Archive

The Arena – Drop-In Moving Practice with Taja Will

Moving Practice is a weekly class series for professional dancers. Classes prioritize rigor, diversity of contemporary aesthetics, variety of class content, and commitment.

Taja Will teaches Moving Practice in August. Next up, Alexandra Bodnarchuk in September.
Tuesdays, 10:00-11:30am

Professional-level dancers of all styles are welcome.
Pre-registration and payment beforehand are 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.

Improvisational Structures as Fertile Ground
Improvisation is a technical skill, it requires specificity, listening, discernment, and strong internal connections.
Chaos is a useful tool.
Limitation serves specificity.
Restraint makes choice legible.
Freedom is a vibrant dream.
Improvisation is a personal poetic.

My approach to improvisation blends somatics, score-building, ensemble cohesion, and soloist impulses. There are more proposals than we will ever have time for, and we’ll land together on weekly investigations. For me, improvisation serves various lineages and forms of dance and offers a place of co-existence. I believe a community class can be populated by folks new to movement, those familiar, and all those in between.

This class will start with a somatic or conditioning warm-up and continue into complex structures and proposals. Participants are invited to self-regulate and instigate research at the edge of their practice. As a facilitator, I aim to offer meaningful reflections of class moments as affirmation and points for skill growth for all participants.

Class Specifics
The instructor will speak English. If you need language justice assistance please let us know.
The instructor may use dance field jargon specific to contemporary dance and lineages of modern dance, postmodern dance, performance art eras, and European/Western avant-garde.
Participants are welcome to question, disagree, and suggest pivots for class facilitation even if it means complete interruption.
The floor is Marley and can be very sticky during hot, humid weather. Socks and clothing that cover the skin can be helpful.
The instructor suggests bringing a full water bottle, a notebook, and something to write with.
The building offers an elevator, stairs, and several restroom options – the accessible restroom is on the second floor, one floor away from the studio.
Please communicate any additional access needs to tajawill@gmail.com.

Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Deneane Richburg

Studio Stories airs Thursday, August 17 at noon with Deneane Richburg for Season 11, Episode 136.

Deneane is the founder and artistic director of Brownbody. Through Brownbody, the creative home for her choreographic work, she honors the complex narratives of U.S.-based Black diasporic communities by taking participants on journeys that disrupt assumptions and ideologies and disenfranchise popular narratives around blackness. Once a competitive figure skater, Deneane pushes the boundary of creative expression on the ice and stage.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts!

ARENA DANCES Announces 28th Season

Premiere of Erased Steps at Saint Paul Union Depot – August 24-25, 2023
Erased Steps is an abstract dance theater work, taking place at Union Depot in Saint Paul, MN, August 24-25, 2023. The work features an original score by local composer Zack Baltich and 15 dancers whose relationships are gradually revealed through the works’ deft abstraction, incorporating dance, visual symbolism, and imaginative staging. Shining a light on both personal and societal expectations, Erased Steps exposes themes of the past and the present; what things seem like on the surface versus what they might actually be. Learn more about Erased Steps.

Performance at Franconia Sculpture Parks 27th Annual Art and Artists Celebration – September 23, 2023
As part of the festivities, ARENA DANCES will perform an excerpt of Erased Steps at 4:30pm – an abstract dance theater work featuring an original score by local composer Zack Baltich. The trio of Dustin Haug, Leslie O’Neill, and Laura Selle Virtucio exposes themes of the past and the present. Learn more about the 27th Annual Art and Artists.

snowBIRD Creative Residency in Palm Springs, CA – January 2024
In early 2024, ARENA will be heading to sunny Palm Springs, California to participate in a creative residency with snowBIRD, focusing time to create with Twin Cities dancers Dustin Haug, Javan Mngrezzo, and Leslie O’Neill while we also offer classes to the community.

Mathew Janczewski and Taja Will’s collaboration of MERGE in March at The Cowles – March 23-24, 2024
Mathew Janczewski and Taja Will join choreographic and creative forces in their commissioned collaboration through The Cowles Center for MERGE in March, premiering March 23-24, 2024 on the Cowles Center’s mainstage. This year’s MERGE pairs Mathew Janczewski’s high-intensity, super-charged movements with Taja Will’s nuanced, emotive, and improvisational boldness. Their collaboration will culminate in an evening of performance which includes ARENA repertory favorite Judged House and the premiere of a haunting new solo by Will, described as a “club-like atmosphere of daring ecstasy, collective revolt, and personal reclamations.” View the 2023/24 Cowles Center Season Announcement here.

The 8th Annual CANDY BOX Dance Festival – April 22-27, 2024
The CANDY BOX Dance Festival is a week-long dynamic sampling of featured performances, masterclasses, and in-progress showings, hosted by ARENA DANCES and presented in late April 2024 at The Southern Theater. The CANDY BOX Dance Festival features both emerging and established choreographers, Happy Hour work-in-progress performances, and master class offerings, with a full program announcement coming in January 2024. Learn more about CANDY BOX here.

Studios for Rent at Hopkins Dance Company

Three beautiful studios in Hopkins available for hourly, short or long-term rental in Hopkins. Perfect for dance/exercise classes, photo shoots, filming, rehearsals, and more!

Studio 1: 17′ x 42′
Studio 2: 16′ x 28′
Studio 3: 29′ x 60′

Sound system and wi-fi available.

Hopkins Dance Company Fall Classes

Sign up now for Hopkins Dance Company fall classes – starts September 11.

All ages from 3 years to adults. Classes in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, contemporary, musical theater, and yoga.
Tracks offered for Hopkins Youth Ballet or recreational, with performance opportunities for all.

Hothouse Studio Rental – Northeast Minneapolis

Make Hothouse your home! Our space is available for hourly rentals to independent artists, freelance instructors, and companies. Like a community garden, filled with unique plots, the beauty of Hothouse is in the diversity of the people that fill our space.

All Studios

  • Sprung, Marley floor
  • Mirrors
  • Sound system with auxiliary input and Bluetooth
  • Large windows with natural light
  • Adjustable mood lighting
  • Wifi
  • Access to a restroom and filtered water station
  • Free lot and street parking

Studio 1

  • 800 square feet, 40’w x 20’d

Studio 2

  • 2,000 square feet, 50’w x 40’d
  • Portable barres (accommodates 12-16)

Studio 3

  • 920 square feet, 40’w x 23’d
  • Fitness equipment (available for additional fee)

Rental prices vary based on the type of event, starting at just $16 per hour. Fill out the First Time Rental Request form at the bottom of this page to introduce yourself and book the space!

Daily Drop-In Classes at Hothouse

Open dance and fitness classes seven days a week! Class offerings include ballet, Arabic dance, contemporary, The Ellové Technique®, jazz, BollyX, hip hop, Zumba, heels, bodyART, sessions, and more.

Hothouse is a multi-purpose studio space in Minneapolis featuring drop-in classes for teens and adults. Whether you’re already involved in the local arts scene, an aspiring dance professional looking to bolster your training, or just a human who loves to move, Hothouse offers classes that celebrate the bliss of movement and embrace you for who you are.

Come as you are, leave as more.

Visit our website or find us on MINDBODY to view the full schedule and book your next class!

Free lot and street parking.

South Minneapolis Studio Available for Rent

A dance studio with wood floor, wall or mirrors, and built-in ballet barres

The Sabathani Community Center in South Minneapolis has a dance studio available for hourly rental. The space includes mirrors, ballet barres, hardwood floor, and free parking.

Dimensions: 39′ x 23′ x 9′

Hourly Rates
Rehearsals and photo shoots — $15
Classes and auditions — $20

Available for rent Monday through Friday between 7:00am and 9:00pm and Saturdays between 10:00am and 4:00pm. Closed Sundays.

To reserve, contact ReNée Pettis: rpettis@sabathani.org or 612-821-2308

Keane Sense of Rhythm Classes

If you’ve ever thought “I’ve always wanted to do that” or “I miss dancing,” you’ve come to the right place. Whether you have two left feet or blazing fast feet, we have a class for you!

At Keane Sense of Rhythm, students and professionals alike can share, grow, and explore rhythm and movement while having fun.

Our offerings include:
Tappy Hour 1, 2 and 3
Dance Fit
On Broadway – Kids’ musical theater and tap for ages 9-12
Storytelling Through Dance  for ages 4-5
Tap Dance 4 and 5 – Intermediate and advanced training for kids interested in exploring the historical and professional world of tap dancing. For ages 13+
and more!

Studio K Space Rental

Studio K, operated by Keane Sense of Rhythm, is a brand-new dance space built for percussive dance. Studio K features two studios with a lobby in the Creative Enterprise Zone in the Midway area of St. Paul.

Studio 1: 30’ x 34’ – 1020 square feet
Studio 2: 14’ x 20’ – 280 square feet

Studio Features
Sprung maple dance floor, built for percussive dance
Wall of mirrors
Bose sound system
Skyline windows that provide ample natural light

Other Amenities
Piano and two congas
Gender-neutral bathrooms on the main floor and gender-specific bathrooms on the second floor

Accessibility
The space is ADA-accessible.
Free parking in the lots behind the building.
Metro Transit Green Line Light Rail: Raymond Ave stop is a .3 mile walk east on University Ave, approximately 7 minutes.
Metro Transit Bus Lines 63, 67, and 87: University Ave and Vandalia St.

Rental Fees – Rehearsals
Individual artists: $12-$18 per hour
Nonprofit organizations: $18-$22 per hour

Please contact us to inquire about fees for other uses (e.g. classes, workshops, photo shoots, dance parties, etc.).

To learn more or place a rental request, contact Cathy@tapcompany.org and gabriella@tapcompany.org.