Rent Space at The Arena

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

Our space offers:

  • 1,305 square feet (30×40) of sprung floor
  • Marley dance flooring
  • Full wall-length mirrors (with curtains for covering if preferred)
  • Free wi-fi
  • Changing room

We are situated on multiple bus lines, including the 21, 4, 23, 612, 18, with plenty of free street parking around the building.

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

The Arena Offers Contemporary Flow with AD Mathew Janczewski

Mathew’s work is best described as contemporary, spanning an array of styles – from quietly evocative to physically demanding, full of spiraling momentum that draws energy into the core and spreads it out like disco ball beams of light. At times, movement focuses on the dancers’ bends and folds, creating shape as one shifts and moves, creating moments of connection.

Class focuses on opening up curiosity, finding internal pathways within the body and the contrast of those same pathways. An assortment of texture, speed, density, length, force and resistance will be taught to open these skills.

Fridays, 10:00-11:30 am
Through April 8
Pre-register at https://www.arena-dances.org/the-arena/
Drop-in rate is $17 with flexible pricing and free parking!

Mathew Janczewski’s inquisitive, immersive and heartfelt approach to contemporary dance reaches beyond the surface and holds the viewer in its embrace. With over 35 works in his repertoire and more than two decades of experience as a choreographer, Mathew has cultivated a highly diverse and mesmerizing style of movement.

Mathew’s work has garnered praise in the Twin Cities and beyond. He has created commissioned works for companies such as Minnesota Dance Theater, Cleveland Repertory Co., aTrek Dance, and Zenon Dance Company. He was the Bates Festival choreographer (2001), received the Sage Award for Outstanding Performance (2005), and won the McKnight Choreographers Fellowship (2005). In 2008, Dance Magazine named him as one of their “25 to Watch.”

Shortly after receiving his degree in dance at the University of Minnesota and performing internationally, Mathew founded his own non-profit dance company, ARENA DANCES, in 1995. ARENA serves as the vehicle for his body of work and provides young, aging and underserved segments of the Twin Cities community with opportunities to experience the transformative power of dance.

The Arena – GYROKINESIS® Method with Non Edwards

The GYROKINESIS® Method is a movement method that addresses the entire body, opening energy pathways, stimulating the nervous system, increasing range of motion and creating functional strength through rhythmic, flowing movement sequences. It is an original and unique method which coordinates movement, breath and mental focus.

Tuesdays, 4:00-5:00pm at The Arena

No class March 1. Brittany Fridenstine-Keefe teaches March 22-April 5.

Pre-registration preferred but not necessary at https://www.arena-dances.org/the-arena/
Drop in rate is $17 with flexible pricing and free parking!

Non Edwards is a dancer, choreographer, and Gyrokinesis Method Trainer. She was first introduced to the Gyrokinesis Method by Deborah Jinza Thayer. Non has studied with Domini Anne, Miriam Barbosa, Erika Hassan, Jane Gotch, and Kerry Parker. Cross-training with the Gyrokinesis Method supports Non’s career as a freelance dancer.

Non has danced in DIY and non-art spaces as well as the Seattle Art Fair, Walker Art Center, Nelson-Atkins Museum, and the Twin Cities’ Bedlam, Bedlam Lowertown, Bryant-Lake Bowl, Ritz, Fitzgerald, McGuire, Southern, and Goodale Theaters; in Massachusetts at Jacob’s Pillow; and in Hawai’i at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. In 2020 Non was awarded a McKnight Dancer Fellowship. She has been a member of ARENA Dances since 2016.

ARENA DANCES’ Studio Stories – CANDY BOX Special with Alexandra Bodnarchuk

Join ARENA DANCES for our weekly Studio Stories podcast, where each week we reminisce on Twin Cities dance history with a new special guest. This week we begin our special CANDY BOX Dance Festival edition hearing from Happy Hour artist Alexandra Bodnarchuk.

Alexandra Bodnarchuk, creates original works ranging from solos to evening length group works for the stage and screen. She is a 2021 Ann & Weston Hicks Choreography Fellow at Jacob’s Pillow and a 2020 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow Finalist. Her most recent work, dance film Heritage Sites, premiered in 2020 and has been screening around the globe. She has been moving with Black Label Movement under the direction of Carl Flink since 2017.

Tune in this Thursday, March 10 at 12:00pm to hear what Alexandra Bodnarchuk is sharing as part of the 6th Annual CANDY BOX Dance Festival happening May 2-7 at the Southern Theater.

Available on our website or wherever you get your podcasts!

Open Office Hours – Free Virtual Arts Admin Consultations

Are you a dancer interested in learning more about professional development; advice on how to tailor a resume; tips on successful interviewing; or tools for networking in the local or national dance community?

Artists in the community are encouraged to sign up for 30-minute consultations every second Wednesday of the month through The Cowles Center’s Open Office Hours Program.

Register here: https://forms.gle/xrxu8HGv2GmRvQgZ6

Zenon Dance School – Winter Classes In-Person and Online

Zenon Dance School is excited to welcome you back for another season of dance this winter! Classes run through March 20, 2022.

Monday

  • 9:30am: Intermediate Contemporary/Modern with Joanna Lees – Hybrid
  • 11:15am: Gaga/people with Berit Ahlgren – In Person
  • 5:30pm: Cardio Dance Jam with Ariel Linnerson – Online
  • 5:30pm: Contemporary Ballet with Anne Lentz – Hybrid

Tuesday

  • 9:30am: Intermediate/Advanced Contemporary with Chloe Nagle – Online
  • 5:30pm: Contemporary Floorwork with Javan Mngrezzo – In Person
  • 7:00pm: Beginning 1 Jazz with Allison Rubin Forester – Hybrid

Wednesday

  • 9:30am: Composition/Improvisation with HIJACK – Online
  • 11:15am: Intermediate 1 Ballet with Nic Lincoln – In Person
  • 5:30pm: Beginning 1 Ballet with Lisa Erickson – Online
  • 5:30pm: Intermediate Contemporary with Ruby J. Smith – Hybrid
  • 7:00pm: All Levels Hip-Hop with Gabby Abram – Hybrid
  • 7:00pm: Beginning/Intermediate Jazz with Jennifer Glaws – In Person

Thursday

  • 9:30am: Advanced Contemporary/Modern with Erin Thompson – Hybrid
  • 5:30pm: Afro Modern with Roxane Wallace – Online
  • 7:00pm: Intermediate Modern with Dustin Haug – Hybrid

Friday

  • 10:00am: All Levels Jazz with Erinn Liebhard, Karla Grotting, and Guests – Hybrid (Jolene Konkel teaches March 11)
  • 12:00pm: Intermediate 2 Ballet with Penny Freeh – Hybrid

Saturday

  • 9:00am: All Levels Yoga with Ariel Linnerson – Online
  • 9:15am: Creative Movement (4-6 yrs) with Anne Petrich – In Person
  • 10:00am: All Levels Tap with Dorian Brooke – In Person
  • 10:00am: Beginning Modern with Roxane Wallace – In Person
  • 10:15am: Youth Ballet (7-10 yrs) with Sarah Bartlett – Online
  • 11:00am: Musical Theatre Jazz with Dorian Brooke – In Person
  • 12:30pm: Beginning 2 Ballet with Ben Johnson – In Person

Sunday

  • 10:00am: Creative Movement (4-6 yrs) with Margaret Ogas – In Person
  • 11:00am: Youth Ballet (7-10 yrs) with Kendall Kramer – In Person
  • 12:00pm: Youth Modern (10-14 yrs) with Kendall Kramer – In Person

Cassandra School Online and In-Studio Classes

Join our dance-learning community of all ages, sizes, and levels of experience to participate in the creative expression and health and fitness benefits of Middle Eastern dance!

The beauty of this dance form is that it makes you feel wonderful in your own body. We now have in-studio options for beginners and all students, or you may choose to take these same classes live online through Zoom.

Visit cassandraschool.com to choose from our ongoing classes, register, and pay in advance using PayPal.

Purchase four or more classes and receive a $2 discount per class! All class registrations close at 8:00pm CT the night before each class.

Studio Space Available in South Minneapolis

Over 2000 square feet with windows, two mirrored walls, and a sprung hardwood floor – we are fully set up to handle your online Zoom classes and have many morning and daytime openings for you to come and hold or record your classes or rehearsals!

The Jawaahir Dance Company Minneapolis location is conveniently located at 3010 Minnehaha Ave in The Hook and Ladder building. Only two blocks from the Lake Street/Midtown light rail station, and on the 7, 21, 27, and 53 bus routes. Off-street parking and bike rack.

Email all inquiries with your requested rental date(s) to genmanager@jawaahir.org.

$20 per hour. Rates quoted are for dance-related rentals only. Sorry, no party rentals and no dance socials. No Irish shoes or tap shoes permitted. Rental fees may change at the discretion of Jawaahir.

Rent TU Dance Center Studios

TU Dance Center is available for rental when not in use by TU Dance’s programming.

TU Dance Center features:

  • Reception area and front desk for check-in or event use
  • Access to adjacent dressing room and green room with kitchenette are available upon request

Studio 1: 60 x 34
Studio 2: 46 x 21

Studio 1 only: a curtain that can be drawn on entire mirror; wall-mounted ballet barres of 27′ and 33′.

Both studios feature:

  • Sprung dance floor with Marley-type surface by Harlequin
  • Wall of mirrors, portable ballet barre units 10′ in length, room-level sound system with CD and mini-jack inputs, 50′ LCD TV cart for presentation and videoconferencing
  • Large windows providing ample natural light

Rental Fees:
Individual artists: $18/hour
Nonprofit organizations: $22/hour – rehearsals
Other rental inquiries (for-profit, classes, workshops, auditions, life events, photo sessions, filming, etc.), please contact us.

Class + Connect with Guest Artist Jennifer Ilse at TU Dance Center

CLASS + CONNECT 

Please join us this spring for a series of three open adult class offerings featuring three different Twin Cities teaching artists. Each offering will include four weekly classes. Join for all three offerings or drop-in as your schedule allows. Each class will be followed by an optional time to connect with one another over coffee/tea provided by TU Dance – either socially distanced in our green room space or outside on the loading dock, weather permitting. We hope to create a space where people can explore movement and dance but also build community by staying to connect through conversation and reflection of their shared experience.

Starting this series, we invite you to join modern teaching artist Jennifer Ilse. Jennifer’s class approaches movement with a goal of balance – fluidity in strength and power in softness, centered on breath and economy of movement to teach internal and external body awareness, rhythm and phrasing, and ensemble dancing through modern dance patterns and improvisation. Open to beginning and intermediate level participants, age 18+.

Saturdays, March 12, 19, and 26; and April 2
4:00-5:30pm
$12 or $15
In-person only at TU Dance Center
Pre-registration required as in-studio space is limited!