Archive: Workshops, Intensives, Master Classes, and Open Houses

Driftless Water Dance Workshop in Wabasha

Big thanks to all who came to move and make a dance with me last weekend in Lake City at the beautiful Lake City Area Arts Center! What a treat!

The next community dance-making event will be February 23 from 5:00-7:00pm at The Widespot in Wabasha, MN.

You’re invited to join a community-based dance project all about the Driftless region! This free workshop will be part of a creation process for the Driftless Water Dance, which is a part of the Global Water Dance Festival in June.

Bring yourself, drop in anytime, be ready to move and share your stories of the driftless, and be creative about telling a story about this place through dance. No experience is necessary; all ages welcome.

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

Facilitated by Espoir DelMain, reach out with any questions or for more details by emailing espoir.delmain@gmail.com.

Threads Dance Project: Tapestries 9.0 Master Classes

What is Tapestries 9.0? Threads Dance Project commissions 3 emerging choreographers selected by an expert panel of dance/community leaders to create new works for the company under the guidance of Artistic/Executive Director Karen L. Charles. Tapestries provides a much-needed avenue for underrepresented women and artists of color to take center stage in the world of professional choreography.

What are the Tapestries 9.0 Master Classes? The Tapestries 9.0 Master Classes are intimate and engaging opportunities for you to learn from the masters themselves. Each of our choreographers will guide you through learning the fundamentals and will hone your skills from their wealth of knowledge. They will show you why they were chosen to be a part of Tapestries!

Contemporary with Rachel Lieberman: February 24-25, and March 3, 4, 10, and 11 from 9:00-10:30am
This contemporary-based class begins with a structured, improvisatory warm-up and offers exercises and phrase work focused on directing energy and focus, controlled gesture and big release, and functional weight share and soft partnering. In her facilitation, Rachel aims to always center not just the “what” but the experience, the joy, and the “why” of dance.

Price: $12. Pay as you come. No prior registration needed.

In~Practice Movement Workshop by Shamel Pitts

Explore movement with award-winning creator Shamel Pitts, artistic director of Shamel Pitts TRIBE. This workshop will focus on developing physical efficiency, proficiency, expressive range, and clarity based on creative prompts. Participants will physically examine concepts such as embodied movement sources, aliveness within stillness, dynamics, speed, rhythm, and groove while incorporating visualization to discover their unique individual expression through dancing in a communal space. This workshop is open to all levels of dancers and available to participants thanks to a partnership between Northrop and TU Dance.

Monday, March 3, 9:30-10:45am
60 minutes long, with a 15-minute conversation about what was experienced. Registration is required; $20 per participant.
Free for University of Minnesota students, faculty, and staff; please email education@tudance.org to reserve your place.
This class has a limited capacity of 35 students and is not open to observers.

Shamel Pitts (Brooklyn, NY), a 2024 MacArthur Fellow and 2024 Doris Duke Artist Award recipient, is a performance artist, choreographer, conceptual artist, dancer, spoken word artist, director, and teacher. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Pitts began his dance training at LaGuardia High School and The Ailey School. He is a first-place winner in the National Arts Competition from YoungArts. Pitts received his BFA in dance from The Juilliard School and was awarded the Martha Hill Award for excellence in dance. He began his dance career in Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Hell’s Kitchen Dance and BJM Danse Montreal. Pitts danced with Batsheva Dance Company for seven years under the artistic direction of Ohad Naharin and is a certified teacher of Gaga movement language. Pitts has created a triptych of award-winning multidisciplinary performances with his arts collective TRIBE, known as his “BLACK series,” which has toured extensively since 2016. He is an adjunct professor at The Juilliard School, a guest faculty member at Princeton University, New York University, Wesleyan University and has been an artist in residence at Harvard University. He has received a Princess Grace Award in Choreography, a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow, a Jacob’s Pillow artist-in-residence, and a 2020 Guggenheim Fellow.

Co-presented by Northrop and TU Dance. Contact TU Dance at education@tudance.org or Northrop at northrop@umn.edu.

Balanced Body® Reformer 3 Pilates Teacher Training at Paragon Pilates and Physical Therapy

Balanced Body® Reformer 3 Instructor Training is the pinnacle of the Reformer work and includes advanced and super-advanced exercises. Challenge clients to achieve their best with progressive sequences designed to teach students advanced movement skills. In addition, our principle-based programming will guide you in the creation of safe and successful multi-level classes.

Friday, March 7, 4:00-8:00pm
Saturday, March 8, 11:30am-6:00pm
Sunday, March 9, 9:30am-4:30pm

Fee: $549 + $60 materials
Prerequisite: Movement Principles, Reformer 1 and 2
Instructor: Matthew Hodge-Rice

Threads Dance Project: Adult Beginning Modern Workshop Series

This 7-week class series introduces the foundational principles of modern dance in a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment. Students will explore fundamental techniques including floor work, center exercises, and basic movement phrases while developing strength, coordination, and creative expression. Perfect for beginners and those looking to build confidence in their movement journey!

Adult Beginning Modern Workshop:
March 10-April 21
Mondays, 5:30-7:00pm
Instructor: Lily Conforti
Cost: $155

Continuing Education Workshop at Paragon Pilates and Physical Therapy

Balanced Body® Introduction to the Chair for Allied Health (Rehab Professionals)

In the clinical setting, the Pilates Chair provides sitting and standing movement work, both bilaterally and unilaterally. This course is an introduction to Chair exercises and includes regressions for the client in active rehabilitation and progressions for post-rehabilitation and advanced wellness. Pilates chairs featured: the Wunda Chair, Combo Chair and Exo Chair. Includes equipment set up, clinical applications and safety.

March 14 and 21, 12:00-4:00pm
Fee: $275 ($325 after February 22)
Instructor: Ann-Marie Chesterfield, DPT

The Living Body: Impulse, Action, and Play Retreat and Workshop

Virginia Twins Performance Group invites you to participate in a residential weekend workshop focused on improvisational movement, embodied awareness, and building trust with others. Our workshop takes place over two and a half days of scheduled programming. We will share a variety of exercises that are designed to cultivate attunement towards impulse and the experience of being inside a living body.

This retreat takes place at Big Raven Farm in the heart of Southern Minnesota’s driftless region. It includes full housing and amenities, meals, a ten-acre landscape, and the opportunity to step away from daily routines to practice building skills for living an active and engaged life.

This is a workshop for performers and non-performers alike and does not require any previous experience. It is designed to be amenable to all age groups and levels of ability.

Space is limited, so reserve your spot early!

TU Dance Center: Pre-Professional Program Summer Intensive

The TU Dance Pre-Professional Program is an intensive course of study integrating modern, ballet, African dance, and creative workshops for students ages 11-24. Click the respective level group to download the daily schedule: 2025 Intermediate Program Daily Schedule and 2025 Advanced Intensive Daily Schedule.

For level placement, please contact us at education@tudance.org or 651-724-9708. Placement can be done by attending an in-person (by appointment only, a class fee applies) or by submitting a video link (modern and ballet phrase), or during the first day of classes of the intensive.

To register, please complete the four-step registration process:

Registration deadlines:
Youth and Teen Intermediate Levels: July 4
Advanced Level: July 23 (single week registration available)

Full and partial scholarships available. Contact us at education@tudance.org or (651) 724-9708 for more information.

TU Dance Center: Children and Teen Summer Program

The TU Dance Children and Teen Program introduces the joy of creative movement and beginning dance technique. Classes, divided by age, provide a comprehensive base on which to expand by developing body awareness, coordination, balance, flexibility, strength and musicality. Click here to download the 2025 Creative Movement Daily Schedule and the 2025 Beginning Program Daily Schedule.

For questions and level placement, please contact us at education@tudance.org or 651-724-9708.

To register, please complete the four-step registration process:

Registration deadlines:
Creative Movement: July 22
Beginning Youth and Teen: June 11

Full or partial scholarships are available. Contact us at education@tudance.org or (651) 724-9708 for more information.

Exploring the Creative Process: Forming and Unforming

Paula Mann offers eight free creative process workshops focusing on forming the unformed through improvisation, visualizations, musings, reoccurring ideas, odd interests, and driving physicality.

Saturdays, 2:00-4:00pm
February 15 and 22, and March 8, 15, 22, and 29.

To register, email Paula at pmann102@gmail.com.
All workshops are free with support from The MSAB Creative Individuals grant.