Contempo Physical Dance at The O’Shaughnessy

Contempo Physical Dance returns to The O’Shaughnessy with their third international choreography residency, featuring a world premiere by the 2022 McKnight International Choreographer, Mário Nascimento, Artistic Director of Corpo de Dança do Amazonas in Manaus, Brazil.

November 18 at 7:30pm
November 19 at 7:30pm
$5-$29

Choreographers’ Evening 50th Anniversary

Judith Howard, a tall white woman stands near the camera, her face is turned over her shoulder. Alanna Morris, a small black woman, stands behind Judith and looks around Judith to face the camera

The Walker’s annual dance showcase celebrates a half century of works by Minnesota choreographers, offering an exciting glimpse into a vibrant and diverse community. For the 50th anniversary of Choreographers’ Evening, guest curators Alanna Morris and Judith Howard offer a program of works that honor and recognize the rich histories, vital contributions, and power of today’s movement innovators.

Featured choreographers for this year’s program are Aloe AoLiu, Romeo Cannady, Colin Edwards and Canaan Mattson, Elizabeth Flinsch, Averie Mitchell-Brown, Alys Ayumi Ogura, Kayla Schiltgen, Kristin Van Loon and J. H. Shuǐ Xiān, and Laurie Van Wieren. Join us for a remarkable evening highlighting the strength and exuberance of Minnesota dance.

Saturday, November 26
4:00pm and 7:00pm

The Best of The Nutcracker

St. Paul Ballet created a special edition for our return to the stage last year, the Best of The Nutcracker! Join us December 2-3 at The O’Shaughnessy for sprinkles of seasonal magic and joy that will bring cheer to the whole family. Best of The Nutcracker will feature crowd favorites by Lirena Branitski including the Kingdom of the Snow, as well as Spanish, Russian, and Waltz of Flowers from the Kingdom of Sweets along with excerpts from the Party Scene, guest appearances by CAAM Chinese Dance Theater and talented musicians from St. Paul Ballet who perform regularly in Minnesota.

This intimate jewel of a concert is lovingly designed for the audience as we all return to the theater. The performance is under 90 minutes including intermission and is a perfect way to introduce the whole family to the power and beauty of dance. This year tickets are Pay As You Can.

So, make time for joy this season!

December 2 at 7:00pm
December 3 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm

The Snow Queen

Show image of a light skinned dancer in a shimmering blue dress and pointe shoes

Introducing The Snow Queen!

Travel to magical lands through this sparkling holiday production that will warm you from the inside out. From the screen to the stage, Ballet Co.Laboratory’s original 2020 ballet made for film will be transformed for the theater with newly expanded scenes and choreography.

Join us December 2-4, 2022 at The Cowles Center for Dance & Performing Arts as we follow Gerda, a little girl filled with moxie on a quest to rescue her brother, whose heart has been frozen by an icy fragment from the Snow Queen’s enchanted mirror.

Tickets are available here: https://bit.ly/BCLSnowQueen

TCB’s A Minnesota Nutcracker is Back – More Minnesotan than Ever

A dancer dressed as the Nutcracker performs a large center split jump

The beloved holiday classic with a Minnesota twist returns to Ames Center this December! This year A Minnesota Nutcracker is more Minnesotan than ever, with a number of new costumes and choreography portraying iconic Minnesota characters and landscapes. The result is a fresh, vibrant, and monumentally Minnesota take on the beloved holiday classic. 

Deemed one of the 12 essential holiday events by MPR, A Minnesota Nutcracker is delightful entertainment for the whole family! 

Thursday, December 8 at 10:15am – sensory-relaxed show
Friday, December 9 at 7:00pm
Saturday, December 10 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm
Sunday, December 11 at 1:00pm and 4:30pm

Tickets: Ames Center Box Office or Ticketmaster.com

About Twin Cities Ballet: Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota (TCB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional ballet company located in the South Metro. TCB’s mission is to connect and enrich communities by making ballet approachable, relatable, and fun, through professional and original productions and educational outreach. TCB creates original full-length story ballets as well as more abstract and contemporary works. TCB is also the first ballet company in Minnesota to develop and present Sensory Relaxed performances for families and those with sensory sensitivities, making the art of ballet accessible for many who might not otherwise be able to do so.

These activities are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Ballet Minnesota’s The Classic Nutcracker

A ballerina in a tutu is suspended above the shoulders of a male dancer

Ballet Minnesota’s thirty-fourth annual The Classic Nutcracker returns to the O’Shaughnessy! Come celebrate this annual family holiday tradition this December 16-18!

For novices to the ballet, this holiday story begins on Christmas Eve. We join a young girl, Clara, her mischievous brother, Fritz, and their family hosting a Christmas party. A latecomer to the party is Clara’s mysterious godfather Drosselmeyer. He presents her with a marvelous gift, a nutcracker doll. As Clara goes to sleep that night, we are transported into her dream of the Rat King fighting the Nutcracker and his army of toy soldiers. The Nutcracker Prince escorts Clara through an enchanted snow-covered forest and on to his Kingdom of the Sweets where Clara accepts the throne from the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Enjoy the return of this classic holiday favorite!

December 16 at 7:00pm
December 17 at 2:00pm
December 18 at 2:00pm
Price: $5-45

McKnight International Artist Master Class with Mario Nascimento

Two Saturdays left:

 November 5, and November 12
10:00am–12:00pm

The Cowles Center in Studio 5B

Open to movers of all levels of dance experience, the classes will feature live percussive music and be influenced by Mário’s background in Afro-Brazilian, Indigenous Brazilian, and contemporary dance styles.

All classes are $10. Pay for class.

The Arena – Moving Practice Drop-In with Kendall Kramer

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

Kendall Kramer teaches in November
Tuesdays, 10:00-11:30am

Professional-level dancers of all styles are welcome.
Pre-register here.
Suggested $17 per class; however, there is a 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 is a hybrid of foundational ballet technique, breathwork, and exercises for alignment, taught with a gentle approach.  No barre in this class! Instead, we will practice plenty of exercises to help us feel grounded and warmed up for longer exercises in the center, across the floor, and a final combo. I am creating this class in particular for dancers who want to strengthen their ballet muscles and technique, or to practice the form in a less traditional environment. Hope to see you there!

Kendall Kramer is a performer, choreographer, and educator who is deeply passionate about creating spaces where creativity can flourish. She grew up training at the Minnetonka Dance Theater and School, where she also taught dance starting at age 14.

Kendall graduated magna cum laude from Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX) in 2010 with dual degrees in Dance Performance and Spanish Language. She had the great privilege to study with Danny Buraczeski, among others. In Texas, she danced with organizations and individual artists such as Leslie Scates of Lower Left, Frame Dance, and Psophonia Dance Company. Since returning to Minneapolis, she has had the privilege of performing in Future Interstates, The Shed with HatchDance and HoneyWorks, producing work for the MN Fringe, delving into dance for film, choreographing for Zenon Zone, studying voice with Barrett Music Studio, producing a burlesque and parody dance cabaret series #salsacaliente at the Bryant Lake Bowl, and is the incredibly proud winner of Nudie Nubies burlesque competition in April 2022. In Minneapolis, Kendall has taught for Zenon, The Arena, and several local pre-professional programs. She is thrilled to be teaching a Moving Practice Series at the Arena!

TU Dance Center: Open Class with Christopher Ralph of The DASH Ensemble

TU Dance Center is offering daily intermediate/advanced level open classes to the community.

November 8 open class will be taught by Christopher Ralph of Gregory Dolbashian’s The DASH Ensemble!

9:30-11:00am at TU Dance Center

Cost: $15/class

Chris’s contemporary class begins with a warm-up including stretching, improv, and core exercises. The second half of class focuses on learning choreography and working on musicality. Chris’s movement is grounded, technical, and intricate. Students are able to explore their own artistry within Chris’s combinations.

To pre-register, click here.

Musical Theater Jazz Workshop with Xan Mattek at Zenon

Join Xan Mattek for a special two-week Musical Theater Jazz Workshop this November, hosted by Zenon Dance School!

Musical Theater Workshop with Xan Mattek
November 9 and 16, 2022
Wednesdays, 5:30-6:30pm

Enroll today! https://conta.cc/3ekHNdW
Enrollment: $25. Drop-in: $15
In person only. Masks required.

Xan Mattek is a graduate from Wichita State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre Performance. She is new to the Twin Cities and has been having a blast getting to know the scene; taking class, auditioning, and meeting inspiring creators! Recent performance credits include Once Upon a Mattress and Escape to Margaritaville where she served as Dance Captain (Old Log Theater) and A Christmas Carol (Guthrie Theater). She is currently choreographing Princess and the Pea at the Old Log. One of her favorite gigs was interning at the Lovewell Institute for the Creative Arts, where she assisted students in writing, choreographing, directing and overall performing a full scale musical from scratch in three weeks. Her time at WSU gave her the opportunity to work closely with Daxton Bloomquist (Book of Mormon on Broadway) and several time Broadway National Tour artist and dance captain, Bradley Alan Zarr. Along with her work in theatre Xan is passionate about community arts engagement. Projects include Final Fest Music and Arts Festival and R Sound Presents: Poetry and Music Open Mic.