Archive

Pop-Up FALL Sound Garden on West River Parkway

Dancers Leslie O’Neill, Megan Mayer, Sarah Baumert, and Erika Hansen perform their site-specific, roving, durational movement scores across a three-acre site along West River Parkway as part of composer/director JG Everest’s immersive FALL Sound Garden sound and performance installation event.

The roving movement scores will begin by 1:00pm and will come and go throughout the space until 4:00pm.

The third of four seasonal “pop-up” Sound Garden events along West River Parkway in 2021, the FALL Sound Garden features layers of site-specific dance, music, poetry, and visual art among some of the oldest trees in Minneapolis.

Sound Gardens are designed as durational, self-guided experiences intended for audience to connect more meaningfully to a particular place and the natural world. The spatial sound score and live dance and musical elements are meant to accompany the sounds and physical elements that are already there – the birds, the trees, the wind, the leaves. Audiences are encouraged to both circulate and linger at their own pace, following their own impulses for what to pay attention to.

Saturday, October 2
12:00-4:00pm
Free admission, but reservations required

Limited capacity.

Ananya Dance Theatre’s Shawngram Institute Ongoing Classes

Find rhythm, groundedness, and flow with dance classes at Ananya Dance Theatre’s Shawngram Institute for Performance & Social Justice.

Fridays: Advanced Yorchhā, 6:00-7:00pm, CT – Kealoha Ferreira
Sundays: Intro to Yorchhā, 3:00-4:00pm, CT – Parisha Rajbhandari

Class Descriptions

Intro to Yorchhā: Envision justice through rhythmic footwork, flowing torso, and sustained breath in Intro to Yorchhā. Each class begins with a warm-up followed by foundational Yorchhā exercises and a fun choreographed phrase.

Advanced Yorchhā: Dive into the nuance and complexity of Yorchhā. Advanced Yorchhā is designed to challenge and hone experienced movers through strength training, technique refinement, and intricate choreography. Previous Yorchhā experience is encouraged.

Yorchhā is Ananya Dance Theatre’s trade-marked contemporary technique that intersects principles of vinyasa yoga, classical Indian dance form Odishi (from the eastern Indian state of Odisha) and martial art form Chhau (also from Odisha).

Students attending in-person classes must provide proof of Covid-19 vaccination and must wear face masks during class. No exceptions.

New Studio Stories Podcast Episode with Megan Mayer

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 sat down with Megan Mayer to learn about her journey.

Megan Mayer is an award-winning Minneapolis-based artist working with choreography, dance, experimental video and photography. She obsesses over transposition, minimalism, mimicry, tenderness, wry humor, loneliness, social anxiety, fake bad timing and exacting musicality. By exposing tiny emotional undercurrents concerning the body, she constructs a unique perspective of what dance can be: virtuosity in vulnerability and victory in gesture.

Visit http://www.arena-dances.org to listen, or check it out wherever you get your podcasts!

Ananya Dance Theatre: Dastak – The Film

Premieres Friday, October 8, 2021 at 7:30pm CT.
Available on-demand through October 15, 2021.

This dance film of Ananya Dance Theatre’s work, Dastak, the Farsi word for “knockings,” traces the knockings of global injustices on our hearts in four short sections: Earth, Water, Fire, and Air.

Each section is a meditation on stories of borders, boundaries, loss, belonging, home and liberation, and echoes the subtitle created by writer Sharon Brigforth — I Wish You Me — indicating the cross-generational love that has carried communities through difficult migrations. Filmmaker Darren Johnson captures these elemental journeys against the varied landscape of MniSota Makoce, ranging from post-Uprising scorched ruins in Minneapolis to tall prairie grasslands of Battle Creek Park, as the dancers pay tribute to the layered history of this land.

Choreographed by Ananya Chatterjea and performed by the artists of Ananya Dance Theatre, this dance film also features the work of a powerful team of collaborators, notably writer and dramaturg Sharon Bridgforth and sound artists Spirit McIntyre and Dameun Strange.

Led by Artistic Director, Ananya Chatterjea, Ananya Dance Theatre is a company of cultural activists and BIPOC women, womxn, and femme artists who believe in the transformative power of dance.

Select your own price when purchasing, $0-$50. Please note: ticket revenue from this film screening will be shared with the artists.

This event will be captioned, with other accessibility services available upon request.

Twin Cities Ballet: Auditions for A Minnesota Nutcracker

Twin Cities Ballet’s beloved holiday classic with a Minnesota twist returns to Ames Center on December 10–12, live and in-person! 

Open auditions for dancers ages seven and older will be held Sunday, September 26.

This is a wonderful opportunity for dancers to be a part of a professional ballet production and join one of the most widely attended holiday events in the area. 

Every year TCB also performs a special matinee performance of A Minnesota Nutcracker for elementary and special education students and seniors. This year we are also kicking off our new sensory-relaxed performance series, the first of its kind in Minnesota! 

There will be a mandatory Zoom parent meeting on Thursday, September 23 at 7:30pm.
A $25 non-refundable audition fee will be due prior to the audition.
Due to limited audition sizes, students must pre-register by paying the audition fee and filling out the registration link on our website before attending the audition.

2:00–2:45pm: Ages 7-10, or Ballet Royale Minnesota Level Youth Ballet I/II/III and PPP 1A-3A.
3:00–4:00pm: Ages 10 and older, with one year or less of pointe, or Ballet Royale Minnesota Level Youth IV, Intermediate I and PPP 4A/4B.
4:15–6:15pm: Ages 12 and older, with two or more years of pointe, or Ballet Royale Minnesota Level Intermediate II+ and PPP 5A.

James Sewell Ballet’s 30th Anniversary Retrospective

Join us in celebrating a remarkable 30 years of James Sewell Ballet! Powerful performers showcase favorite gems from the past along with new hits, highlighting the company’s distinct voice and vision. This program will also feature a new dazzling work from Da’Rius Malone. Live musicians will accompany select works.

Covid-19:
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 for information about getting to The Cowles Center, click here.

Lease Office Space at The Cowles Center

Did you know that The Cowles Center has creative office and artist studio space available for lease?

Our downtown Minneapolis offices and practical-use spaces range from 150-2,000 square feet and serve a wide range of professions, from dance companies to a PR firm to individual fine artists! We even offer nonprofit pricing to qualifying organizations.

Email rentals@thecowlescenter.org to learn more and/or schedule a tour. Mention this ad and save $50 off your first month’s rent!

Twin Cities Tap Festival Showcase

The seventh annual Twin Cities Tap Festival Concerts and Showcase shines a spotlight on the dynamic and ever-changing art of tap dance.

Thursday, October 21 – The first night of the Twin Cities Tap Festival kicks off with the annual showcase, featuring phenomenal local and emerging tap artists and ensembles, including this year’s Elite Tap Feet – some of the best teen tap dancers in Minnesota!

The Twin Cities Tap Festival celebrates the incredible breadth, depth, and artistry of the ever-evolving American art of tap dance. The Festival provides opportunities for dancers of all ages and abilities to participate in classes, workshops, and performances all centered around enhancing technique, expanding creativity, and experiencing this uniquely American art form. We aim to foster learning, inspiration, and innovation as well as provide a venue to showcase tap artists, companies, and choreographers.

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.

Calling All Movement Organizations for Move to the Max 2021

Calling all movement-based arts organizations for Move to the Max 2021 – deadline to inquire extended to September 29!

Are you planning on fundraising for Give to the Max Day this November 18? Join Alternative Motion Project for the fourth annual Move to the MAX: Virtual Edition ’21. This online event thanks supporters, reaches new arts patrons, and promotes community within Minnesota dance/movement organizations.

Each organization is invited to introduce and share a pre-recorded short work, performance, film, or presentation of any kind. There are no costs for organizations to participate in this event.

Whether you are in the Twin Cities or Greater Minnesota, we can bring together our communities to support movement throughout the entire state. All movement genres and styles are highly encouraged to participate.

Friday, November 19 at 7:00pm – Online
Note – this is the day after Give to the Max Day!
Ticket price: donation to ONE of the performing organizations through GiveMN.

We are thrilled to collaborate on this exciting, eclectic event that can bring Minnesota arts companies together while creating more awareness throughout all our communities!

Interested in participating or need more information?
Email AMP at alternativemotionproject@gmail.com no later than September 29.

http://www.alternativemotionproject.org

Swing Out: Lindy Hop at The Southern Theater

In-person.
FREE and open to the public.
Registration required.

Dust off your dancing shoes and join us at The Southern Theater for a social dance! Local Lindy legends Peter Strom and Naomi Uyama will lead this unique workshop designed for intermediate swing dancers with a guest appearance by dancers from Swing Out.

Add to your Lindy fundamentals, and work on some fun ways to improvise with your partner to the music. Come solo or with a dancing partner, and be ready to move!