2023/24 Ballet Co.Laboratory Performance Season Now on Sale

Ballet Co.Laboratory is a professional ballet company and school located in Saint Paul, MN. Our organization works to re-imagine how ballet is taught, created, and presented – moving the art form forward by fostering unique collaborations and advancing equity in the classical arts. Since our inaugural season in 2018, more than 22,000 individuals have experienced the art of dance with us through a performance, class, or free community outreach event.

Ballet Co.Laboratory is committed to the creation of new dance works which takes ballet out of the 1800s and places it into the 21st century. Through the presentation of five large-scale productions each season, we empower creativity and engage our community in new ways of thinking, learning, and moving.

Our 2023/24 season will have you dancing through the pages as we present novel notions that will have you reading between the lines. Join us to experience our sixth season cover-to-cover by purchasing tickets at balletcolaboratory.org or by calling our box office at 651.313.5967.

Tickets now on sale here.

Ballet Co.Laboratory Adult Drop-In Classes

A teacher demonstrates tendu derrier while several students follow in the mirror

No matter if you are a veteran dancer or slipping on your first pair of ballet shoes, Ballet Co.Laboratory is an artistic home for everyone. With 14 different adult drop-in classes offered each week, including conditioning and Pilates, we know we have the right class for you!

Join us in person or virtually via Zoom.
Single-class and 10-class cards are available.
Parking is always free!

Check out our weekly schedule here.

Studios For Rent at Ballet Co.Laboratory

Image of the BCL lobby with white walls and a benches for sitting

Come create at Ballet Co.Laboratory. Our artistic home is available for hourly rentals to independent artists and arts organizations. Book a single day to work on your artistry, secure a month to rehearse a show, or facilitate your weekly programming here – the choice is yours! We look forward to collaborating with you on your space needs.

Public Transportation
The studio is accessible via the Greenline into downtown Saint Paul and the 71A or 71B bus.

Free Parking
Free parking is available in front of the studio.

Facility
We have five studios at Ballet Co.Laboratory with sprung floors, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and barres, plus four gender-neutral restrooms, changing rooms, and comfortable lobby space with Wi-fi access and ample seating. The entire facility is HVAC heated and cooled.

Studio 1: 25′ x 50′ – 15-person capacity – $20/hour
Studio 2: 25′ x 50′ – 15-person capacity – $20/hour
Studio 3: 25′ x 30′ – 8-person capacity – $15/hour
Studio 4: 42′ x 50′ – 30-person capacity – Rental available via special request
Studio 5: 25′ x 28′ – 8-person capacity – $15/hour

Hours
Morning, daytime, and evening hours are available.

To inquire about your rental, please email info@balletcolaboratory.org or call 651.313.5967.

MotionArt Adult Modern Dance Classes

A group of dancers jump on one leg in a large studio

MotionArt’s mission is to share the art of dance and the joy of movement with people of all ages and abilities. We strive to enrich lives by fostering creativity, body awareness and self-expression in a fun, non-competitive, welcoming environment. We offer ongoing dance classes in-studio, on Zoom and outside (weather permitting).

Paying the regular rate helps keep our organization afloat; however, no one will be turned away for inability to pay. There is also an option to pay what you can.

Please go to motionartmn.org to sign up for classes, or contact Pam Gleason for info.

Ageless Dance
Monday, 4:00-5:15pm – Center for Performing Arts, Studio #105
Thursday, 4:30-5:45pm – Center for Performing Arts, Sunroom

Beginning Modern Dance
Tuesday, 5:00-6:15pm – Zoom only

Intermediate Modern Dance
Wednesday, 10:30am-12:00pm – Center for Performing Arts, Sunroom

Mixed Level Modern Dance
Tuesday, 7:00-8:15pm – Center for Performing Arts, Studio #105
Saturday, 4:00-5:30pm – Hybrid: Center for Performing Arts, Sunroom, and Zoom

MotionArt First Friday Improv Gathering

Several dancers in black clothing dance and make shapes in a studio

Friday, August 4
6:30–8:00pm
Center for Performing Arts, Studio 105w – next to 38th Street entrance.

This event is open to people of all ages and abilities. Enjoy being present in the moment, responding to other dancers, finding new ways of moving, and discovering form as it emerges during this fun evening of creative movement. We’ll begin with an informal warm-up, then improvise together based on movement ideas offered by participants.

Come to move, to dance, to observe, or some of each!

Suggested donation $5-$15.
No one turned away for lack of funds.

MotionArt Children’s Summer Dance Classes

A group of children dance in a studio at the Center for Performing Arts

MotionArt is happy to offer children’s classes again! Children’s teacher, Kim Lewis, is excited to share her expertise and love of dance with children of all ages in the following classes:

Creative Dance for ages 3-5
Wednesdays, 9:30–10:15am
August 2, 9, 16
Cost: $35 for 3-week session – 3 classes

In these 3-week mini sessions, preschoolers explore dance concepts through playful, structured activities accompanied by acoustic instruments and a wide variety of music. Children expand their movement vocabulary, develop body awareness, and gain self-confidence in a fun, nurturing environment.

Creative Dance for ages 5-7
Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:30–11:30am
August 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23
Cost: $75 for 3-week session – 6 classes

This class facilitates an understanding of the dance elements of Space, Time, and Energy through improvised and structured activities. Children explore multiple concepts within these elements while practicing movement skills and enjoying new challenges. Students at this age begin to create their own dances and share them with their peers. No previous experience necessary.

Creative Dance/Introduction to Modern Dance for ages 8-11
Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:45am–1:00pm
August 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23
Cost: $85 for 3-week session – 6 classes

In this class, students expand their creative potential and kinesthetic awareness as they explore a variety of concepts within the dance elements of Space, Time, and Energy. They are introduced to basic technical skills and movement vocabulary of Modern Dance and also have opportunities to improvise and create their own dances. No previous experience necessary.

Tickets on Sale Now for The Cowles Center’s 2023/24 Season

Be the first to grab the best seat in the house for our 2023/24 season productions! From the Fall Forward Festival to our annual MERGE in March program, there is something on our calendar for every type of dance-lover. Group discounts and Pay As You Are (PAYA) options are available for every show this season!

Fall Forward Festival
October 21–November 5, 2023
Featuring Afoutayi Haitian Dance, Music, and Arts Company, Concerto Dance, Kaleena Miller Dance, Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca,
STRONGmovement, Yuki Tokuda, Katha Dance Theatre, Shapiro & Smith Dance, and Alternative Motion Project.

Rhythm Street Movement: Who Brought The Humbug?
December 14–17, 2023

*Tickets on sale Tuesday, September 26

Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre: The Conference of the Birds
February 10–11, 2024

Crash Dance Productions: Domino
March 2–3, 2024

MERGE In March: Mathew Janczewski’s ARENA DANCES & Taja Will
March 23–24, 2024

James Sewell Ballet: Pointed Humor
April 6–7, 2024

The Cowles Center and Northrop Present BRKFST Dance Company
April 27–28, 2024

Ragamala Dance Company: Avimukta: Where the Seeker Meets the Sacred
May 4–5, 2024

Rent TU Dance Center Studios

TU Dance Center is available for rental when not in use by TU Dance’s programming.

TU Dance Center features a reception area and front desk for check-in or event use. Access to adjacent dressing room and green room with kitchenette are available upon request.

Studio 1: 60 x 34
Studio 2: 46 x 21

Both studios feature:

  • Sprung dance floor with Marley-type surface by Harlequin
  • Wall of mirrors
  • Portable ballet barre units 10′ in length
  • Room-level sound system with CD and mini-jack inputs
  • 50′ LCD TV cart for presentation and videoconferencing
  • Large windows providing ample natural light

Studio 1 only: A curtain that can be drawn on entire mirror; wall-mounted ballet barres of 27′ and 33′.

Rental Fees:
Individual artists: $18/hour.
Nonprofit organizations: $22/hour for rehearsals.
Other rental inquiries (for-profit, classes, workshops, auditions, life events, photo sessions, filming, etc.), please contact us.

TU Dance: THREAT by Yusha-Marie Sorzano

TU Dance is one of four dance companies participating in the pilot program: The O’Shaughnessy Dance Cohort. THREAT is an evening-length work choreographed by TU Dance Guest Artist Yusha-Marie Sorzano.

THREAT is a concert dance theater work that aims to provoke an interrogation of the roles we play as individuals and community in hierarchies. The work posits that hierarchies have the power to control our behavior and infiltrate our thoughts, even when no authority is present to enforce the rules. Using a physical language and soundscape that fuses multicultural traditions and styles of the West and the African Diaspora, this social exploration invites audiences into a modern narrative that speaks to the universal experience of authority, obedience, and rebellion.

Friday, April 26, 2024 at 7:30pm
Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 7:30pm

Purchase tickets here!

Tickets
Adult: $40
Student/Senior: $30
St. Kate’s Student: $5
Subscription information can be found here.

TU Dance Center: In-Person Open Classes for Intermediate/Advanced Dancers

Join TU Dance for a series of open classes this summer, July 24-August 12. Teaching artists include TU Dance Founder and Artistic Director Toni Pierce-Sands, Wendy Anderson, Hassan Ingraham, Herb Johnson, Laurel Keen, Anna Pinault, Laura Pratt, Abdo Sayegh-Rodriguez, and Peggy Seipp-Roy.

Please check the Open Class Calendar as classes and/or teaching artists might change.

Cost: $15/class or $140/10-class pass

More info and pre-registration.