DanceMN News

Collide Theatrical presents Broadway Dancin’ from April 4-13 at The Luminary Arts Center.

Taking off from last year’s sold-out limited run, the second installment of this high-energy tribute will feature brand new pieces from some of Broadway’s biggest hits, including Pippin, Chicago, Carousel, West Side Story, Moulin Rouge, and more!

Featuring: Patrick Jeffrey, Jarod Boltjes, Nathan Huberty, Peter Hoffman, Emily Trapnell, Emily Rose Phelan, Megan Carver, Johanna Engebretson, and Bella West.

Tickets are available online or by calling 651-395-7903, ext. 1.
For group discounts and questions, please email boxoffice@collidetheatrical.org.

Mark Wojahn offers a portrait of dancer, choreographer and storyteller Patrick Scully in The Dance Is Not Over, and takes a look at Scully’s work in a political context. The film follows Scully’s career, from his early days discovering modern dance and then contact improv, through his trajectory as a performer, creator and later curator and presenter of experimental work. 

Thursday, April 10 at 1:15pm at The Main Cinema. Tickets are $19.

Wojahn takes a dual narrative approach in the film, charting Scully’s life through interviews and archival footage and also following Scully during a tour of Scully’s performance of Leaves Of Grass – Illuminated to rural areas in the region before a culminating performance at the Guthrie Theater in 2019. Along the way, you get a sense of Scully’s fearlessness and his ability to grapple with the issues of the day from a place of freedom and vulnerability. 

In the film, Scully talks about being part of a generation of young gay men who were able to come out and live openly as their true selves. He also shares his personal journey being HIV positive and the way he used his art practice to address the political issues surrounding the AIDS crisis. In the ‘90s, he found himself in the midst of a national controversy when exaggerated reports from a performance at Patrick’s Cabaret, co-presented by the Walker Art Center, fed into the culture wars. The incident bears resonance to our current moment, as the National Endowment for the Arts and other national cultural institutions get targeted for political reasons. 

In more recent times, the film shows the managing director of a rural art center apologizing to patrons after Scully’s performance of Leaves of Grass. She tells them she misunderstood the nature of the performance. Afterwards, the film shows Scully speaking with the person. I found it quite a remarkable conversation to catch on tape, especially in the way that Scully keeps his cool and engages in conversation. Afterward in an interview, Scully shares more positive experiences, when a community in Grand Marais held its first Pride Parade in connection with his performance. 

Viewed as reclusive and eccentric, Emily Dickinson’s mysterious nature was often misunderstood during her lifetime. Delve into her intertwined view of love and death to see beyond the myth, exploring the transcendent landscape of Emily’s world.

Choreographed by: Genevieve Waterbury
Performed by: The Company of Ballet Co.Laboratory

Dates
Friday, April 11 at 7:00pm
Saturday, April 12 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm
Sunday, April 13 at 2:00pm

All Performances at Ballet Co.Laboratory Studio Theatre

Tickets
Adults: $40
Seniors: $35
Children/Students: $30
Groups (15+ tickets to the same performance): $35
VIP: $55 — an option for Friday and Saturday evening performances only; includes pre-show cocktail reception and presentation on the historical research/creative process that went into the development of this world-premiere production.

The 2025 Off-Kilter Cabaret explores the theme of “Human Alchemy” through spoken word, dance, original violin composition, theater, and more. This year’s featured performing artists are AJ Isaacson-Zvidzwa, Laura Cannata, Laurine Chang, Scott Sorensen, Young Dance, and zAmya Theater Project. We are excited to announce that this year’s MC is Raymond Luczak!

The Human Body is a magical vessel – where has it taken you? Where do you want to go? The Human Body is endlessly diverse – there are no two alike. How do you connect with others? What does it mean to be able to transform, to evolve, to become?

The Off-Kilter Cabaret is Off-Leash Area’s ongoing community program designed to highlight and support artists with disabilities in the creation of original performance work. Conceived in 2022, Off-Kilter is a performance vessel that specifically gives voice to persons with disabilities in our local Twin Cities performing arts community.

Performance Dates
Friday, April 11 at 7:00pm with post-show reception — audio description and ASL interpretation
Saturday, April 12 at 7:00pm with post-show discussion — ASL interpretation
Sunday, April 13 at 2:00pm — audio description and captioning

Tickets: sliding scale, $5-30 suggested donation.

Unleash your creativity and passion for movement at Young Dance’s Build-Your-Own Miniature Golf Gala, taking place on Sunday, April 13 from 1:00-6:00pm at Urban Growler Brewing Company. This annual event, celebrating its fourth year, promises a unique blend of community engagement, artistic expression, and playful competition to benefit Young Dance!

Build your own World of Oz: Channel your inner Dorothy to create a magical miniature golf course from 1:00-4:00pm. Young Dance provides basic materials, such as cardboard, tubes, and wood, but builders are encouraged to bring additional supplies to realize their vision. Solo and team builders are welcome: pre-register to build or just show up on event day!

Play for a purpose: At 4:00pm, the course opens to the public for gameplay. Choose your own price to participate, with a suggested donation of $15 per person. All proceeds directly support Young Dance’s mission of transforming lives through movement by expanding access to its inclusive dance programming. A reduced sensory space will be available for builders and players.

New this year: This year’s event includes a costume contest. Builders and players are encouraged to wear their most creative Oz-inspired costume for a chance to receive the “Best Costume” award.

Join us for an informal in-studio showing featuring excerpts from some of the work that will be performed at the 20th-anniversary performances with choreography by Alvin Ailey, Camille A. Brown, Ronald K. Brown, Alonzo King, and Yusha-Marie Sorzano. In anticipation of our live performances at The O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University on April 25 and 26 at 7:30pm, we invite you to attend this event and get an up-close and personal look into the creation of these works and have the opportunity to meet many of the artists involved.

Wednesday, April 16 from 5:30-6:30pm
To RSVP to the in-studio showing, click here.
This event is free. Space is limited; first come, first served.

To learn more about The 20th Anniversary Performance and to purchase tickets, click here.

TU Dance Center is located at 2121 University Avenue West in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Find us on the north side of University Avenue, one block east of Vandalia, located directly behind Subway on the building’s east side. Limited parking is available in the lot in front of TU Dance Center. Additional parking is available in the north side lot accessible by taking Vandalia St. and Charles Ave.

American Ballet Theatre (ABT)—America’s National Ballet Company®—returns to Northrop for two performances of the beloved classic, Giselle. The epitome of Romantic ballet, this heart-rending tale of love, remorse, and forgiveness perfectly fuses live music, movement, and drama. The role of Giselle requires an exquisite dancer with daring dramatic and technical skills to create a compelling portrait of the innocent, noble village maiden. In this universally acclaimed production, ABT’s unrivaled roster of international ballet stars brings Giselle’s mystery and ethereal beauty to vivid life.

Friday, April 18 at 7:30pm:

• Gillian Murphy as Giselle. The acclaimed Murphy has been a Principal Dancer with ABT since 2002 and is the Company’s longest-standing current dancer. The Northrop starring role will mark her last Twin Cities performance and second-to-last United States engagement before her farewell season with ABT. Murphy will take her final bow in the United States on Friday, July 18, at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
• Principal Dancer Thomas Forster as Albrecht.
• Soloist Fangqi Li as Myrta.

Saturday, April 19 at 2:00pm: Featuring two stunning debuts!

• Principal Dancer Chloe Misseldine will make her debut as Giselle.
• Principal Dancer Aran Bell as Albrecht.
• Soloist SunMi Park in her first performance as Myrta.

For the fifth season, Borealis Dance Theatre is proud to present Dance Camera North International Dance Film Festival! DCN provides a place and space for dance filmmakers to challenge choreographic storytelling through film. This innovative platform creates opportunities to expand the dynamic performative art of dance to larger audiences while pushing the envelope to what is possible through film. Join us for the screening of the official selections from artists in the United States and around the world!

Saturday, April 19 at 7:00pm
The screening will take place at the Capri Theater.
Tickets: $10 General Admission

Celebrate with the dancers of American Ballet Theatre at Northrop’s annual Encore Gala! Following their performance, meet the artists at a festive social hour under the glittering chandeliers. Enjoy delectable appetizers, drinks, and live music at this exclusive event—while helping to keep the arts alive. Proceeds from your ticket purchase support the creation of new works by preeminent artists through the Northrop Centennial Commissions project. 

Saturday, April 19 at 4:00pm

Tickets to the American Ballet Theatre performance sold separately.

The CANDY BOX Dance Festival is a week-long dynamic sampling of featured performances, master classes, and in-progress showings, hosted by ARENA DANCES and presented April 21-26 at The Southern Theater. The CANDY BOX Dance Festival features both emerging and established choreographers, Happy Hour work-in-progress performances, and master class offerings. Tickets are on sale now with prices from $10-$27.

Featured Artists Performances: April 24-26, 7:30pm and April 26, 2:00pm
Doma Dance Theater
Flying Foot Forum
Cheng “Technica” Xiong
Featured Artists Tickets; Saturday’s matinee is pay-as-able.

Happy Hour Artists Showings: April 21-25, 5:30pm
Monday – Eva Mohn
Tuesday – Shannon Hummel of Cora Dance
Wednesday – Yukina Sato
Thursday – Nieya Amezquita and Kaitlyn Hawkins
Friday – Nervous Theatre
Happy Hour Tickets

Master Classes: April 21-25, 4:00pm
Monday – Alexandra Bodnarchuk of Doma Dance Theater
Tuesday – Shannon Hummel of Cora Dance
Wednesday – Joe Chvala of Flying Foot Forum
Thursday – Cheng “Technica” Xiong
Friday – Connor Berkompas of NERVOUS THEATRE
Master Class Tickets

A very special thanks to our sponsors: Sher Demeter and City of Minneapolis Arts and Cultural Affairs Department – Cultural District Arts Fund Initiative.

MN Dance Task Force (MNDTF) is a group of community members who gather and focus on better supporting the dance community in Minnesota with an intentional focus on moving toward an equitable dance ecosystem.

To sign up and be included in future communications, please email mndancetaskforce@gmail.com.

Next MNDTF Meeting: Monday, April 21
4:45-5:00pm: Welcome new visitors
5:00-6:00pm: Meeting

Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 892 9517 6799
Passcode: 979580

Converge is a synergistic collaboration between Amez Dance, Analog Dance Works, and Ruby Josephine Dance Theater, creating new explorational contemporary dance works with a cohort of local movers to uplift the shared values of community and connection, and opening up doors and perspectives for both dance artists and audiences.

We are excited to welcome our community to an open rehearsal showing to get a glimpse into the process of making these three new pieces by choreographers and artistic directors Nieya Amezquita, Brenna Mosser, and Ruby Josephine Smith.

A showing of sections of all three works in process followed by a brief talk back:
Wednesday, April 23 at 7:00pm
Free event! Please register in advance here.

Join us in the spring of 2025 as TU Dance celebrates its 20th anniversary and marks this significant milestone by featuring the works of prominent and renowned African American choreographers who have been supportive and connected to TU Dance since its inception.

Works will include Alvin Ailey’s Witness, an excerpt from Ronald K. Brown’s Four Corners, Alonzo King’s MA (duet from Who Dressed You Like A Foreigner?), and an excerpt from Camille A. Brown’s New Second Line and Yusha-Marie Sorzano’s recently premiered work This World Anew, commissioned as part of the Edges of Ailey exhibition at the Whitney Museum. TU Dance is deeply honored to share works by makers that have contributed so richly to the American dance landscape through their multidimensional perspectives while voicing the shared human experience, which has been core to our own twenty-year history.

Thursday, April 24 at 10:30am – Educational Performance
Friday, April 25 at 7:30pm
Saturday, April 26 at 7:30pm

Tickets can be purchased online or by contacting The O’Shaughnessy Ticket Office at 651-690-6700.

Barátok Belly Dance Company proudly presents the 3rd Annual Festival of Friends Show and Artisan Market! Join us for an evening of exceptional entertainment: music, dance, comedy, and danger all in one show. You won’t want to miss some of Minnesota’s top performing groups showcasing their talents all on one stage at the beautiful LUSH Lounge and Theater in Northeast Minneapolis.

Hosted by Barátok Belly Dance Company featuring The Naughty Bawdy Brigade, The Dregs and Kazimir The Hungry.

Saturday, April 26 at 7:00pm — doors open at 6:00pm

Ticket Information
There isn’t a bad seat in this beautiful theater, but we have a ticket option for every budget. Every ticket includes a raffle ticket to use with the vendor of your choice! Any seating option can be adjusted to accommodate any size party. Please don’t hesitate to purchase the ticket of your choice, just note, you could be sat with another party. The good news is, this is The Festival of Friends, so why not make a few more while you’re here!

Bar Seating: $25 – Elevated bar seats available at bar within the theater.
General Admission: $35 – Chairs in middle of audience. Dinner service in the theater is unavailable for this option.
Elevated General Admission: $45 – Elevated seating at high-top table with 4 or 8 people per table. Purchase group tickets together to ensure you are sat together. Section located right behind General Admission.
Premium Plus Seating: $55 – Premium Seating with table and a complimentary glass of Cava sparkling wine. Premium Plus Seating is the first two rows of two tops and booth seating. Purchase group tickets together to ensure you’re sat together.
Stageside VIP Booth: $600 – Premium Seating with admission for up to 10 guests. Entry and seating for up to 10 people in the VIP booth. This VIP Booth is located right next to the stage so you won’t miss any of the action. Plus, 2 complimentary bottles of Cava sparkling wine.

All ticket options are for 1 seat/admission except for the VIP Booth which covers up to 10. If you’d like to enjoy dinner service, please arrive at least 30 minutes before showtime. Every ticket includes a raffle ticket, additional raffle tickets cannot be purchased. Must be present to win. Winners will be called at the end of intermission. This is an 18+ Show.

Festival of Friends Marketplace: Saturday, April 26 from 5:00-9:00pm
The Festival of Friends Marketplace will be open in the main room and is open to the public. This year’s Market Place will be featuring Codex Creations, Entwining Rose, Merlin’s Mind of Metal, Trixie’s Twisted Wonders and Twin Rituals. Only ticket holders will be able to participate in the raffle. Each show seat includes a raffle ticket to use with the vendor of your choice. The raffle will be called at the end of intermission. Must be present to win.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at BaratokBellyDance@gmail.com
and visit our website for more information.

The Twin Cities Flamenco Collective presents a vibrant show, Feria de Abril, featuring performances by Twin Cities talents and a lively Sevillanas dance party. Experience the passion and energy of flamenco music and dance in this engaging celebration of Andalusian culture. All are invited to join in festive Flamenco attire and learn Sevillanas dance!

April 27 at 5:00pm
At Icehouse MPLS
Tickets: $15 in advance (+taxes/fees), $22 day of show (+taxes)

Peformers: Anda Flamenco, Bobby “El Eléctrico”, Jeff Lambert, La Amistad, La Bárbara, Sachiko “La Chayí” Flamenco Dance School, Twin Cities Flamenco Collective, Zorongo Flamenco Student Performance Company, and more.

The Twin Cities Flamenco Collective is a dynamic group of Flamenco artists dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich art of flamenco in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. Through performances, education, and community outreach, the collective brings the passion, rhythm, and soul of flamenco to diverse audiences and participants. Comprising skilled dancers and musicians, the members and their guests collaborate to create vibrant and authentic flamenco experiences. Their mission is to foster appreciation for this art and culture from Andalusia, Spain while building a supportive local community for flamenco artists and aficionados alike. For more information, visit our Facebook.

Threads Dance Project proudly continues its tradition of amplifying new choreographic voices with Tapestries 9.0, a program highlighting emerging choreographers. This year’s production features original works by Colin Edwards, Rachel Lieberman, and Hannah MacKenzie-Margulies, alongside repertory by Artistic Director Karen L. Charles.

The program includes excerpts from Let America Be America, Charles’ powerful work inspired by the chant “Make America Great Again” and the reality that America has never been great for everyone. Through spoken word and dance vignettes, the piece highlights the joys and struggles of “the America that is” and “the America that could be.”

About the Tapestries 9.0 selected works:

• Colin Edwards explores the manifestation of unity and the circadian rhythms of sisterhood, revealing the ebb and flow of connection through the contrasts of night and day.
• Rachel Lieberman is trying to make sense of time. Collaging text, textile, movement memories, griefs, and missing pieces, she is asking everybody: how did I get here, and where are we?
• Hannah MacKenzie-Margulies indulges in millennial nostalgia, reflecting on memories that refuse to fade and futures that failed to materialize, set to a soundtrack of high school anthems resuscitated from home-burned CDs.

Friday, May 2 at 7:30pm
Saturday, May 3 at 7:30pm
Sunday, May 4 at 2:00pm
Tickets: $30 for General Admission, $25 for Seniors, and $22 for Students

Sway through the streets of 1950s Paris with Peter Davison’s An American in Paris. This ballet is inspired by the musical starring Gene Kelly and set to memorable George Gershwin melodies, such as “I Got Rhythm”. Follow along as Jerry, our aspiring American painter, works to succeed in both art and love.

Choreographed by: Peter Davison
Performed by: The Company and School of Ballet Co.Laboratory

Dates
Friday, May 16 at 7:00pm
Saturday, May 17 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm
Sunday, May 18 at 2:00pm

All performances at E.M. Pearson Theatre.

Tickets
Adults: $40
Seniors: $35
Children/Students:$30
Group (15+ tickets to the same performance): $35

ORACLE is an awe-inspiring outdoor theatrical experience transporting audiences to a realm where nature, myth, and art collide. Experience the myth and majesty of Ancient Greece as critically acclaimed Vox Medusa, in collaboration with Infiammati FireCircus, ignites the stage this May with ORACLE! This mesmerizing fusion of mythology, dance, music, theatre and fire performance is set against the enchanting backdrop of Caponi Art Park’s Theater in the Woods.

ORACLE is a stunning outdoor theatrical experience, blending haunting electronic music, riveting contemporary dance, electrifying breakdance, soul-stirring choral arrangements, vibrant light design, and heart-pounding fire performance. This outdoor spectacle revives the ancient traditions of the Oracle of Delphi through six spellbinding performances, created by a stunningly talented 28-member ensemble​, where every moment unfolds under a canopy of lush trees.

Rediscover the Oracle’s tale through a modern lens, as ORACLE reimagines the story of Delphi’s High Priestess on the fateful day Apollo lays siege to her temple. The Oracle’s voice, once a channel of wisdom and prophecy from Mother Earth (Gaea), is challenged by Apollo’s ambition. This epic tale, told from the Oracle’s perspective, follows her courageous fight to preserve her power, her legacy, and her role as a symbol of feminine strength.

Do you have a burning question for the Oracle? Your questions may be drawn by the Oracle and included in the show! Audience members may also create an effigy offering of what they wish to let go of. These offerings will be burned by the Priestesses during the performance.

For 30 years Vox Medusa continues to find an endless well of inspiration from feminist mythology, in both muse of creativity and mission to bring awareness to domestic violence and assault. All survivors of Domestic Violence and or Assault  and those who have benefited from Minnesota women’s shelters, please contact Vox Medusa at voxmedusadance@gmail.com for a VIP experience at ORACLE.

ORACLE is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

A major new work from Minnesota-based choreographer Mathew Janczewski interrogates binaries and asks how creative repression changes us. After receiving a diagnosis of leukemia, Janczewski learned that his condition was caused by the mutation of a single chromosome. For him, the experience brought new resonance to artist Matthew Barney’s epic five-film The Cremaster Cycle (1994–2002), which considers the embryonic stages of sexual differentiation—another biologically determined process that shapes our lives. Only the perverse fantasy can still save us takes inspiration from Barney and features an original score by Minnesota-based composer Joshua Clausen.

May 16-17 at 7:30pm
McGuire Theater
Tickets start at $15, fees included.

Only the perverse fantasy can still save us is commissioned by the Walker Art Center.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Photo by Galen Higgins

Ragamala Dance Company invites you to celebrate and support its 32nd year at Ragamala Rooted: A Gala Celebration.

Saturday, May 17:
5:30-6:30pm: Drinks and appetizer reception with studio tours
6:30-7:00pm: Performance by the company
7:00-7:30pm: Live auction featuring unique experiences
7:30- 9:30pm: Dinner catered by award-winning Raag Progressive Indian Cuisine

Tickets are limited; secure yours by May 17!
Single Ticket: $125 ($75 tax-deductible)
Table of 6: $650 ($350 tax-deductible)
Table of 10: $1,000 ($500 tax-deductible)

The dress code is fun and festive!
For more details and to purchase tickets, visit Ragamala Rooted: A Gala Celebration.

The Chicago Tribune review of Children of Dharma states: “This intergenerational company builds exquisite, contemporary worlds with Bharatanatyam better than any American company I’ve seen.”

National Tap Dance Day Community Performance: May 25, 2:00-5:00pm
Workshops with Guest Teacher: May 23 and 24

Performers interested in showcasing can email Cathy@tapcompany.org.

Off-Leash Area’s newest original production, The Oldest Deer – The Longest Path – The Highest Bough, invites audiences on an imaginative journey of transformation. Set at the edge of a darkly mystical forest, a ghostly herd of deer emerge from another time and space to deliver an invitation to transformation.

In this, the company’s 36th original production, Off-Leash Area combines dance, physical theater, and original music, all performed within an installation of projection art for a most creative and immersive experience. This production also continues Off-Leash Area’s partnership with Young Dance, whose mission is transforming lives through movement.

Friday, May 30 and Saturday, May 31 at 7:30pm
Admission is by sliding scale, $10-30 suggested donation.

Experience the Enchantment of Coppélia!

Prima Classical Coaching proudly presents Coppélia, a charming and comedic ballet that has delighted audiences for generations. With graceful dancing, whimsical storytelling, and exquisite costumes, this production is perfect for ballet lovers of all ages.

Saturday, June 7 at 2:00pm and 6:00pm
At Masonic Heritage Center
Tickets: $25-$32

Join us for an unforgettable performance filled with mischief, romance, and dazzling choreography as our talented dancers bring this classic tale to life. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the magic of live ballet!