Archive

Merges in March Week Two – Herb Johnson III and Lieutenant Sunnie

This untitled work will share the joy of “beating the odds.” Lieutenant Sunnie and Herb Johnson III come from different backgrounds but have reached similar outcomes thanks to resilience and perseverance. Through adversity, they found focus, and each accomplished goals that led them to where they are currently.

Covid19: Effective September 1, 2021, all visitors to the Cowles who are attending a performance/event in our theater spaces are required to show either proof of a full course of COVID-19 vaccinations administered at least 14 days prior to the show or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the performance/event. Masks are required throughout the Cowles. For more information about our health and safety guidelines and getting to The Cowles Center, click here.

Tickets on Sale Now for TCB’s The Wall: A Rock Ballet

Twin Cities Ballet’s groundbreaking hit show makes its St. Paul premiere at the historic Fitzgerald Theater, with live music by popular local band, Momentary Lapse of Floyd—a first for all three organizations. Based on Pink Floyd’s iconic 1979 rock opera, TCB’s The Wall: A Rock Ballet is an ingenious fusion of genres that will captivate ballet patrons, music fans, and the artistically curious alike.

TCB’s ballet interprets the original Pink Floyd rock opera’s music, themes, story arc and lyrics on a personal, rather than political, level. It explores the life and various relationships with the main character, “Pink,” and follows his transformative journey of loss, isolation, insanity and redemption. Through its insightful original interpretation of the emotion and power of Pink Floyd’s story and music, TCB brings this classic rock masterpiece to life like never before!

March 12 at 7:30pm
March 13 at 2:00pm

Tickets: from $37.50–52.50, available at twincitiesballet.org/tickets.

These activities are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through an operating support grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Black Label Movement presents Canary, Crimson then Emerald

Our newest evening-length experience built off of our repertory work Canary and our two newest creations Crimson and Emerald.

We’re crafting an energetic sense of past, present and future in orbit with our company’s personal experiences with lockdowns and navigating what it means to come back together physically.

Berit Ahlgren teaches Moving Practice Tuesdays

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
Berit Ahlgren teaches throughout February.
Pre-register at https://www.arena-dances.org/the-arena/
Flexible pricing and free parking! $17 drop-in.

Each session will begin with a guided improvisation rooted in the Gaga movement language to warm up the body and creative mindset. Students will both learn phrase work, as well as deconstruct Ahlgren’s previously made choreography as a means to collaboratively build new movement vocabulary. Depending on weekly attendance, we may build from week to week, or start fresh each session. Expect a physical practice with room to honor your own needs and/or limitations week to week.

Originally from St. Paul, Berit Ahlgren gained her foundational dance training from Minnesota Dance Theater and received a BFA in Dance from St. Olaf College, where she also studied biomedical studies. Ahlgren was a founding member of TU Dance under the artistic directorship of Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands, and performed with the company between 2006—2016. Receiving Metropolitan Regional Arts Council’s Next Step Grant in 2011, Ahlgren had the opportunity to study the Gaga Movement Language in Tel Aviv, and moved to Israel to pursue teacher certification between 2011-2012.

Ahlgren earned her MFA in Dance from NYU/Tisch School of the Arts in 2016, and has since been on faculty at the University of Minnesota and Winona State University, performing with independent choreographers between Minneapolis and New York, and choreographing her own growing body of work for both stage and camera under her organization HoneyWorks.

Ahlgren has had the great pleasure to work with Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, Netta Yerushalmy, Gregory Dolbashian, Dwight Rhodan, among others. Ahlgren co-choreographed and performs in Ashwini Ramaswamy’s Let the Crows Come” (hailed by the Washington Post as one of the best dance performances of 2021) and co-created the event “Live @ The Shed” with Helen Hatch which has premiered both bolerobolero (“A heroic work, a spectacle for our time,” 2020) and LDV (“an exuberant work [of] whirling gusto,” 2021). In addition to her work as performer and choreographer, Berit teaches classes in the Gaga Movement Language regularly in the Twin Cities, and well as guest teaching nationally and abroad.

Raising the Barre for Mental Health – A Dance Teacher Workshop Series

Mental health is as important as physical health for healthy, happy dancers. Minding the Gap presents a workshop curated in five sessions, each presented by an accredited professional. Four session remain:

#2 – February 20, 2022
Tough Love in teaching. What is it? How is it done correctly? Unlearning problematic methods from our past and moving on with a mental health approach to dance pedagogy.
Presenter: Jo-Anne La Flèche, MPsy, MA Dance – consulting psychologist to l’École supérieure de ballet du Québec.

#3 – March 6, 2022
Language Matters: Shifting how we speak about food and bodies to prevent eating disorders and improve dancer health.
Presenter: Monika Saigal, MS, RD, CEDRD-S, CDN – nutritionist and eating disorder expert based in New York City.

#4 – March 20, 2022
Productive, proactive communication. How to engage students and dancers on the tough topics and disappointments.
Presenter: Jackson Jirard, M.Ed – Education psychology specialist and dance educator, associate director of Urban Improv at Rehearsal For Life in Massachusetts.

#5 – April 3, 2022
How to support an injured dancer. Best practices to get the dancer back into the studio strong both mentally and physically.
Presenter: Marissa Schaeffer, PT, DPT, CSCS – licensed physical therapist and NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist in New York City.

Flow Space – Community Class with Gregory Dolbashian at TU Dance Center

Join us for Flow Space, an atmosphere that allows for the act of “pure play” to help dance artists use more capacity, intellect, sense, courage, and imagination in their movement styles.

Conducted by director of The DASH Ensemble, Gregory Dolbashian, the class is a highly developed series of improvisational tools and games that warms and pushes both the mind and the body to break habits and fulfill more presence. These exercises are all methods that Gregory has developed and utilized to create movement with The DASH. The artists learn confidence not just in themselves but also in the environment that they are a part of. Games and tasks work both on the individual and in tandem, so that Flow Space creates a community for progress, inspiration, and most of all, discovery. Classes are for dancers aged 16+.

Sunday, February 20
11:00am-12:30pm CST

$20 per participant. In-person at TU Dance and virtual.
Pre-registration required. Space is limited!

In-Person: Due to our Covid protocols, only nine in-person participants will be allowed to take class in-person in Studio 1.
Virtual: When in person capacity in Studio 1 has been reached, up to six participants will be able to take the class virtually in Studio 2. Other virtual participants are welcome to take class at their desired locations.

For more information or to register please visit: https://www.tudance.org/flow-space-masterclass/

Winter Dance Experience – Single Day Dance Camps

Join us on Monday, February 21, for a day of classes featuring a variety of fun styles! Spend your day off from school exploring new styles of dance with your friends! Classes include Family Dance, Creative Movement, and a half-day Variety Camp.

Family Dance
Join us for a morning of dancing together with teacher extraordinaire, Julia Davidson. Children and caregivers will get a special start to their day, exploring movement and stories in a fun environment.
Ages 1–6 with Caregiver
9:15–10:00am
$15

Creative Movement
Your little one can explore the possibilities of movement with a focus on storytelling. From a personal experience to the depths of their imaginations, children will spend time expressing the stories that reside in their bodies and minds. In this fun-filled class, children develop large and fine motor skills, as well as coordination, rhythm, and listening skills as they go on their creative adventures.
Ages 4–7
10:00am–12:00pm
$25

Variety Dance Camp
Send your dancers to us for their afternoon off! In this camp, dancers will experience a variety of styles including Percussive Dance with Karla Nweje, Hip Hop with Waswa Kalema, Jazz Dance with Javan Mngrezzo, and Modern with Anat Shinar.
Ages 7–13 and 14–18
1:00–4:30pm
$50

Register.youngdance.org

Dance Innovation for Seasoned Adults 55+ 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. 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 performance event for family, friends, and the community. This program is for adults 55+.

Session 1: Thursdays, March 17 – May 5
Session 2: Thursdays, May 26 – July 14

10:00am–11:30am CST
There will be a showing on last day from 12:30-2:00pm.
Cost: $45 per workshop*
Pre-registration required.

*TU Dance will offer tuition and transportation subsidy upon request. Please contact us at education@tudance.org or (651) 724-9708 to inquire.

Proof of vaccination and masks are required at the door for all in-person participants.

For more information about Tamiko French and to register please visit: https://www.tudance.org/dance-adults-55/

Call for Artists with Disabilities: Apply for the Off-Kilter Cabaret

Off-Leash Area contemporary performances is pleased to announce a call for submissions for our newest program, Off-Kilter Cabaret.

Off-Kilter is designed to highlight and support artists with disabilities, making space for and giving voice to artists with disabilities in the design and leadership of the program. The Off-Kilter Cabaret will be a 75-minute cabaret-style production, which, in this inaugural year, will be presented for four performances in the Barker Center for Dance on the U of MN West Bank campus June 9-12, 2022.

Artists are asked to create a 5-10 minute performance work that speaks to the theme of the inaugural Off-Kilter cabaret, “Organ Recital.” This is a paid performance opportunity.

Covid Policy and Precautions: All participating artists, Off-Kilter staff, and audience will be required to be fully vaccinated. Applying artists must share proof of vaccination with their application. Audience will be required to show proof of vaccination at the door. We will provide physically distanced seating and require participants to wear masks as they are able, and otherwise follow CDC and state guidelines at the time of the performances. We will remain in conversation with the participating artists to adapt as needed.

Deadline to apply: February 14, 2022.
The application is currently available on our website at www.offleasharea.org/off-kilter.

Twin Cities Ballet is Hiring – Position Open for Male Company Dancer

Twin Cities Ballet has an open position for a male company dancer for the second half of the 2021/2022 season, through May 8, 2022. This is a competitive, salaried position. Strong classical ballet and contemporary skills required.

We also are willing to work with a guest artist for each of the performances below, if you are not available for the entire contract. Please email info@TwinCitiesBallet.org for more information.

Our spring season includes:

Pink Floyd’s THE WALL: A Rock Ballet – TCB will be performing its smash-hit original rock ballet at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul on March 12–13, with live music from popular local band Momentary Lapse of Floyd.

Giselle – The season will conclude with the beautiful ballet classic, Giselle, at Ames Center in Burnsville May 6–8. This will be the Twin Cities Ballet company premiere of one of the most popular and enduring ballet favorites.

Please submit the following audition materials by email:
-Your resumé.
-Two photos: First arabesque and a headshot showing at least 3/4 face. Either attach small format photos or provide a link.
-Video link showing classwork or performance clips, clearly demonstrating your classical ballet technique.
-State whether you are currently eligible to work in the United States.

Please send information to info@TwinCitiesBallet.org. We will contact you after we have reviewed your audition materials to schedule an in-person or virtual audition.

ABOUT US
Twin Cities Ballet (TCB) is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit professional dance company that creates original full-length and shorter story ballets, a rare and nearly lost art, as well as more abstract contemporary ballet-based works. An emerging gem in the Twin Cities, TCB has carefully built a financially solid and growing organization that is making its mark both regionally and nationally through its creative and innovative artistic endeavors.

TCB prohibits discrimination against any employee, applicant for employment, or patron because of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, veteran status or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

Our mission is to connect and enrich communities by making ballet approachable, relatable, and fun, through professional and original productions and educational outreach.