MotionArt Adult Modern Dance Classes

MotionArt’s mission is to share the art of dance and the joy of movement with people of all ages and abilities.We strive to enrich lives by fostering creativity, body awareness and self-expression in a fun, non-competitive, welcoming environment.

We offer ongoing dance classes in-Studio, on Zoom and outside (weather permitting).Paying the regular rate helps keep our organization afloat; however, no one will be turned away for inability to pay.There is also an option to pay what you can.

Please go to motionartmn.org to sign-up for classes, or contact Pam Gleason for info.

Ageless Dance

  • Mondays 4 – 5:15 pm – Center for Performing Arts, Studio #105
  • Thursdays 4:30-5:45 pm – Center for Performing Arts, Sunroom

Beginning Modern Dance

  • Tuesdays 5 – 6:15 pm – Zoom only

Intermediate Modern Dance

  • Wednesdays 10:30 am-12 pm – Center for Performing Arts, Sunroom

Mixed Level Modern Dance

  • Tuesdays 7 – 8:15pm – Center for Performing Arts, Studio #105
  • Saturdays 4 – 5:30 pm – Hybrid: Center for Performing Arts, Sunroom, and Zoom

MotionArt Children’s Dance Classes

MotionArt focuses on nurturing children’s individual creativity while facilitating their understanding of the dance elements of space, time and energy.

Ages 3-6 explore these elements through playful, structured activities allowing them to expand their movement vocabulary, develop body awareness and gain self-confidence.

Ages 7-10 explore the dance elements while being introduced to new movement skills and the creation of their own dances.

Ages 11-13 expand their creative and kinesthetic awareness while learning basic movement skills of modern dance.

We are currently offering Creative Dance/Intro to Modern Dance classes for ages 7-10 at the Center for Performing Arts. 

Please go to motionartmn.org to sign-up for classes, or contact Pam Gleason for info.

Paying the regular rate helps keep our organization afloat; however, no one will be turned away for inability to pay.There is also an option to pay what you can.

Winter Session at Center for Performing Arts, Sunroom: 

  • January 8 – March 5 (9 weeks)
  • $100 full session
  • Ages 7-10
  • Saturday 3 – 3:50 pm 

Rent the Young Dance Studios

Young Dance has two large studios available for rent in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul. Easily accessible by the Green Line light rail, the 16 and 67 Bus Lines, and with ample parking in the Fairview Business Center parking lot. The space is fully ADA accessible with ramps to the sprung studio floor and automatic door openers.

Rentals are available:

  • 9 am – 3 pm,  Monday through Friday
  • After 4 pm on Saturday
  • All day on Sundays

The studios are newly equipped with:

  • Sprung Harlequin Marley flooring
  • Bluetooth speaker system and wifi
  • Please note: there are no mirrors.

The studio has a clear COVID safety plan including regular disinfecting of all floors and surfaces, as well as a new HVAC system which refreshes the air 7-8 times per hour. Renters will also have access to a large lobby (25’ x 29’) and up to 50 chairs.

Studio 1: Measures 41′ x 38′ and rents at $25/hour

Studio 2: Measures 38′ x 38′ and rents at $20/hour

To book the space email kathleen@youngdance.org or call 612-423-3064. Payment is required upon confirmation of rental with a signed rental agreement and liability waiver.

AMP’S Weekly Contemporary Movement Practice

Curiosity, Connection, Community, Choice

Wednesdays from 10 – 11:30 am
Through May 18. No practice March 16 or 23.
Synchronous in-person and Zoom/virtual options.

Class rates:
Purchase 1 Single Practice/Drop In: $15
Purchase 5 Practices: $70, save $5
Purchase 10 Practices: $130, save $20
No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
Please email alternativemotionproject@gmail.com for low/no cost options or questions.

About the Practice
Move BIG, sweat and play in an energizing atmosphere each week! Movers will build awareness and explore expansive possibilities within their own individuality and identities. Through improvised and structured movement vocabulary, participants will be encouraged to research freedom, 3-D expansion, mobility, rigor, presence, and agency within an empowering experience.

Suitable for professional, pre-professional, and/or intermediate/advanced movers, ages 18+. Knee pads recommended. Led by AMP Co-Director, Joanna Lees. Come as you are!

Pre-registration strongly encouraged for in person, but not required.
Register: https://www.alternativemotionproject.org/registration-page.html
Please arrive at least 10 minutes prior to practice start time if participating in person.

If class size needs to be limited, priority will be given to those who are registered.
It is required that you register 30 minutes prior to practice start time for the Zoom option.

CDC Guidelines for COVID-19 will be required. Masks required unless otherwise specified. For the most up to date policy, visit AMP’s website.

Photo: V. Paul Virtucio

St Paul Ballet Ongoing Adult/Teen Classes: Meet the Teaching Artists

Fundaments I
Monday, 6 – 7:15 pm with Jill Lile
For the absolute beginner. Current session is full. Next 8-week session begins Monday, March 21. Reserve your spot now, class fills fast!

Fundaments II
Wednesday, 6 – 7:15 pm with Jennifer Mack
For the adult who has completed Fundamentals I. A starter class with some experience necessary.

Beginning Ballet
Monday, 7:15 – 8:30 pm with Jill Lile
Wednesday, 7:15 – 8:30 pm with Jennifer Mack
Saturday, 10:30 – 11:45 am with Rose Hartnett

Lifelong Ballet
Tuesday, 9:45 – 11 am with Jill Lile

Intermediate Ballet
Wednesday, 7 – 8:30 pm with Alejandra Iannone
Saturday, 9 – 10:30 am with Rose Hartnett

Intermediate/Advanced Ballet
Monday, 10:15 – 11:45 am with Penny Freeh

Advanced/Professional Ballet
Wednesday, 10 – 11:30 am with Helen Hatch

Book yourself online: https://spballet.org/education-community…/adult_teen/

The Arena – Space for Rent

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 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 with Rebecca Katz Harwood

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 hear from Rebecca Katz Harwood.

Rebecca Katz Harwood, the associate professor of Dance & Musical Theater at the University of Minnesota – Duluth, with an eclectic career as a performer, choreographer, teacher, researcher, and arts administrator. 

Tune in this Thursday, March 3 at 12:00pm to hear Rebecca’s studio story.

Available on our website or wherever you get your podcasts!

Renting 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.