Archive

Concerto Dance presents Girls in the Band

Join us for our premiere of Girls in the Band, an original jazz dance production illuminating the history and untold stories of female musicians and composers who paved the way for women in jazz from the 1930’s to today.  Told through dance, narration and film, Girls in the Band celebrates the “Ladies Who Swing the Band!”

Bloomington Center for the Arts
June 16, 1:30* & 7:30pm
June 17, 7:30pm
June 18, 2:30* & 7:30pm
*6/16 1:30 Senior Homes Matinee, 6/18 2:30 “Pick your price” options available

Ticket also includes free admission to the film screening of the full documentary film, The Girls in the Band directed by Judy Chaikin, June 18th at 4:30. (Run time 90 min.) And an all ages jazz dance masterclass June 18th from 10-11am.

Tickets: $30 Adults, $22 Seniors/Students (Includes Fees)

Box Office: blm.mn/bcatix or 952-563-8575

Visit: www.concertodance/girls-in-the-band for more info.

The Cowles Center Announces 2022–2023 Season

The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts, Minnesota’s hub for dance, announces an in-person season of evening-length productions from the 2020 and 2021 McKnight Dancer Fellows, Rhythm Street Movement, Ashwini Ramaswamy, Rathaus Productions and Andy Mor, Black Label Movement, Hatch Dance, and THE MIXTAPE Collective; as well as the inaugural Fall Forward Festival showcasing dance by Duniya Drum and Dance Ensemble, Twin Cities Ballet, Rhythmically Speaking, Threads Dance Project, Atlantis13, Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre, Crash Dance Productions, HIJACK, and Aparna Ramaswamy.

New season packages and single tickets are on sale now. To learn more, visit thecowlescenter.org/season or call the Box Office at (612) 206-3600.

Last Mixtape Collective Workshop

Choreographers, dancers, and composers of all genres in the Twin Cities are invited to join THE MIXTAPE Collective for free weekly immersive experiences highlighting their creation process! Every Saturday a MIXTAPE choreographer, and the MIXTAPE music director will lead a workshop with fellow collaborators in music composition/production, lighting design, and videography.

FINAL DATE – May 21: Choreographer Darrius Strong and Music Director Stefon Bionik Taylor with composer Yan Pang Classes take place from 12:00pm-2:00pm in the Tek Box at the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts. MIXTAPE will pay for all attendees’ parking!

About THE MIXTAPE Collective: MIXTAPE dances into the next chapter of Hip Hop dance theater with an exploration of futuristic ways to perceive the struggles of the present. We locate ourselves in cyberspace, where battles are fought, relationships are built, and artifacts of the past are uncovered. MIXTAPE 5G: The Sound of Movement investigates finding the strength to defy hierarchy, building solidarity through difference, and fracturing fossilized stereotypes.

Workshops with Kei Tsuruharatani’ at Threads Dance Nexus

Threads Dance Project is partnering with Theatre Mu to offer two workshops by Kei Tsuruharatani’(Broadway’s Jagged Little Pill). Both are shaped by Kei’s (she/her) collaborative, non-pedagogical teaching style that truly invites participants to open themselves up and learn from each other’s creativity and strengths.

Conscious Movement | May 23, 6:30-8:30pm

This workshop is a movement exploration and mindfulness practice for both non-dancers and dancers. 

Decolonizing Ballet | May 25, 10am-12pm

Dancers will learn how to approach ballet from a decolonized perspective as they go through technique exercises and combinations with Kei. 

Pay as able: $10 – $40. More Info and Registration Online at: https://www.theatermu.org/mti/kei-tsuruharatani Anyone 16 or older is welcome to attend, but the space will be centered on BIPOC and TGNC (transgender/non-conforming) experiences.

The Arena in May – Blake Nellis

Moving Practice is a weekly class series for professional dancers. Classes prioritize rigor, diversity of contemporary aesthetics, variety of class content, and commitment. Professional level dancers of all styles are welcome.

Tuesdays, 10:00-11:30am at The Arena
Blake Nellis teaches throughout May!

Drop in rate is $17; Buy a 10-class card and save! FREE parking on all side streets (Aldrich, Bryant, Colfax, 31st, etc.)

Register here: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/mainclass

In this series we will explore principles of: improvisation, weight, spirals, follow-through, moving support, timing, and dynamics of touch. We will play with material that arises from the dance we experience and explore together.  In and out of solo, changing our tone and attention, we will deepen our sense of dancing authentically.

Blake Nellis (he/him) is an artist, educator and improviser who creates work with the body. His work is deeply rooted in human connection, physical touch and nature. He graduated from Luther College with a degree in Theater/Dance. He is a 2019 & 2015 recipient of the MN State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant (Photography & Dance respectively). He has taught and performed around the globe. He has produced work at the Walker Art Center, Patrick’s Cabaret, The Artbox, Red Eye Theater, TEK Box, Bryant Lake Bowl Theater & Luther College. His other professional dance experience includes performing with Mathew Janczewski’s ARENA Dances, Patrick Scully, Live Action Set, Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater, Jim Lieberthal’s Footholds Project, Jane Hawley, Hatch Dance, HoneyWorks, Rosy Simas & Taja Will. His favorite moments usually include ice cream, laughter, traveling, or nature. Or beer.  And biking. And/or all of the above. www.blakenellis.org

Photo by Bill Cameron

The photo is of a male with dark hair and beard, kneeling on one leg with the other stretched out with arms in similar shape. He is dressed in a cream colored shirt with khaki drawstring waist pants surrounded by a black background.

Dance Innovation for Seasoned Adults 55+ Session Two at TU Dance Center

Dance teacher Tamiko French has developed a program centered around revitalizing creativity of storytelling with the building blocks of dance creation that infuses the visual and literary arts. https://vimeo.com/685038137

The 8-week workshop is designed to be sequential for participants, with each class building on the previous class. From a first class in which participants will use poetry, prose, dramatic writing, spoken word, or other writing as a stimulus to create movement, participants will learn about modern and jazz dance techniques and choreographic practice, collaborate and share results with others, study facilitated improvisation and play in dance, and refine their work for a sharing event for family, friends, and the community.

Session 2: May 26–July 16 | Thursdays, 10:00-11:30am CST | In-person only. $45 per workshop.

This program is for adults 55+. Pre-registration required as in-studio space is limited! There will be a showing on last day of each workshop from 12:30-2:00pm. Proof of vaccination and masks are required at the door for all participants. TU Dance will offer tuition and transportation subsidy upon request. Please contact us at education@tudance.org or 651-724-9708 to inquire.

Save the Date for AMP’s AMPLIFIED Summer Workshop

Get back into our bodies and the studio with AMPLIFIED: AMP’s 4-day Summer Workshop sponsored by Zenon Dance School! Let’s move, sweat and explore mobility, length, momentum, 3-D expansion, while amplifying our physical possibilities in a curious, uplifting, and enlivening environment. Led by AMP and special guest artists. Suitable for pre-professional/professional movers. Come as you are!

June 6-9 | 10:00am – 1:00pm

10:00-11:30 am – Contemporary Movement Practice | Joanna Lees
11:30am – 1:00 pm – Master Classes with Berit Ahlgren, Javan Mngrezzo, and Taja Will

Registration Info:
Full Workshop (6/6 – 6/9; all 8 practices, 10:00-11:30am) | $100
First Half Workshop (6/6 – 6/9; 4 practices, 10:00-11:30am) | $50
Second Half Workshop (6/6 – 6/9; 4 practices, 11:30am – 1:00pm) | $50
Drop in(Single Practice) | $15/practice | $28/day

Register by June 6 at 9:00am or drop in payments can be made in person at the door (subject to availability). As of now, a mask will be required regardless of vaccination status.

More information about class offerings and instructors coming soon! For more info and registration at alternativemotionproject.org. Send questions to: alternativemotionproject@gmail.com.

*Venue Change*
Zenon Dance School 4th Floor | 528 Hennepin Ave | Minneapolis, MN 55403

Dance as Second Language Workshop

This workshop will provide an introduction to modern dance and choreographic tools for participants to express themselves with movement. Participants will be encouraged to develop their own choreography as a way of storytelling. The workshops will be open to adults of all abilities and levels of dance experience. The focus of these workshops will be to learn how to use our bodies as an instrument for expression.  At the end of the workshop, there will be a small informal showing of work developed during this process.

Dates: June 10 – 12, 2022
Location: TARGET STUDIO at The Cowles Center
Time: 10:30 am to 1:30 pm  (Booked from 10 am to 2 pm)

In-Person Attendance: 10 maximum, 3 minimum
In-Person Registration: Opens April 11, 2022
In-Person Registration Link: https://forms.gle/Pzeyhv5ewoYTfmiu9

On-Line Attendance: 10 maximum
On-Line Registration: May 2, 2022
On-Line Registration Link: TBD

Meli (MX) is a freelance dance artist in the Twin Cities, creating dance work and promoting access to cultural activities for over a decade. Since 2007 she has taught Ballet and Modern dance. Meli holds a Masters’s in Tourism from Colorado State University. She has combined her work with an extensive professional dance career in Mexico to provide access and empower communities to share their culture.

Erika Martin (USA) is a Minneapolis-based dancer, choreographer, teacher, and engaged citizen. Erika holds a BA in Modern Dance and American Studies from Connecticut College. They have taught Modern and Ballroom dance for over 15 years and investigate the human experience through choreography. Erika has served as School Coordinator for Zenon Dance School since 2019.

Summer Intensive at Hopkins Dance Company

Hopkins Dance Company will be creating a new original piece for our summer intensive Monday through Thursday evenings, June 20 – 23 and June 27 – 30 with an in studio performance on June 30! Dancers 7 – 18 are invited to join. No audition necessary. Register at www.hopkinsdance.com