Archive

Deadline Extended: Seeking Dancers for New Work

Independent choreographer Hannah MacKenzie-Margulies seeks three dancers/creative collaborators for a new contemporary dance work (tentatively titled “Rat Race”) that will be developed in Minneapolis with mentorship from Doug Varone and presented in New York City at the Doug Varone and Dancers’ eighth annual Choreographer’s Showcase August 4-5, 2023.

Rehearsals will be held between July 3 and July 31 with schedule and location determined based on cast availability. Dancers should be prepared for roughly 24-26 hours of rehearsal over the course of the month and must be available for tech and performances in New York from Thursday, August 3-Saturday, August 5.

Selected dancers will be hired as independent contractors and compensated with a stipend of $500 plus roundtrip airfare and three nights of accommodations in New York City.

For more information and to apply, see this Google Form. Applications will close at midnight CT on Friday, June 30. All are welcome and encouraged to apply. For accommodations or questions, please email ziessel@gmail.com.

Sampradaya – Ensemble Bharatanatyam Concert by Kala Vandanam

Sampradaya – The Sanskrit word is by definition, “tradition.” In practice, it represents transference while infusing innovation. Tradition sustains beauty and provides foundation and framework. From tradition, we imbibe, create, iterate, and share. Sampradaya lights the next lamp.

Kala Vandanam presents a twentieth anniversary (in our twenty-first year) ensemble Bharatanatyam concert with live music, celebrating signature choreographic works of the great masters who lit our lamps.

We are honored to make our Cowles Center debut with this concert. Tickets are Pay As You Are.

Kala Vandanam was founded by Suchitra Sairam in 2002, grounded in the beauty and depth of the South Indian dance form Bharatanatyam. Through grooming new generations of dance artists, community outreach, stage performance, and aesthetic presentation, Kala Vandanam’s holistic work seamlessly bridges East and West, past and present, dynamism and serenity.

Described by audiences as having “brought exceptional grace and beauty into the city” and as “formidable.” Leaving audiences feeling “elated” and “entertained, educated, and uplifted at the same time.” Kala Vandanam “showed us that even though the language and historical context differ, communication, emotion and the human experience are transcendental.”

July 1 at 7:00pm

James Sewell Ballet Workshop Performance

James Sewell Ballet company members, intensive students, and friends present samples from recent rehearsals of work taking shape for the 2023/24 season. Featured works include:

  • New choreography by Shohei Iwahama. Originally from Japan and currently touring internationally with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Shohei’s completed piece will be premiered at the Cowles Center in April 2024.
  • James Sewell’s Doo Be Doo  (premiered in 1994) combines high-energy playful antics with stunning technical feats. This remount will also be shared at the Cowles Center in April 2024.
  • JSB friend Berit Ahlgren shares choreography developed specifically for the intensive students.

The event will include several other surprises that spark the joy and wonder that dance can inspire!

Admission is free!
July 1 at 6:00pm

DanceCo Presents Dance Around Minnesota

After a three-year pandemic slumber, DanceCo returns to the stage with a series of free, interactive, family-friendly outdoor performances. Meet Paul Bunyan and Babe, and be ready to join the dancers onstage as we learn facts about Minnesota in movement and fun!

This show will begin with a short kid-focused workshop to move and learn the interactive parts of the show, followed by a 45-minute performance with opportunities to join the dancers onstage!

You will learn about Minnesota’s history, move, and have a great time! Fun for ages 3-103, guaranteed—or you can get your money back! Come to one show, or come to all!

Saturday, July 1, 2023
Performances at 10:00am and 11:30am
Minnehaha Falls Park Pavilion, 4825 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55417

Saturday, July 8, 2023
Performances at 10:00am and 11:30am
Raspberry Island, 2 Wabasha Street, St. Paul, MN 55107

Saturday, July 15, 2023
Performances at 10:00am and 11:30am
The Downtown Commons, 425 Portland Ave S., Minneapolis, MN 55415

To learn about DanceCo and our professional artists, go to www.DanceCoMN.com.

Dances on the Lakewalk 2023

Join us for an evening of eclectic dance! Do not miss what has become an awaited staple in Duluth dance and summer features. You will see a variety of dance forms, choreographed by local artists, performed by local artists! It is an evening that will not soon be forgotten… do yourself a favor and get there!

Dances on the Lakewalk
Friday, July 7 and Saturday, July 8
7:00pm
At Gichi-ode’ akiing at Lake Place Park

Free admission, with donation strongly suggested. Funds raised will go towards compensating the artists.

Keep this Duluth tradition, originated by Doris Karlovsky Ressl and Freshwater Dance Collective, alive!

Summer Festival Dance Workshop: Bringing Japanese Summer to the Sculpture Garden

Please join Japan America Society for the Summer Festival Dance Workshop: Bringing Japanese Summer to the Sculpture Garden on Sunday, July 9 from 2:00-3:00pm at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

We are lucky to have this in-person dance workshop by the wonderful instructor Ms. Maria Traxler. Ms. Maria Traxler is a current member of the Kizuna International Yosakoi Team. She danced in the 2019 Kochi Yosakoi Festival as a Kizuna member, as well as in the 2015 Kochi Yosakoi Festival as a member of the Shimanto Town team Shimamuta. In this workshop, Ms. Traxler will introduce Uraja dance and demonstrate it with a song. “Uraja” is based on the ogre “Ura” from the Okayama folk tale “The Story of Ura.” The Uraja-odori Festival is an event that everyone can join in and enjoy with a single purpose regardless of age, gender, or nationality in Okayama.

This event will be a fun way to get some exercise and learn about a regional dance of Japan. This is a family-friendly event. No prior experience is necessary to participate. Please wear clothes that are easy to move in. You can watch the video from last year here.

This event is free for all and open to the public! However, we would still like for you to register. Additionally, as always your donations are much appreciated. We are looking forward to seeing you!

This activity is made possible by a grant from Japan Foundation.

The Blending of Yoga and Feldenkrais – Online Summer Series with Sarah Baumert

This will be a time to create space and feel what it is like living in this body.

July 10-September 4
Mondays, 6:00-7:15pm CST
No class on July 24 and August 14.
Livestream classes will be taught over Zoom.

When we have the courage to release places that feel physically stuck, mentally tight, or emotionally restricted, we can uncover a new internal landscape of this body we are living in. In these sessions, we will invite space to become a more intimate part of our practice and our life. We will explore ways to move in harmony with our unique needs and how we feel each day, to encourage the body to soften and connect with the feelings of space and freedom.

For all of you who have been joining Monday nights, it will be a continuation and deepening of your personal process of discovery and listening to your body. For newcomers, come with no expectations. Allow your body to be your guide. All levels are welcome.

Each class will infuse a more traditional yoga asana practice with the Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement method. Sarah’s teaching for each class changes based on the seasons and the students in the room. These classes are an interdisciplinary excursion of yoga, Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement, joint-specific training, self-massage, breathing exercises, movement puzzles, and a compassionate mindset to help you feel a greater sense of ease and comfort in yourself. You will train your sensitivity in such a way that you find yourself feeling more alive, vibrant, and spacious.

There will be time for questions and community discussion after the livestream class, as well as an option to engage with Sarah and the other students in the class through the online comments following each lesson. If you cannot attend all the live classes, each class will be recorded and the videos will be available for those attending the series. You will have access to stream the recordings. Space will be limited so that I can manage watching everyone, sign up early to hold your spot!

Series Includes:

  • 7 Yoga + Feldenkrais classes.
  • Community discussion after each lesson with time for asking questions, harvesting, and sharing.
  • Recordings automatically available on the member page 48 hours after each live class.
  • Stream recordings indefinitely.

Testimonials:
“I feel amazing after your classes – it’s like the best of meditation and movement combined – your open-heartedness and encouragement of our own curiosity is wonderful to experience with you. Thank you.”

“I love how the Monday night classes interweave and focus us on an evolving practice! The instruction is very clear and Sarah’s teaching style is calm, consistent, and precise. I feel the poses in a whole new way. I look forward to this class each week and when I can’t make it I do the recorded session as soon as I can.”

TU Dance Center: Pre-Professional Summer Intensive

The TU Dance Pre-Professional Program is an intensive course of study integrating modern, ballet, African dance, and creative workshops for students ages 11-24. The TU Dance Summer Intensive builds a strong technique while exploring individual artistry.

Click the respective level group to download the 2023 Pre-Professional Summer Program Daily Schedule: Level 1-3 and Level 4-5.

Level 1-3: July 10-22
Level 4-5: July 24-August 12

Off-Kilter Cabaret – Call for Proposals Artists with Disabilities

Off-Leash Area announces an artist call for proposals for the second Off-Kilter Cabaret “Inside Outside Inside-Out”.

Off-Leash Area’s Off-Kilter community program highlights and supports artists with disabilities in creating original performance work. The second Off-Kilter Cabaret is an evening-length cabaret-style production comprised of 5 to 7 acts in any performing art form curated by the Off-Kilter Leadership Team – leaders in the disability community, two-thirds of whom are themselves persons with disabilities.

Performances will be held November 17-19 at the TEK Box at the Cowles Center for Performing Arts in downtown Minneapolis, a fully accessible black box theater with a floor-level stage. The event will include accessibility accommodations including ASL interpreting, captioning, and audio description.

The CFP is now open, and artists with disabilities are asked to submit proposals by the deadline of July 14 of a 5-to-10-minute original performance on the theme of “Inside Outside Inside-Out”. Off-Leash Area co-artistic director Jennifer Ilse says, “We want to prompt artists to propose risky, rebellious, and thought-provoking performances, informed by their own experience of being included or excluded, feeling within or outside of oneself, or even just discombobulated.”

The Off-Kilter Advisory Team is writer and storyteller Amy Salloway, arts accessibility consultant Jon Skaalen, national touring musician Gabriel Rodreick, and Sam Jasmine, host of the Disability and Progress program on KFAI. Off-Leash Area is excited to be partnering again with Young Dance, whose mission is: “transforming lives through movement.”

Any questions or want more information? Visit our website here, contact us at offleash@offleasharea.org, or call us at 612-724-7372.

21st Annual Dances at the Lake Festival — Free Public Arts Event

Ray Terrill Dance Group presents the 21st annual Dances at the Lake Festival!

Join us for two free, open-to-the-public concerts at the Rose Garden at Lake Harriet.
Friday, July 14 at 7:00pm
Saturday, July 15 at 7:00pm

The festival features a variety of dance forms performed by both professional adult and youth companies. The “stage” for the shows is the large grassy area between the two fountains near the Rose Garden at Lyndale Park Garden. Audience members are invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket and some snacks, drinks, or a picnic and enjoy the unique opportunity of seeing dance performed at the Rose Garden.

2023 Dances at the Lakes Festival: Individual Artist and Dance Company Lineup
This year’s festival showcases professional artists and youth dance groups originating from Minnesota:

Amanda Sachs and Elena (Elly) Hollenhorst, Minneapolis, MN—Amanda and Elly, Co-Artistic Directors
Anda Flamenco Company and School, Minneapolis, MN—Kristina de Sacramento, Artistic Director
Ashley Ballet Arts Academy, Ballet Arts Youth Ensembles, Golden Valley, MN—Ashley Burkland, Artistic Director
Christopher Watson Dance Company, Minneapolis, MN—Christopher Watson, Artistic Director
DanceWorks, Lakeville, MN—Jennifer Mack, Artistic Director
Duniya Drum and Dance, Minneapolis, MN—Fode Bangoura and Whitney McCluskey, Co-Artistic Directors
Jawaahir Dance Company, Minneapolis, MN—Laura Crocker, Artistic Director
Keane Sense Of Rhythm Youth Tap Ensemble, Saint Paul, MN— Cathy Wind, Artistic Director
Kinetic Evolutions, Minneapolis, MN—Sarah LaRose-Holland, Artistic Director
Nritya Kalakshetra Academy of Performing Arts, Woodbury, MN—Sivanuja (Anu) Balaji, Artistic Director
Ray Terrill Dance Group, Saint Paul, MN—Ray Terrill Artistic Director
Sansai Yonsei Kai, Japanese Dance Company, Saint Paul, MN—Linda Hashimoto, Artistic Director
Tiyumba African Drum and Dance Company, Minneapolis, MN—Fatawu Sayibu, Artistic Director
Youth Dance Ensemble, Burnsville, MN—Dixie Rairamo, Artistic Director