Ananya Dance Theatre is Accepting Audition Applications

We invite artists who are ready for professional engagement to join our ensemble. Ideal company members demonstrate a commitment to training in a non-mainstream movement aesthetic and the rigor of a justice-informed creative approach, show up with maturity and consistency in their working process, and embody an ensemble-based working methodology.

Ananya Dance Theatre is a professional dance company of BIPOC women and femme artists working at the intersection of artistic excellence, contemporary dance theater, social justice, and transnational feminisms. Our physical facility, the Shawngrām Institute for Performance & Social Justice is located at 1197 University Ave West, St Paul, MN. Typically, the company presents at least one new, devised performance annually, and is engaged in touring, offering community-based experiences, workshops, classes, and site-specific public art works. The company prides itself on developing deep roots in our local community along with wide-spreading branches in our transnational relationships. Performing artists are employees with January-to-December contracts.

For more information about Yorchhā, our signature contemporary movement aesthetic, go to: https://www.ananyadancetheatre.org/philosophy/yorchha/
For more context about Shawngrām, our specific choreographic methodology, go to: https://www.ananyadancetheatre.org/philosophy/shawngram/

The audition process involves an initial submission of inquiry on this platform, followed by in-person auditions with the company ensemble.
Submission deadline: Monday, November 9, 2022

Application link: bit.ly/ADTAudition

Katha Dance Theatre Seeks Diverse Dancers to Join Training Program

Katha Dance Theatre has been performing and educating in Kathak, the classical Indian dance form, since 1987. Kathak is a beautiful dance form that is grounded in a mixture of balletic lyrical movements and pirouettes as well as complex rhythmic footwork. Because it originated as a form of storytelling, the form also has a strong emotional component and evokes narratives through dancers’ gestures and facial expressions. KDT has been working for over 35 years to make the form accessible and inclusive through offering programs throughout the state of Minnesota (and beyond) and collaborating with multicultural artists on original work.

With that in mind, KDT is seeking dancers of diverse mediums and ethnic backgrounds to join their school on a track to eventually join the professional company. The organization has received grant funding that enables it to offer full scholarships to at least 5 dancers outside of its majority-South Asian community to begin Kathak training.

The training would begin ASAP, with current fall classes ongoing. Professional dancers of any kind are welcome, with male dancers being especially encouraged to join. To learn more about the upcoming session, go to our website and email info@kathadance.org if interested.

Watch an example of KDT’s work here.

Photo by Anjana Nair.

Ananya Dance Theatre is Seeking an Operations Manager

The Operations Manager reports to and works closely with the Managing Director and Artistic Director to manage the operations of the company.

Ananya Dance Theatre is a professional dance company of BIPOC women and femme artists working at the intersection of excellence, contemporary dance theater, social justice, and transnational feminisms. Our physical facility, the Shawngrām Institute for Performance & Social Justice is located at 1197 University Ave West, St Paul, MN, and is equipped with ADA-compliant access ramp and rest rooms. Typically, the company presents at least one new, devised performance annually, and is engaged in touring, offering community-based experiences, workshops, classes, and site-specific public art works. The company prides itself on developing deep roots in our local community along with wide-spreading branches in our transnational relationships.

Who We’re Looking For

We are looking for a Twin-Cities based professional who will work closely with the Managing Director and Artistic Director, and in keeping with the community-embedded professional culture the company has carefully nurtured since its inception. The person who is right for this position is a resourceful, proactive thought leader and problem solver, committed to a mission of BIPOC women and femme-centered social justice choreography, collaborative, energetic, people-oriented, and nurturing of the community connections that enliven our work.

This is a person who also works relatively independently to manage projects and makes decisions in close cooperation with other ADT colleagues, in keeping with the company’s culture.

This position does not have fixed hours per day every week, and the ideal candidate understands that their schedule will need to flexibly prioritize company activities. Much of the work of this position can be accomplished remotely.

Key Competencies
● Bottom-line reliability;
● A generalist who tends to details in many areas in pursuit of meaning and accomplishment;
● A positive, can-do attitude reflected in forward-thinking that focuses on executing the details of short- and long-term tactics, strategies, and objectives;
● Understanding of and shared interest in social justice art-making and alternative, BIPOC-led aesthetics and artistic processes;
● Ability to articulate coherent stories orally and in writing;
● Strong written and verbal communication and marketing skills;
● Computer literacy and proficiency with Google Documents, Microsoft Office, Airtable, and online QuickBooks;
● Strategic and tactical insight into the uses of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other online platforms;
● General facility to maintain technical equipment, e.g. alarm system, printer, etc.;
● Experience managing information in spreadsheets and other office software;
● Basic budgeting and accounting skills to maintain the baseline documentation for the organization’s bookkeeper, accountants, and auditor;
● Ability to organize, plan, facilitate, and manage activities to meet deadlines;
● Personal ability to troubleshoot, problem solve, and navigate the nuances that balance the resources and dreams of a growing, mighty dance company.

Compensation
The Operations Manager is budgeted to be a 1.00 FTE employee compensated at $48,000 annually. Ananya Dance Theatre will provide a MacIntosh laptop for virtual and in-person employment service.

Ananya Dance Theatre is a mission-based, nonprofit performing arts organization. Working in this sector can be personally rewarding, with intrinsic benefits and distinct opportunities for growth. We recognize that our compensation does not match that of the private sector nor of more highly resourced arts organizations. We are committed to working to increase compensation and benefits for all of our people. Candidates for employment should consider carefully their decision to work in this field before seeking or accepting a position at Ananya Dance Theatre.

More Information
Please visit our website for more information.

To Apply
Send a letter of interest and resume to Irna.Landrum@ananyadancetheatre.org. Include “Operations Manager” in the email’s subject line. Please include the following information: your interest in the position and the organization, evidence of the required experience, and contact information. Applicants will be screened on a rolling basis until the position is filled. All applicants will be notified of decisions in a timely fashion.

Young Dance Seeks Teaching Artists for 2022–23 Session and Beyond

Four class images of young dancers paired with the Young Dance logo

Young Dance is seeking teachers, assistants, and substitutes for 2022-23 and beyond. Teachers with experience in the following styles are encouraged to apply: Hip Hop, Jazz, Musical Theater, Afro-Modern, Modern/Contemporary, Ballet, Percussive, and Creative Movement. Experience working with dancers of all abilities is a plus, but not required.

Founded in 1987, we believe young people are artists with something important to say and that working across differences is a benefit to all. Our mission is to transform lives through movement. We are an inclusive community where creativity flourishes and healthy risk-taking is encouraged. Our classes are open to everyone of all levels and abilities. Participants enjoy our collaborative and student-led approach to dance education. Our curriculum emphasizes technique, improvisation, and choreography through the elements of dance: Body, Action, Space, Time, and Energy. Dancers develop skills in observing, participating, and reflecting in a safe and supportive environment that values a commitment to self, to the group, and to lifelong learning.

Pay rate is $48/hour for lead teaching, $24/hour for assisting.

Contact Anat Shinar, anat@youngdance.org, with a resume and brief introduction.

Lia Rodrigues: Fúria

Brazilian choreographer Lia Rodrigues’s Companhia de Danças performs with visceral physicality through scenes of dominance and submission, exuberance and apathy, joy and pain. Firmly rooted and conceived in the favela of Maré in Rio de Janeiro, this intoxicating work takes a stand against racism and social segregation. The performance depicts a transformation moving from celebration to uprising, building with energy and fury into an hour-long arc of choreographic catharsis.

October 28 and October 29 at 8:00pm

This performance contains nudity and simulated violence.

Related Event:
Lia Rodrigues Dance Workshop: Discovering New Movement Language
October 27, 5:00pm
Free

AMP Presents ViewPoints ’22 – Featuring MN Choreographers

Alternative Motion Project returns to the Southern Theater for a dynamic and captivating evening of newly commissioned works performed by AMP’s talented company of movers. Each distinct world premiere explores the multi-faceted concept of identity, reflecting the unique perspectives of each artist that threads the eclectic evening together. Don’t miss it!

New Works
Body Watani – Leila and Noelle Awadallah
Nieya Amezquita
Alexandra Bodnarchuk
Rachel Lieberman

Repertory Work
split – Joanna Lees, Artistic and Executive Director

Master classes taught by each choreographer will also be offered as part of ViewPoints ’22. More information coming soon.

Performances
Friday, October 28 – 7:30pm
Saturday, October 29 – 7:30pm
Sunday, October 30 – 2:00pm – Pay What You Can; Post-Show Q&A

Tickets
General Admission – $20 in advance; $25 at the door
Senior – $18 in advance; $22 at the door
Students/Children under 12 – $18 in advance and at the door
Online remote viewing options will also be available. More information coming soon.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Photo Credits: Bill Cameron

TCB Premieres Journeys at Cowles Center’s Fall Forward Festival

Twin Cities Ballet is excited to announce the premiere of Journeys as part of Week One of the Cowles Center’s new Fall Forward Festival! Also performing in Week One are Rhythmically Speaking and Duniya Drum & Dance Ensemble.

Journeys, an all-new abstract ballet, brings to life the music’s moods, forms and expression: from playful and lively, to soulful and reflective, to uplifting and invigorating. It debunks many of ballet’s preconceived stereotypes of elitism, gender roles and formality, by using the hallmarks of ballet – pointe, partnering, intricate footwork, athleticism, control, and musicality – in entertaining, creative, and accessible ways.

Join us for Week One, and check out all four weeks of the festival, too!

Price: $30

PC: Galen Higgins

Threads Thriller Costume and Dance Bash

Poster image with a drawn green and gory hand along with event details in text

Wear your best costume and come celebrate the famous Thriller dance!

Threads Dance Project announces that it will be one of the thousands of groups, novice and professional, participating in this year’s Thrill the World event. Thrill the World is a yearly happening that has grown to worldwide recognition by teaching and performing Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance. We will be teaching the dance at the event and then at exactly 5:00pm will join fellow dancers causing a “Thrill” across the globe.

This is a fundraising event that will benefit Threads Dance Project. The event will take place at our home studio, the Threads Dance Nexus. We have a costume contest planned for adults and youth along with goodies and bites from a local food truck. Please consider joining us in this fun holiday event in person or through your donated monetary gift. We hope to see you there!

James Sewell Ballet – BREATHE

A light-skinned dancer is suspended in a jump

As we continue to innovate in the field of dance – the art form of touch and breath – James Sewell Ballet shares a program with breath and exchange at its center. Take it in and let it fill you up.

Special guest Xina combines her dance and music savvy to co-create a piece blending art-pop and spiritual sensibilities – no formula, just boundless creativity. Michael Walters returns with brand new choreography after astonishing and energizing audiences with his JSB New Works Project ’22 premiere. Arimee Gambill, in her fifth season as a company dancer, debuts a work that combines rapture with decay.

What happens at the intersection of total rhapsody and utter nihilism? Rounding out the program is a restaging of Sewell’s Grey (2018), with mesmerizing moves swirling to selections from Ukrainian world-music quartet DakhaBrakha.

James Sewell Ballet – First Chance Dance Performance of BREATHE

James Sewell Ballet’s First Chance Dance performances are geared toward first-time audiences of all ages, including infants. This 60-minute performance of excerpts from the company’s regular season repertoire promises to delight! There will be no intermission, and house lights will remain partially lit so that audience members may come and go as needed.


Saturday, October 29
11:00am

$5-45

As we continue to innovate in the field of dance – the art form of touch and breath – JSB shares a program with breath and exchange at its center. Take it in and let it fill you up.

Special guest XINA combines her dance and music savvy to co-create a piece blending art-pop and spiritual sensibilities – no formula, just boundless creativity. Michael Walters returns with brand new choreography after astonishing and energizing audiences with his JSB New Works Project ’22 premiere. Arimee Gambill, in her fifth season as company dancer, debuts a work that combines rapture with decay. What happens at the intersection of total rhapsody and utter nihilism? Rounding out the program is a restaging of Sewell’s Grey (2018), with mesmerizing moves swirling to selections from Ukrainian world-music quartet DakhaBrakha.

Regular, full-length performances on October 29 at 7:30pm and October 30 at 2:00pm.