Minnesota State Arts Board Seeks Grant Reviewers

Did you know that more than 300 Minnesotans read the grant applications the Arts Board receives each year, and those reviewers help determine which applications receive funding?

If you’d like to be one of those people, we’d welcome your help!

Reviewers do not need to work in the arts. Any Minnesotan who has some experience in an art form or has some experience with nonprofit organizations may serve.  Serving as a grant application reviewer means that you’ll read 20-30 grant applications, discuss those applications in a virtual meeting, and then score the applications.  We need reviewers from July 2023 to January 2024, so we will work with you to find a time to serve that fits your schedule.  Reviewers receive a stipend for their service.

Reviewers who’ve served in the past say they appreciate learning about the exciting work Minnesota artists and organizations are doing and learning about the grant seeking and grant making process.

Your perspectives and your voice are important.
Sign up to be a reviewer today! If you have questions, contact the Arts Board at (800) 866-2787 or panelists@arts.state.mn.us.

Rent the Young Dance Studios

Two photos of the Young Dance Teal Studio. Each photo shows a different angle of the studio, with windows, white walls, and gray Marley flooring

Young Dance has two large studios available for rent in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul. Easily accessible by the Green Line light rail, the 16 and 67 Bus Lines, and with ample parking in the Fairview Business Center parking lot. The space is fully ADA accessible with ramps to the sprung studio floor and automatic door openers.

Rentals are currently available:
Monday, Thursday, and Friday: 8:00am–9:00pm
Tuesday: 7:45–9:00pm
Wednesday: 7:15–9:00pm
Tuesday and Wednesday: 8:00am–3:30pm
Saturday: 3:00–9:00pm
Sunday: 8:00am–9:00pm

The studios are newly equipped with sprung Harlequin Marley flooring, a Bluetooth speaker system, and wifi. A projector with AV adapters is available by request. Studio 2 has ballet barres and a mirror. The studio has a clear COVID safety plan including regular disinfecting of all floors and surfaces and a new HVAC system that refreshes the air 7-8 times per hour.

Studio 1: Measures 41′ x 38′ and rents at $25/hour
Studio 2: 
Measures 38′ x 38′ and rents at $20/hour

To book the space email jules@youngdance.org or call 612-423-3064. Upon confirmation of rental with a signed agreement and liability waiver, payment is required.

Young Dance Offers Summer Classes and Camps

Young Dance is excited to announce Summer 2023 programming from June 6–August 31.

Creative Movement and Dance Together classes will be offered in 3 sessions, meeting once per week on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. We’re also offering camps for 4–7 year olds, or half-day and full-day camps for dancers ages 8–18.

Camp offerings include Music as Movement, Dance + Social Justice, Dance + Photography, Choreography, Dance a Story, All Abilities Dance + Stories, and a unique collection of dance styles in each Variety Dance Camp.

More information and the full brochure can be found on our website.

Registration is open!

Collide Theatrical Seeking Board Members

Image of Collide's logo: the text "COLLIDE" in round lights with the words "Theatrical Dance Company" below

Collide Theatrical Dance Company is seeking new individuals to join our board. We are strongly looking for those with a passion for our mission and willingness to provide oversight. Those with non-profit experience, fundraising experience, and legal backgrounds are highly sought. If you are interested or would like more information, please reach out to regina@collidetheatrical.org.

About Collide
Collide Theatrical is a nonprofit professional dance company dedicated to telling narrative stories through dance and movement. To live out this mission we are organized around four core values:

  • Artistic Excellence
  • Artistic Support
  • Accessibility
  • Respect

To read more about our mission and values, please visit www.collidetheatrical.org/mission.

Studio Rentals at Collide Theatrical in St. Paul

Collide's Studio 1, with black Marley and sky lights

Need space to rehearse, choreograph, teach, or hold an event? Collide Theatrical has two studios available for rental in our beautiful St. Paul location.

Studio 1 has 1700 square feet of sprung floor, full wall-length mirrors, Rosco Adagio Marley dance floor, high ceilings, skylights, and 3 chandeliers.

Studio 2 has 550 square feet of sprung wood floor.

Both studios have the following amenities:

  • Ballet barres for up to 18 students
  • Free and accessible parking and access to public transportation line
  • Gender-specific bathrooms (non-gender-specific bathroom available in the adjacent building)
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth room speakers
  • Cubbies for holding shoes and clothes
  • 2 long folding tables
  • Access to up to 30 folding chairs
  • HVAC heated and cooled spaces with temperature control
  • Hallway drinking fountains
  • Access to kitchenette area available upon request

Single Rental:
Studio 1 – $30/hour
Studio 2 – $20/hour

Long-Term or Multiple-Day Rental:
Studio 1 – $20/hour
Studio 2 – $15/hour

Payment for rental bookings must be made 48 hours prior to your booking to hold your reservation. A signed rental agreement and certificate of insurance must be provided prior to your reservation. Please contact us at 651-395-7903 or admin@collidetheatrical.org to schedule a visit.

Collide Theatrical Announces 10th Season

Collide Theatrical Dance Company announces its Tenth Anniversary Season, featuring an exciting lineup of innovative dance theater.

The 2023/2024 season opens in September with The Great Gatsby. Originally produced by Collide in 2018, the company will present an updated version this year. Re-imagined through a modern lens, this timely tale explores the dark underbelly of the American dream, a story no less poignant a century later.

In February 2024, Collide will stage the world premiere of Hollywood, which tells the compelling and hopeful story of a Hollywood starlet and a political eco-activist struggling for survival in a climate-ravaged near-future California.

Collide continues its tradition of spotlighting underrepresented voices with the next installment of their St. Paul–based cabaret series. In the show, titled Journeys, Collide Theatrical dancers will collaborate with local Ukrainian refugees to tell their stories through dance and music.

Collide will also bring back its hit production of Wonderland and tour the mental health–themed production to middle and high schools throughout Minnesota.

On Saturday, December 2, 2023, Collide will celebrate its Tenth Anniversary with a fundraising gala. The evening will feature silent and live auctions, cocktails, and heavy appetizers, and will culminate with a performance highlighting favorite dance excerpts from the past decade.

Season subscriptions are available for purchase now, with individual tickets going on sale August 1, 2023.

For more information, including show dates and locations, please visit Collidetheatrical.org or call 651-395-7903.

The Arena – Space for Rent

An image of the ARENA studio, with black Marley flooring and yellow walls

Located in the heart of the Lyn-Lake community, The Arena is available for your rehearsal, class, and event needs!

Hourly rates range from $15-$25, with discounts/special offerings available to BIPOC and LGBTQIA2+ communities.

Our space offers:

  • 1,305 square feet (30×40) of sprung, Marley dance flooring
  • Wall-length mirrors with curtains for covering if preferred
  • Changing room
  • Free parking on side streets (Aldrich, Bryant, Colfax, 31st, etc.)
  • Access to multiple bus lines, including the 21, 4, 23, 612, and 18

To request space, please email Mathew: arenadances@gmail.com.

The Arena – Drop-in Moving Practice with Lily Conforti

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

Lillian Conforti teaches Moving Practice in June
Tuesday, 10:00-11:30am
June 13 and 20

Professional-level dancers of all styles are welcome.
Registration and payment beforehand encouraged: pre-register.
Suggested price $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.

Lily’s Moving Practice at The Arena will focus on floor work flow and internal groove. Through across the floor and a longer center combination, we will find ease in transitions in and out of the floor, work on floor work skills, and find our own internal groove in combinations. Sections of improvisation throughout the class will allow for dancers to find their voice within the structure. I am so excited to dance with you all!

Lily Conforti is a dance artist currently performing, teaching, and choreographing in the Twin Cities. Lily graduated in May 2021 from the University of Minnesota with degrees in Dance and Physiology. In her movement exploration, she is interested in finding a personal internal groove and articulation of movement with music. Lily aims to bring together artists of different backgrounds with the collective goal of blending mediums together. Through this she hopes to cultivate an art experience that is new and invigorating for the audience.

The Arena – Drop-in Cunningham Technique with Benny Olk

Benny Olk teaches Cunningham at The Arena!
Last chance – June 9
Friday, 9:30-11:00am

Professional-level dancers of all styles are welcome.
Registration and payment beforehand encouraged: pre-register.

Suggested price $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.

This class will offer an introduction to Cunningham technique, emphasizing rhythmic, directional, and physical clarity in order to organize movements with efficiency and at the same time making room for discovery. The class begins with exercises for the torso, then moves to legwork, then across the floor and finally to jumping. Each class will contain something everyone can do and something no one can do. “The only way to do it is to do it,” as Cunningham himself said.

Benny Olk (he/him) is a performing artist and teacher in Minneapolis with an interest in contemporizing and contextualizing American modern and post-modern dance. As a member of Lucinda Childs Dance Company, he performed reconstructions of pieces such as Dance and Available Light. He performed in reconstructions of Crises and Suite for Five among others by Merce Cunningham, and has premiered works by Maria Evans and Anthea Hamilton. Benny holds a BFA in Dance from NYU and an MA in New Performative Practices from Stockholm University of the Arts.

Threads Dance Nexus Space for Rent

An image of the Nexus dance studio, with a wall of windows and black Marley floor

Threads Dance Nexus – A Space to Connect and Create

The Threads Dance Nexus is a brand new community hub that not only provides a home for Threads Dance Project, but also strengthens the social fabric of our Minneapolis community through the connective power of dance.

Our 1,480 square foot space has:

  • A professional-grade speaker sound system
  • Sprung floors, barres, and mirrors
  • Two ADA-compliant, gender-neutral changing rooms
  • Large windows and garage door allowing for an abundance of natural light and fresh air

Conveniently located in the Seward neighborhood, we offer free parking and free side street parking. We are a five-minute walk from the Franklin light rail station, and a 2-5 minute walk from the nearest bus stops (lines 2, 9, 22, and 67).

To request space, please email nexusrentals@threadsdance.org. A nonrefundable deposit equal to one hour at the renter’s base rate is due to secure space.