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DanceMN Seeks Co-Editor

DanceMN is seeking a Co-Editor to proofread and publish the DanceMN News, a role to be shared with current Editor Non Edwards. This position typically takes 3 to 5 hours per week, with the majority of the work happening Monday-Wednesday. The Co-Editor position would ideally be every other week, with the flexibility to trade weeks as needed.

In addition to general proofreading, duties include responding to community and user inquiries, light administrative work, and communicating with the Co-Editor and DanceMN Steering Committee.

A computer and internet access is required. Interested applicants should write to news@dancemn.org with a cover letter and resume. Interest/experience in dance is preferred. Experience with WordPress, Google Drive, and Mailchimp are helpful but not required. Applications will be accepted through November 20.

Compensation
$15-17 per hour, with likelihood of cost of living increase each fiscal year.

DanceMN is a latticework serving to connect, engage, grow, and support a community grounded in the notion that “All Are Connected to Dance in Minnesota.” We seek additional voices to join DanceMN, and strongly encourage applicants from the entire “dance in Minnesota” ecosystem to apply. DanceMN is committed and inspired to adopt equitable search and engagement practices to better reflect our state-wide, multi-genre community.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The DanceMN Steering Committee:
Rahila Coats, Penelope Freeh, Joanne Gordon, Sarah LaRose-Holland, Jim Lieberthal, Kaya Lovestrand, Zofia Mathews, Alys Ayumi Ogura, Abdo Sayegh-Rodriguez, Eve Schulte

Twin Cities Ballet’s Mini-Nutcracker

You are invited to The Mini-Nutcracker, a delightful abbreviated version of Twin Cities Ballet’s classic, A Minnesota Nutcracker. The Mini-Nutcracker is designed to introduce children to the magic of the family favorite.

This beloved holiday tradition with soaring music by Tchaikovsky promises to hold the attention of even the youngest theatergoer. Suitable for all ages, this version is less than an hour and is performed by cast members of Twin Cities Ballet’s full-length production. A perfect holiday treat!

Tuesday, November 30: 11:00am and 6:00pm

Master Class with Shane Larson of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance

With enthusiasm and openness, we will begin by weaving warmth and direction into the muscular and skeletal support systems of the body. By interlacing thought and body processes, we will code new connections over grounding and physical movements that will help us move breath and new energy into our spaces.

Contemporary Dance – Master Class
Saturday, November 13
10:00-11:30am
Drop-in $17. Flexible pricing and free parking!
Pre-register at https://www.arena-dances.org/the-arena.

Shane Larson was raised in Minnesota, where he received his early training at the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists. He graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. He also studied at SEAD in Austria. Since living in New York City, he’s branched out to collaborate with punk musicians, film makers, improvisational music ensembles, and site-specific visual artists. He is also a multimedia video artist making collage-based work about memory. Shane joined the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company in 2015.

Feldenkrais Series: Unraveling Body Anxiety

An Eight-week Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement Series with Sarah Baumert

Sundays, 4:00-5:00pm CST and Wednesdays, 6:30-7:30pm CST
November 14-January 19
No class November 24 and 28, December 26 and 29.

This series will explore how we can interrupt our habitual patterns of stress. We will investigate how we hold tension in our system, observing it and then disturbing it, and looking for sensations of comfort and pleasure. In Awareness Through Movement®, we explore how we can move with the smallest amount of effort. The smallest amount of effort or exertion will facilitate the maximum amount of sensory differentiation and thus make information available for new learning. Slow movements will facilitate a parasympathetic response, the rest and digest response of the nervous system.

Interested in this series, but experiencing financial hardship? 
During the last year I have been called to offer the healing work I do, through yoga and the Feldenkrais method to more people, and a more diverse demographic. With the support of my scholarship fund, I am able to offer these classes at a reduced rate. If you need financial assistance, please contact me directly. I would like to make these teachings accessible to everyone.

“Sarah’s instruction is uncanny – incredulously balanced, seemingly telepathic.” – Inez

Twin Cities Ballet’s A Minnesota Nutcracker Returns to the Stage

TCB’s beloved holiday classic with a Minnesota twist returns to Ames Center this December! This production retains all the magic and traditions of the classic Nutcracker ballet, but features Minnesota settings with stunning, custom-designed Minnesota-centric backdrops, and offers audience members something truly unique: a connection to home. Deemed one of the 12 essential holiday events by MPR, A Minnesota Nutcracker is delightful entertainment for the whole family! 

This year also includes the launch of Twin Cities Ballet’s new sensory-relaxed performance series, the first of its kind in Minnesota. These performances are designed to be more accessible for persons with sensory sensitivities and families with young children through relaxed theater rules and modified sensory elements. We are thrilled to be able to share the love of ballet with people who may experience difficulties in a regular performance setting. 

In addition, TCB is offering a one-hour Mini-Nutcracker at Lakeville Area Arts Center on November 30. This short and sweet version is a perfect way to introduce young children to the magic of Nutcracker!

Thursday, December 9 at 10:15am – sensory-relaxed show
Friday, December 10 at 7:00pm
Saturday, December 11 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm
Sunday, December 12 at 1:00pm and 4:30pm

Tickets through TicketMaster.

About Twin Cities Ballet: Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota (TCB) is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional ballet company located in the South Metro. Our mission is to make ballet approachable, relatable and fun through innovative, professional and original productions.

 These activities are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Audition: A TU Dance Project with Choreography by Marcus Jarrell Willis

TU Dance is holding auditions for live presentations and a film creation project this spring with performances at The O’Shaughnessy in St. Paul, Minnesota on May 13-14, 2022. With support from a MSAB Arts Tour Grant, choreographer Marcus Jarrell Willis will be working with a group of dancers for a nine-week rehearsal process to reimagine and expand upon his work Sensible Existence, which was originally created for the TU Dance Company in 2017. This experience will culminate in two live performances as well as the creation of a dance-for-film project that will be shared throughout the state of Minnesota and beyond.

For this project, we are seeking dance artists with a vast range of technical versatility. A keen sense of rhythm and articulation of gestural language is essential. Seasoned professionals to emerging dance artists are encouraged to audition.

Learn more about Marcus Jarrell Willis: https://project-inc.org/mj-willis/

Project Details
Nine-week rehearsal process: March 14-May 14, 2022
9:30am-4:15pm CST, Monday-Friday
Tech Week: May 9-14
Performances: Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14 at The O’Shaughnessy, St. Paul, MN
Dancers will be compensated $600/week and hired as independent contractors. Airfare, housing, per diem and local transportation are not provided.

Materials to Submit by November 22
Submit materials by Monday, November 22 to: info@tudance.org and laurel.keen@tudance.org.
Note: these materials are requested for reference only, not for pre-screening purposes.

  • Cover Letter: Summarize your experience and its relevance for this project
    Please also include reflections/responses to the following two questions:

    • What is something that you are currently exploring within your artistic practice?
    • What do you hope to gain from this process?
  • Resume
  • Head shot
  • Video reel
    • 3 minute maximum
    • Clear footage that shows the entire body
    • Performance or studio footage that features repertory work – no improvisation
    • No class footage

Audition Details
Audition Dates: Thursday, December 2 and Friday December 3, 2021
In-person auditions only. No fee to audition. Travel and housing is not provided.

Daily Schedule

Thursday, December 2

  • Ballet Class: 10:00-11:30am CST
  • Repertory/Workshop 11:45am-4:00pm CST with lunch 1:30-2:00pm

Friday, December 3

  • Modern/Contemporary Class: 10:00-11:30am CST
  • Research and Development Workshop: 11:45am-4:00pm CST with lunch 1:30-2:00pm

All information can be located at: https://www.tudance.org/willis-project-audition/

Who Brought the Humbug?

Ricci Milan and the artists of Rhythm Street Movement return to The Cowles Center with Who Brought the Humbug? this holiday season!

Join us for a fun, funky, funny holiday show that the whole family can enjoy. Live music paired with amazing tap dance and a unique mix of comedy, drama, and mystery is sure to make an ­­­evening to remember.

Book the VIP experience and get close to the tap-tastic action with:
  • A front-row table for two
  • Custom desserts from Nikolett Macaroons and Candyland
  • Two complimentary drink tickets
  • Plus a commemorative Humbug souvenir!

VIP tickets start at just $75!

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.

Generating Room Applications for January-June 2022 Series Now Open

The Cowles Center’s Generating Room program is a six-month-long studio residency that supports three Minnesota artists and/or collectives in nurturing a work in progress through 100 hours of free rehearsal space, as well as marketing and administrative support. This program is intended for artists at any stage of their career who need time and space to develop a project or idea rooted in dance without the pressure of a completed end product.

Program proposals should leverage this opportunity to launch the project into the next steps and must involve a partnership with a distinct community or use community engagement as part of the proposal. Artists or organizations from outside of Minnesota may partner on the project, but the lead applicant must be based in Minnesota.

Competitive applications will bring a unique perspective, discussion, and engagement opportunity to the Minnesota arts community. Past Generating Room projects have included: open rehearsals, work-in-progress showings, roundtable discussions, workshop series, and film showings.

Learn more and apply: https://www.thecowlescenter.org/artist-residencies/generating-room

Moving Practice with José A. Luis

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
José A. Luis teaches throughout November.

José writes:

“What are our roles as a student, teacher? Dancer vs. choreographer? Individual or group. Do we understand one before the other? Movement practice will offer guided movement under a curious, creative landscape. I approach possible answers by remembering how I experience the world, and ultimately how we all access who we are – through our senses. I challenge who I am and what I offer, knowing we are all practicing being with each other anew.”

Striving for continual growth, I would like to approach class with a holistic framework. A conscious effort to connect mind, body, and soul will be explored through phrase and improv-based movement. Beginning with a mindful meditation focused on breath and body scan, we can connect ourselves with the environment. Consciously engaging in re-discovered anatomical functions to support low level phrases onto standing. Class will progress the mind-body relation through weight, energy, and intention (related to time and space) with developed movement. Ultimately, we will call on our individual essence to fully experience virtuosic phrases and each other as we prepare to step outside of class.

Pre-register at https://www.arena-dances.org/class-payment/

Ballet Minnesota Presents The Classic Nutcracker

The Classic Nutcracker returns to the stage for it’s 33rd production.

After a year away from the stage, Ballet Minnesota is thrilled to present The Classic Nutcracker this December 18 and 19 at The O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to see Artistic Director Andrew Rist’s original choreography to the beautiful score by Tchaikovsky! This family favorite has something magical in store for everyone who attends this dazzling production. Follow Clara as she receives an enchanting Nutcracker who comes to life right before your eyes! He guides her on a whimsical journey that culminates in meeting the charming and sparkling Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, who present Clara with delightful dances from their Land of Sweets.

Come celebrate the magical holiday season by coming to Ballet Minnesota’s The Classic Nutcracker.
Tickets on sale now at the O’Shaughnessy Box Office.