Soundbody Workshop with Meryl Murman – 2024 McKnight International Choreographer

Saturday, June 1
10:00am-12:00pm

Meryl Zaytoun Murman guides participants through interactive improvisations and durational somatic prompts to explore the therapeutic and expressive connection between movement and raw vocal sound.

In this laboratory the voice becomes a vehicle for movement, expanding and transforming sensations and emotions from the subconscious into direct embodied experiences that are felt and expressed by the performer through spontaneous and authentic gesture. Emphasis is placed on awakening the spine to find fluid pathways for vocal vibrations to resonate, and on actively redirecting the sound energy outward through physical sensing and shifting the gaze.

This laboratory is focused on researching these tools for performance, and suited for people in the performing arts, or those wishing to engage with movement and voice through creative processes. Participants will experience tools for landing in presence, a healing informed approach to integrating movement and voice, and alternative pathways to accessing the deeply expressive, erotic, creative source within.

Free to attend. Registration is required in advance.

Embody Palestine

Sunday, June 2
3:00–5:00pm

EMBODY PALESTINE is a workshop by Leila Awadallah (Body Watani Dance) held in collaboration with Meryl Zaytoun Murman, 2024 McKnight International Choreographer. This workshop will guide participants through embodied explorations as a process of communal reflection on the range of emotions stirred by the genocide in Gaza.

To what extent can we use our bodies to connect with experiences we did not have, but learn about through media? How can the body respond and tend to the traumatic imagery in the news? Meryl will facilitate participants through movement and vocal explorations using gesture, mimicry and embodiment as a practice of awareness and communication based on a desire to process the human suffering we are witnessing with physical understanding.

In collaboration, Meryl and Leila will share reflections on the interconnectedness of many crises in the region and ways they work within movement spaces to interweave complex solidarities across bodies. How do we resist together? What actions can we take towards a more healing oriented future?

Dance experience is not necessary, and participants will engage at their own range of intensity.

Advanced registration required. Recommended donation of $5-15 at event. 75% of the income will be donated.

Off-Leash Area Presents The Knave of Knives – The Duchess of Dawn

At once dreamlike, unsettling, and absurd, Off-Leash Area’s new show, The Knave of Knives – The Duchess of Dawn, introduces two strange and haunting figures from an otherworldly court who engage in a fantastical struggle for power over the multiverse. Taking place in an immersive installation surrounding both stage and audience, the show is performed with movement and music/sound, inspired (loosely) by string theory, and is populated with melancholy stuffed animals and mysterious trophies, dispersed among the fragile threads of a clandestine karmic history.

Created and performed by Jennifer Ilse and Paul Herwig, co-artistic directors of Off-Leash Area.

June 7-9
7:30pm
Tickets on sale now.

Admission is by suggested donation between $10-$30. Seating is limited to approximately 40 seats and the garage fills up fast, so make your reservation early! You can also make your donation at the door by cash or card via Square.

Stick around afterward for popcorn, drinks, and conversation by the fire!

Authentic Movement 1 and 2

Authentic Movement 1: Listening to the Body
June 8-9, 9:30am-5:00pm (15 hours)

Authentic Movement 2: Seeing and Being Seen
July 26-28, 9:30am-6:00pm (22.5 hours)

Instructor: Barbara Nordstrom-Loeb MA, MFA, BC-DMT, LMFT, CMA, PW Associate, WoS, SEP

Cost: $430.00 – AR credit/300.00 – CE Credit.
Deposit of $160.00 due by May 7, 2024.
Special discount for taking both Authentic Movement 1 and 2 available.

Authentic Movement (AM) promotes deep embodied awareness. In this didactic and experiential course, participants will be introduced to the form of Authentic Movement and will also explore and deepen their own embodied experience of their inner proprioceptive experiences. In addition, alternative structures and the use of other creative modalities will be introduced.

This course is appropriate for anyone interested in pursuing dance/movement therapy registration (R-DMT), psychotherapists wanting to integrate more embodied, somatically-based approaches into their clinical practice, and others who want to deepen their understanding and experience of Authentic Movement.

Approved by the ADTA for Alternate Route credit.

TU Dance Center: Children and Beginner Summer Programs

The TU Dance Children and Teen Program introduces the joy of creative movement and beginning dance technique. Classes, divided by age, provide a comprehensive base on which to expand by developing body awareness, coordination, balance, flexibility, strength, and musicality. Click here to download the 2024 Creative Movement Daily Schedule and the 2024 Beginning Program Daily Schedule.

Youth Beginning Level: June 17-29
This 2-week program is entry level for students typically aged 9-12 and will focus on the techniques of Modern, Ballet, Hip Hop, and African Dance. Students will learn basic fundamentals of dance technique along with exploring their individual artistic expression.
Registration Deadline: June 12, 2024

Teen Beginning Level: June 17-29
This 2-week program is entry level for students typically aged 13-16 and will focus on the techniques of Modern, Ballet, Hip Hop, and African Dance. Students will learn basic fundamentals of dance technique along with exploring their individual artistic expression.
Registration Deadline: June 12, 2024

Creative Movement: July 22-26
During this 1-week program, students ages 5-8 will experience the connection between movement and creativity through rhythmically driven classes aided by live percussion.
Registration Deadline: July 17, 2024

TU Dance Center: Pre-Professional Summer Programs

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. Click the respective level group to download the daily schedule: 2024 Intermediate Program Daily Schedule and 2024 Advanced Intensive Daily Schedule.

Youth Intermediate Level: July 8-20
This level is aimed at students typically aged 11 and older with some dance experience who wish to experience focused dance training. During this 2-week program, students will be introduced to different forms of dance with a balance between building strong technique and exploring their artistry.
Registration Deadline: July 3, 2024

Teen Intermediate Level: July 8-20
This level is designed for students typically aged 14 and older with two or more years of formal training. During this 2-week program, students will explore their artistry through technique classes and workshop/choreography that will help to build their knowledge of dance.
Registration Deadline: July 3, 2024

Advanced Level: July 29-August 10
This 2-week summer intensive program is designed for advanced pre-professional students typically aged 17-24 who are interested in pursuing careers as professional dancers. It is recommended that students have four or more years of formal training and a solid grounding in Ballet and Modern dance techniques. Students will participate in daily workshop classes with TU Dance Center teaching artists and guest artists. Students can enroll for 1 week or 2 weeks. Each week will culminate with a work-in-progress sharing in the studio.
Registration Deadline: July 24, 2024. Single-week registration is available.

For program details, level placement, and to register, you can either click here, email education@tudance.org, or call 651-724-9708. Level placement can be done by attending in person (by appointment only, class fee applies), submitting a video link (Modern and Ballet phrases), or during the first day of classes of the intensive. Scholarships available!

View the TU Dance Summer Programs information more efficiently on a mobile device by clicking here.

Summer Dance at Threads Dance Project

Discover dance this summer at Threads Dance Nexus!

Creative Connections for ages 4-7

July 8-12 and July 15-19, 9:00-11:30am

Young movers will explore a variety of dance styles and how dance intersects with music, numbers, art, theater, and more. They will learn the importance of healthy bodies and minds, discuss basic nutrition, and how emotions can be defined, demonstrated, and calmed using movement. This journey of creativity and self-expression will be shared in a casual showing for family and friends at the end of each week.

NexGen/YDP (Youth Dance Project) for ages 8-12
July 8-12 and July 15-19, 12:30-4:30pm

Embark on a fun and holistic dance experience for your child in this comprehensive approach to summer dance learning. Dancers will grow in confidence, strength, and self-expression as they study ballet and modern techniques. They will learn self-care for their bodies and minds through nutrition and embodied movement exploration. Journals will be provided as a tool for self-reflection and discovery. Students will share what they’ve learned in a casual showing at the end of each week.

Register by June 22. No prior dance experience is required.
A limited number of partial and full scholarships are available – apply here by June 22.

Advanced-Professional Summer Dance Intensive with Threads Dance Project

Performers and creators, join us for a powerful week of dance exploration from July 22-26.

Threads is proud to announce the return of our Summer IntensiveWe are offering a new structure that allows us to better support artists whose focus is performance, creation, or both.

Performer’s Track – 10:00am-2:30pm

Classes include Contemporary-Modern, Ballet, Hip Hop, African Umfundalai, and more.

Creator’s Track – 1:00-5:00pm
Classes include Repertoire, Composition, Improvisation, and studies on topics such as grant-writing and funding, producing a show, and more.

Both Performer’s and Creator’s Tracks – 10:00am-5:00pm
Offers a rigorous, full-day exploration of techniques and the chance to enhance yourself as a performer and choreographer.

Repertoire learned in the intensive may be part of the company audition on Saturday, July 27.

Come for part of the day or the full day! Learn more and register by July 6.

Tuesday Open Ballet with Lisa Erickson

Ballet is fun! Come play and see for yourself! Please join Lisa Erickson for Open Ballet:

Tuesdays, 5:30-7:00pm
At the Center for Performing Arts, in the Sunroom

A ballet teacher with 35+ years of experience teaching all levels and ages, Lisa’s welcoming ballet classes naturally guide students in refining their alignment, balance, and technique, while also discovering the value and importance of the use of weight in their dancing. Coupled with individual attention, feedback, and humor, students experience expansion and growth in body and mind – and experience joy in the process!

Students are encouraged to expect success and mistakes! Only when we allow ourselves to take chances and risk failure can we grow to our full potential. Every student is special, different, important, appreciated, encouraged, respected, unique, invited, and welcome.

Drop-in: $17-20. Pre-pay via Venmo @Lisa-Erickson-121 or pay with exact cash.

Erin Thompson Teaches Advanced Contemporary Classes in Person and on Zoom

Erin’s advanced-level contemporary dance class at Zenon Dance School includes floor work, standing warm-ups, and phrase work, all designed to enhance the healthy use of joints and muscle groups as dancers release their weight fully into the support of the ground. Experiential awareness, body mapping, improvisation, and creative work are included as dancers channel their own expressive artistry within the movement.

Thursdays, 9:30-11:00am

Registration is open through Zenon’s MindBody portal.
See you soon!