other dancers, encouraging spatial and group awareness.

Mondays, 12:00-1:30pm
Drop in: $15-20. Cash or check made out to Kathryn Anderson.

Free parking in the lot south of Tapestry.

The Arena – Space for Rent

Located in the heart of the Lyn-Lake community, The Arena is available for your rehearsal, class, and event needs!

Hourly rates range from $15-$25, with discounts/special offerings available to BIPOC and LGBTQIA2+ communities. Inquire for savings.

Our space offers:

  • 1,305 square feet (30×40) of sprung, Marley dance flooring
  • Wall-length mirrors with curtains for covering if preferred
  • Changing room
  • Free parking on side streets (Aldrich, Bryant, Colfax, 31st, etc.)
  • Access to multiple bus lines, including the 21, 4, 23, 612, and 18

To request space, please email Mathew at arenadances@gmail.com.

The Arena – Drop-in Moving Practice with Leslie O’Neill

Moving Practice is a weekly class series with rotating instructors every month. Classes prioritize rigor, diversity of contemporary aesthetics, variety of class content, and commitment.

Leslie O’Neill teaches Moving Practice on December 19 (sub for Eva Mohn)
Tuesday, 9:30-11:00am

Professional-level dancers of all styles are welcome.
Pre-registration and payment beforehand encouraged.
Suggested price of $17 per class. Pay-as-able option on all classes – we would rather you join us than not be able to attend due to financial limitations.

Leslie O’Neill has danced professionally since 2004. She began her formal training at age 18 at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay and received her BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota in 2003. Leslie was a founding member of Black Label Movement from 2005-2009, and joined the nationally acclaimed repertory company Zenon Dance in 2006. She built a rich and diverse performance career at Zenon until its final performance in 2019 when the company closed its doors. Leslie has performed as a guest artist with the Minnesota Opera, Jon Ferguson’s Theatre Forever, Shapiro and Smith Dance, Tamara Ober, Paula Mann, Maggie Bergeron, Laura Osterhaus/SLO Dance, James Everest/Wavelets Creative, and Mathew Janczewski/ARENA Dances. Leslie has earned recognition for her excellence in performance with Sage Award Nominations in 2009 and 2016, and she is the recipient of a McKnight Fellowship for Dancers 2010. Leslie’s choreography has been supported by Red Eye Theater, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Walker Arts Center, Minnesota State Arts Board, and Bryant Lake Bowl’s 9×22, where she most recently featured her latest solo project.