Archive

Mary Willmeng/Willmeng Dances at the Minnesota Fringe

Mary Willmeng/Willmeng Dances presents Little Pieces as part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival.

An evening of dance created at different times and in different places. Little Pieces is a collection of choreographed dances created during intensive rehearsal processes over the last five years presented in a single evening. Each piece looks at the dynamic of relationships through expressive movement and gesture.

Created in collaboration with and performed by cast members Hunter Batterson, Jamie Carr, Kaitlin Craven, Eliana Durnbaugh, Autumn Goetting, Dienae “D” Hunter, Ayumi Shafer, and Ayaka Moriyama.

Showtimes:
Thursday, August 3 at 5:30pm
Sunday, August 6 at 4:00pm
Tuesday, August 8 at 7:00pm
Friday, August 11 at 10:00pm
Sunday, August 13 at 5:30pm

At Theater in the Round, 245 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis. Tickets can be purchased online at the Minnesota Fringe website.

Second Annual Happy Hour Dance Party Fundraiser for Rhythmically Speaking

Come enjoy good drinks, good tunes and good company while supporting 15 years of Rhythmically Speaking at our second (annual?!) Happy Hour Dance Party Fundraiser!

Thursday, August 3, 2023
5:00-7:00pm
At BlackStack Brewing

If you:

  • love to go out dancing but find it difficult to rally the required energy at 10pm, COME!
  • love BlackStack/local brewing and wanna try a new beer, COME!
  • think Rhythmically Speaking does some really cool work and you wanna support, COME!

You can dance your booty off, enjoy your beer with food from Jamo’s New Zealand Pie Company, and support by:

  • Requesting your favorite dance tunes from 2008 – the year we were founded – for $5.00 (really, we’ll play whatever you want!);
  • Buying a $15.00 raffle ticket for a chance to win sweet prizes, including Rhythmically Speaking swag and tickets to our upcoming show The Cohort 2023: Stage & Screen, Blackstack Brewing gift cards, swag and beer, Saint Paul Saints tickets, and more;
  • Trying out our collab beer with Blackstack Brewing – a portion of the proceeds will go to support Rhythmically Speaking!

RSVP to the Facebook Event here!

At Rhythmically Speaking, we believe in the power of moving and grooving together to connect us – so tell your friends to come too! We look forward to sharing in joy (and support!) with you at this event!

Escalade: A Pay-as-Able Dance and Music Performance

Thursday night only!
August 3, 2023

Pay-as-able concert and dance performance/fundraiser.
At the A-Mill Artist Lofts

The Fundraiser options include:

  • Pay as able Beginning/Intermediate Yoga class from 5:30-6:30pm
  • Venus DeMars sings some of her greatest hits from 6:30-7:00pm
  • Gemma Isaacson dances Escalade from 7:00-7:30pm
  • An ongoing silent auction that closes at 8:00pm on August 3

Participate in the online silent auction right now!

Can’t make it to the event? Donate!

All donations will fund a tour of Nic’s full-length show Escalade to L.A., Austin TX, and Montreal in the fall of 2023. Help us show the world what Minnesotan artists can do!

Floorwork: Conversations and Knowledge Sharing Potluck

Floorwork: a communal conversation and shared meal.

Every first Saturday! Floorwork was developed to hold conversations, knowledge sharing, and supportive space for dance artists and people who like to move.

The next Floorwork is being hosted at Red Eye Theater.
Saturday, August 5
12:00-2:00pm – new time
RSVP by Friday, August 4

This August Floorwork will focus on practice/perseverance for a desired long dance career – conversation assisted by Marciano Silva dos Santos of Contempo Physical Dance and independent teachers and performers Erin Thompson and Leslie O’Neill. Conversation will be held over a communal meal – bring your own dish to share in our potluck! ARENA DANCES will supply beverages, plates, napkins, and utensils.

Feldenkrais Mini-Workshops

Two mini Feldenkrais workshops offered in August. Take one or both!
Taught by practitioners Krista Langberg and Jeffrey Wells.

Feldenkrais is a method of somatic education created over 80 years ago. It is a process of deepening self-awareness, using movement as the lens to investigate who we are and the choices that we make. Combining our abilities to sense ourselves and feel what is, Feldenkrais Awareness-Through-Movement lessons can lead us to experience the fullness of who we are and our endless potential to change and improve our lives.

Learn more about yourself and feel better.
$60 for one. $100 for both.

August 5, 2:00-5:00pm – Pelvis, root of the spine
This workshop will focus on our powerful center; tapping into the supple solidity and the potent precision our pelvis can provide.

August 12, 2:00-5:00pm – The passage from your head to your torso
The flexibility of the cervical spine (our neck), allows for great movement and potentially great trouble. In this workshop, we will explore how our necks can be better integrated into our whole selves.

Register here.

See and Be Seen Class with Rhythmically Speaking

Ever been to a Rhythmically Speaking show and thought “I wanna do that”? Then come to our:

Community MoveTogether
Sunday, August 6
7:00-9:00pm
At Young Dance
Cost: Free!

This class is a low-to-no-pressure way for us to get to know you better and for you to move with us as we look toward upcoming projects, seeing who’s out there and interested while offering the community a free class opportunity. No pre-registration necessary; just show up with an open heart and ready to groove with other neat humans!

MoveTogethers are our version of a drop-in company class but more collaborative – within these classes, there are opportunities to improvise in solo and social ways, to manipulate material offered by RS Artistic and Executive Director Erinn Liebhard, and to build your own material based around jazz and American social dance-inspired prompts! Our approach to jazz emphasizes groove, interaction, and improvisation (elements we see as present in all American social dance forms), honors the African diasporic roots of these forms, and is driven by jazz music.

We hope to dance with you this Sunday night!

TU Dance Center: Pre-Professional Summer Intensive

Several dancers dressed in black take the figure-4 pose in the Horton Technique

The TU Dance Pre-Professional Program is an intensive course of study integrating modern, ballet, African dance, and creative workshops for students ages 13-24. The TU Dance Summer Intensive builds a strong technique while exploring individual artistry.

Happening now and continuing through August 12. We are still accepting registrations for Week 3 with Laurel Keen!

Download the 2023 Pre-Professional Summer Program Daily Schedule: Level 4-5

Updated – Threads NexGen/YDP Seeking Ballet and Modern Instructors

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 upcoming 12-week, fall sessions. We seek skilled dance instructors to augment 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 and Beginning/Advanced, Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30 or 6:00-7:00 pm

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

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.

Juggling and Object Manipulation a.k.a. Juggling for Non-Jugglers

This is a juggling class for non-jugglers. Explore basic elements of juggling – the Throw, the Catch, and Balance. Dive into what these terms mean and how they can apply to you. Investigate instability as a creative tool. Discover poetry in the tension of failure. You can expect to drop things, laugh, and learn in a fun environment designed as a safe place to fail, look ridiculous, share, and try again. Participants will walk away with an understanding of creative techniques from the circus arts. Juggling props will be supplied.

Friday, August 11
6:00-8:00pm
$40. Use the code LEARN for $5 off.
Register

About the Instructor: Benjamin Domask-Ruh is a circus and theater director, performer, teacher, musician, and clown residing in Minnesota and working all around the world. Learn all about him at Benjamindomaskruh.com.

About the Sparkle Academy: We asked and Sparkle Theatricals’s community answered. You want to take creative classes geared toward absolute beginners, but can’t find quality, affordable options. Sparkle Academy classes explore the fascinating fundamentals of whimsical subjects – like sleight of hand, juggling, dream arts, and more – in an encouraging environment. Permission to be a beginner? GRANTED!

James Sewell Ballet Company Dance Intensive

Personalized Instruction in a Company Atmosphere
Geared toward pre-professional and young adult dancers with intermediate/advanced technique who are:

  • Interested in experiencing a week in the life of a professional dance company.
  • Getting back into practice before the school year begins.
  • Looking for a “friendly dance boot camp.”

Class Schedule
Monday through Friday, 9:00am-4:00pm
Offering classes in ballet, JSB repertoire, new choreography, conditioning, and more.

World Class Faculty
Train with dancers, choreographers, and movement experts who value personal growth and agency. We combine rigor with playfulness to foster each student’s best potential.

Price: $450