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NexGen Youth Dance Project Fall Classes – Registration Open

Join NexGen/YDP (Youth Dance Project) this fall and reach for the sky as part of our holistic approach to dance learning. This 12-week session of weekly classes offer young dancers a deep dive into quality dance and wellness training for all. The program enables youth to enhance technical skills, explore creativity and manage stress and trauma in a safe, supportive environment.

Dancers will receive 2.5-3.5 hours of weekly high-level training and education from professionals in dance and health care in the areas of ballet technique, modern technique, embodied movement therapy, and nutrition. Whether your child is new to dance or ready to polish developing skills, Threads Dance Nexus is the place to grow in confidence and strength

NexGen/YDP debuted this summer as a dance intensive with rave reviews from parents: “…this summer experience was one of the greatest we’ve had. My girls all enjoyed everything about it and I am overwhelmed with joy at the amount of confidence and courage they all gained in just two weeks.” -YDP Parent

September 18 – December 9
Tuesdays, 4:30-7:00pm with dinner break
Beginning/Advanced-Beginning
For youth ages 8-12 with 0-3 years formal experience.
Modern: 4:30-5:30pm
Ballet: 5:30-6:30pm
Nutrition / Embodied Movement Exploration: 6:30-7:00pm
Cost: $420.*

September 18 – December 9
Thursdays, 4:00-7:30pm with dinner break
Intermediate/Advanced
For youth ages 13-17, with 4+ years formal experience.
Ballet: 4:00-5:30pm
Modern: 5:30-7:00pm
Nutrition / Embodied Movement Exploration: 7:00-7:30pm
Cost: $450.*

*Need-based scholarships available upon request.
Applications will be accepted through September 8.
For additional questions, contact aericson@threadsdance.org

Being Good to Yourself – Feldenkrais Series with Sarah Baumert

Being Good to Yourself: Moving Towards Wholeness and Pleasure
Caring for your neck, shoulders, eyes, and breath in an 8-week Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement Series with Sarah Baumert. Livestream classes will be taught over Zoom.

September 20-November 15
Wednesdays at 6:30pm
Sundays at 4:00pm

In this year’s fall Feldenkrais series, we will explore lessons that promote self-connection and pleasure, finding equanimity in movement, and adapting to change with resilience. In a world where technology has become ever more prevalent, it can be easy to feel disconnected from our bodies, our emotions, and the people around us. But through the gentle, exploratory movements of the Feldenkrais Method, we can find a sense of joy and connection that is uniquely human.

“Joy is exactly what’s happening, minus our opinion of it.” -Charlotte Joko Beck

In Feldenkrais we explore the subtle movements of our bodies through a practice of being in perception rather than evaluation, we become more aware of our sensations and emotions and can cultivate a sense of ease, playfulness, and curiosity that can carry over into all aspects of our lives. Whether you are new to the Feldenkrais Method or a seasoned practitioner, this series is designed to help you tap into the joy of movement, rediscover a sense of wholeness and pleasure, and may even help you redefine your relationship with pain.

Through a combination of movement lessons, group discussions, and guided meditations, we will explore themes such as:

  • Connecting with yourself through movement and touch
  • Cultivating emotional awareness and flexibility
  • Finding joy and ease in movement
  • Reducing stress and tension caused by screens and technology
  • Improving posture and body awareness
  • Anatomical themes of study that include the neck, shoulders, eyes, and breath in relation to the whole self

Lessons that will be taught include:

  • Balancing the Head on the Spine
  • Infinite Eyes
  • Organize Your Spine
  • Soft Hands to Swimmer Arms
  • Rolling Around One Shoulder Blade
  • Global Breathing
  • Freeing the Center to Act
  • Refining the Spine Between the Shoulder Blades

This series offers a unique opportunity to connect with a community of others and cultivate a sense of joy and ease in our lives. Join us and discover the transformative power of the Feldenkrais Method for yourself!

Movement: This series will include 16 livestream classes. Each lesson is taught twice, once on Sunday and once on Wednesday.

Educational talks: Pre-lesson anatomy lessons and the philosophical framework for ATM.

Connection: Access to recorded Q&A to listen to questions, connect with the other students, and discuss the method and tools we are learning about. Includes optional 10-minute consultation with Sarah, online forum to connect and ask questions if you are doing the recordings, and email support.

Ways to keep practicing: Stream recordings indefinitely and have the option to download recordings.

Continuing Education at Paragon Pilates and Physical Therapy

Balanced Body® Reformer Fundamentals for Rehabilitation Professionals

Two Fridays, September 22 and 29, 12:00-4:00pm
Fee: $250. Early Bird pricing ends September 1.

This course is designed specifically for rehab professionals seeking to expand their use of therapeutic movement as a treatment modality. This course will introduce you to the Reformer as a tool for effective neuromotor training. Learn how to use the Reformer’s spring resistance in a variety of functional positions, including supine, seated, all-fours, and standing, to resolve movement impairments and restore overall function. Each of the exercises presented includes patient set up and useful regressions and progressions for common injuries. The course includes a case study and applications specific to the rehabilitation setting.

Instructor: Ann-Marie Chesterfield, DPT

Dance Auditions for VANAHEIMR: Stories of the Lesser

Auditions for the Fox and Beggar Theater’s upcoming production of VANAHEIMR: Stories of the Lesser, performing November 30-December 9 at the Heart of the Beast’s Avalon Theater. The show will be choreographed by Gabby “TheBaddie” Abram.

Dancers with a strong background in contemporary, modern, and some ballet technique are encouraged to audition. Artists with previous dance/performance experience preferred. Dancers must attend all VANAHEIMR rehearsals and performances and will be compensated $850. View the schedule here. Please inquire if you have any minor schedule conflicts; certain allowances are still possible!

Audition Information
The Sunroom in The Center for Performing Arts
September 23 and 24
11:30am-1:00pm (30-minute slot)

Auditions will be in small groups and run approximately 30 minutes. Please arrive warmed up and ready to dance 15 minutes prior to check-in. Email Nat at nat@foxandbeggar.com with your preferred time slot and we will get you on our list!

Need to audition virtually? Contact Nat at nat@foxandbeggar.com for more information!

The Great Gatsby – Collide Theatrical

Collide Theatrical Dance Company’s 10th season opens with The Great Gatsby at The Luminary Arts Center in Minneapolis. The Great Gatsby will run September 29–October 15, 2023.

Get ready for the most exciting party in town. The 1920s roar back to life as Collide’s hit production returns to the stage. Bursting with passion and drama, the blockbuster American novel is brought to life through dance and live music. Extravagant parties, glitz, and glamor surround the life of mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. But as the sparkling facade of his world begins to slip, a world full of tragedy, loneliness, and despair is exposed.

“Not unlike modern-day social media influencers, Jay Gatsby reinvents himself to increase his self-worth through money and materialism,” said Regina Peluso, Artistic Director of Collide Theatrical Dance Company. “I’m looking forward to reimagining this story once again through a modern lens. By creating an inclusive world that reflects America today, we can hold up a mirror to the tragedy and hope encased in our society.”

Ticekts available online or call 651-395-7903, ext. 701.
For group discounts and questions, please email Grace@collidetheatrical.org.

Minnesota International Dance Festival – Registration Open

The Minnesota International Dance Festival (MNIDF) brings together international dance instructors, choreographers, community members, and emerging Twin Cities artists for a week of community exchange through workshops and performances. This year’s featured country is Mexico. The festival will include 3 week-long workshops, a choreographer’s panel conversation, and three performances.

Workshops October 17-20, 2023

Workshop Program Schedule:
Class A | 10:00-11:30am – Alexis Zanety, Circular Drawing Movement
Class B | 11:30am-1:00pm – Susana de Leon, KetzalCoatlicue, Chichimeca Dances – Indegenous Mexican tradition
Class C | 1:30-3:00pm – José A. Luis, Dance Composition

Performances at the Southern Theater, October 20-21 at 7:30pm.

James Sewell Ballet: In The Shadows

Frankenstein, zombies, and characters of Edgar Allen Poe come to life in this family-friendly performance steeped in spooky delight and tragic majesty.

Anchoring the performance is a new choral ballet titled Unfashioned Creature, featuring Twin Cities’ beloved artists Timothy C. Takach (composer), Penelope Freeh (choreographer), and the MPLS (imPulse) choral ensemble. The work is poetically rooted in Shelley’s Frankenstein and explores key aspects relating to personhood: otherness, abandonment, despair, and hopeful yearning. Music includes cello, percussion, and the stellar singers of MPLS who will perform a fractured libretto comprised of Shelley’s text.

Also on the program are remounts of two Sewell fall favorites: excerpts from “Takes on Poe” (2012); and “Grave Matters” (2011), which combines undead charm and morbid wit in a playful zombie ballet.

Saturday, October 28
2:00pm and 7:30pm

Tickets: $5-34

Ballet and Modern Instructors Needed for Threads NexGen Youth Dance Project

Threads NexGen/YDP (Youth Dance Project) is looking to hire ethnically diverse individuals to teach ballet and modern technique classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the upcoming 12-week fall session. We seek skilled dance instructors to join our weekly intensive programming that also includes nutrition and embodied movement exploration at Threads Dance Nexus.

September 18-December 9
For youth ages 8-12
Ballet – Beginning/Advanced-Beginning, Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30 or 6:00-7:00pm

September 18-December 16
For youth ages 13-17
Ballet – Intermediate/Advanced, Wednesdays, 1.5 hours in range of 4:00-7:30pm
Modern – Intermediate/Advanced, Wednesdays, 1.5 hours in range of 4:00-7:30pm

Instructors will be compensated for class hours at a rate of $40/hour. Instructors are also welcome to attend Threads Company Class on Mondays or Tuesdays from 9:00-10:30am as well as rent the studio at a discounted staff rate.

Candidates must have extensive experience in ballet and/or modern, strong communication skills, experience working with children, and provide informative, engaging, and effective movement instruction reflecting the Dance Nexus philosophy (below).

NexGen/YDP uses a holistic approach to training future dance artists. The program enables youth to enhance technical skills, explore creativity, and manage stress and trauma in a safe, supportive environment. Students will receive high-level training and education from professionals in ballet technique, modern dance technique, embodied movement exploration, and nutrition. At Threads Dance Nexus, we strive to create an equitable and inclusive learning environment where students’ gifts can be cultivated and opportunities for growth are embraced. We seek to be a place where diverse learners are treated with dignity and respect.

Our Teaching Philosophy
Culturally Relevant — so that dancers of any race or ethnicity feel a sense of belonging.
Trauma-Informed – dance education has the potential to reproduce harm or liberate; we chose liberation!
Anatomically Sound – working safely with the body to keep you dancing longer and stronger.
Inclusive and Equitable – all are welcome and differing needs are acknowledged.
Socially Just – seek to rectify injustice through arts activism.

If you would like more information and to apply, please email an introduction and your resume to Angela Ericson at aericson@threadsdance.org.

Young Dance seeks Hip Hop and Musical Theater Instructors

Young Dance seeks Hip Hop and Musical Theater instructors and assistants for the 2023–24 year and beyond for our growing community partnerships. We seek skilled instructors who foster a developmentally appropriate, safe, supportive, and fun environment. 

Young Dance partners with Twin Cities schools, organizations, and government agencies to bring dance to diverse populations across the metro. Partnerships take place during or after the school day. Schedule and duration vary depending on partners.

Candidates should have excellent communication and organizational skills to keep track of different schedules. Teaching Artists should also be able to work collaboratively with partners and Young Dance Artistic Director in developing the curriculum.

Founded in 1987, Young Dance believes young people are artists with something important to say and that working across differences benefits all. Our mission is to transform lives through movement. We are an inclusive community where creativity flourishes and healthy risk-taking is encouraged. Our classes are open to everyone of all levels and abilities. Dancers develop skills in observing, participating, and reflecting in an environment that values a commitment to self, to the group, and to lifelong learning.

Pay is $48/hour to lead and $24/hour to assist.

If you would like more information and to apply, please email an introduction and your resume to anat@youngdance.org. 

Photo by Blake Nellis

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.