Archive

Laboratory II: Emerging Choreographer Program

Ballet Co.Laboratory believes in the development of the whole dancer and works to invest in artists’ professional growth. One way Ballet Co.Laboratory aids professional dance makers in evolving their artistry is through our Laboratory II: Emerging Choreographer Program. Each season, one choreographer is hired through this program to create a new, full-length, staged ballet production which is performed by the upper-level students at The School of Ballet Co.Laboratory (ages 11 – 20).

Ballet Co.Laboratory knows how difficult it can be to find paid work as an emerging choreographer. Some organizations offer free space and artists to perform their work, but many do not compensate emerging artists for their creation/rehearsal time and even fewer cover production costs such as costumes, sets, stage management, etc. The choreographer selected through the Laboratory II: Emerging Choreographer Program is not only compensated for their work and the materials/staff to create their production, but will simultaneously receive mentorship from Ballet Co.Laboratory staff in production design and arts administration to get a complete picture of what it is like to create, market, and fundraise for a new work.

The story that Ballet Co.Laboratory will be asking the 2025 emerging choreographer to draw inspiration from is the children’s book, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. Applicants who apply can choose to present this narrative as a classical or contemporary ballet. The selected choreographer will work alongside the Ballet Co.Laboratory artistic team in selecting the music, designing scenic elements, creating costumes, and casting roles.

Choreographers applying to this program are encouraged to think critically about how ballet can continue to evolve in becoming more inclusive and forward-thinking. Rather than create a piece that is simply based on movement, artists are asked to create a production with a storyline that sparks the imagination and challenges the audiences’ perception of what ballet is.

All applicants must live in Minnesota, have had formal ballet training, and consider themselves to be an emerging choreographer.

National Tap Dance Day

Keane is excited to present Dancing Through Difficult Times (Signatures), a National Tap Dance Day celebration, on Sunday, May 25 from 2:00-5:00pm. Our mission is to elevate the art of American Tap Dance.

All Keane classes have the option to perform. Costumes are at the artful whim of the instructor and will be sent to you prior to the event.

This show is free to the public. Food and beverages available for purchase at the Dock & Paddle dining area. Raffle tickets for dancer swag available in the coming week and helps fund our outreach program.

Workshops Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25 with Acia Gray, Aleksandr Ostanin, and Jensen Freedman.

The Oldest Deer – The Longest Path – The Highest Bough

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. Off-Leash Area builds an immersive space of projection art and physical performance drawn from world mythology.

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. The Oldest Deer – The Longest Path – The Highest Bough will continue Off-Leash Area’s long run of presenting singular, imaginative, and uncompromising performance works. 

Friday, May 30 at 7:30pm
Saturday, May 31 at 7:30pm

Admission is by sliding scale, $10-30 suggested donation.

Featured Artists
Cast (all-abilities and multi-generational): Jim Lieberthal, Christine Maginnis, Piper Rolfes, Lexi Samara, Jesse Schmitz-Boyd, Julie Warder, Jennifer Ilse, and Paul Herwig
Direction and Choreography: Co-Artistic Director Jennifer Ilse in collaboration with the cast
Projection and Installation Art: Co-Artistic Director Paul Herwig
Original Music and Sound: Reid Kruger
Poetry: Athena Kildegaard

Minnesota Dance Theatre: Young Children’s Division Summer Camps

Minnesota Dance Theatre invites young children, ages 4-7, to fun-filled, week-long camps. Young dancers will discover the joy of movement, music, and imagination. Students will enhance their coordination, develop fundamental dance skills, and challenge their brains in learning basic choreography!

Daily ballet and jazz classes, themed arts and crafts, stretching and conditioning, story time and dance media, and more!  An end-of-week showing for parents and families gives dancers a performance opportunity to share all they have learned throughout the week!

Students can sign up for one or both weeks, half-day or full-day options. Class sizes will be limited, with two instructors.

Week 1: Monday-Friday, June 9-13
Week 2: Monday-Friday, June 16-20
Half-day: 9:30am-12:00pm
Full-day: 9:30am-3:00pm
At the Center for Performing Arts

Registration is open until Thursday, May 15.

Minnesota Dance Theatre: Performing Arts Division Summer Programs

Minnesota Dance Theater’s Performing Arts Division (PAD) summer programs are designed to expand upon MDT&S’s classical ballet-based curriculum, seamlessly integrating contemporary dance styles, innovative choreography, and classical repertoire. All classes are led by the esteemed MDT faculty and exciting guest teachers, with live piano accompaniment enriching most classes.

All classes are aimed for dancers who have mastered the fundamentals of ballet technique. Classes will include: ballet technique, pre-pointe, pointe, men’s repertoire, choreography, contemporary technique, jazz, character, conditioning/strength and more.

Classes are taught by esteemed MDT staff, and internationally recognized choreographer, Gemma Bond (ABT and The Royal Ballet), and Katie Deuitch (Ballet Austin), among others. Stay tuned for updates!

Session Dates: 
June 9-13, 9:30am-4:00pm 
June 16-20, 9:30am-4:00pm
June 23-27, 9:30am-4:00pm 

PAD summer program classes are divided into three levels: Level 1 for ages 8-10, Level 2 for ages 10-13 and Level 3 for ages 13-18. Level placement will be determined by age and experience level and is at the discretion of MDT&S staff. Please enroll based on age, and email school@mndance for any questions.

Registration is open until Thursday, May 15.

For more information visit Minnesota Dance Theatre: Performing Arts Division Summer Program.

Discover Dance: Concerto Dance, Continental Ballet, and Threads

The Bloomington Center for the Arts presents the 2nd Annual Discover Dance Series featuring performances by Concerto Dance, Continental Ballet, and Threads Dance Project, on June 13 -14. Three dynamic dance companies join forces to present performances in multiple dance styles for audiences of all ages to discover and experience the joy and power of dance!

Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14
7:00-8:30pm
Bloomington Center for the Arts – Schneider Theater

Tickets on sale now!
Adults: $25 (+fees)
Seniors: $20 (+fees)
Youth 12 and under: $15 (+fees)
0-5: Free!

For more information visit www.blm.mn/bca.

Threads Dance Project Youth Summer Camps

Discover dance this summer at Threads Dance Nexus!

Creative Connections for ages 4-6: June 16-20 and June 23-27, 9:00-10:15am
$125 for one week or $230 for both weeks. Need-based scholarships are available.

Young movers will explore a variety of dance styles and how dance intersects with music, numbers, art, theater, and more. They will learn the importance of healthy bodies and minds, discuss basic nutrition, and how emotions can be defined, demonstrated, and calmed using movement. This journey of creativity and self-expression will be shared in a casual showing for family and friends at the end of each week.

NexGen/YDP (Youth Dance Project) for ages 8-12: July 7-11 and July 14-18, 9:00am-12:00pm
$279 for one week or $499 for both weeks. Need-based scholarships are available.

NexGen/YDP PLUS for ages 8-12 with 2+ years dance experience: July 7-11 and July 14-18, 9:00am-1:00pm
$329 for one week or $579 for both weeks. Need-based scholarships are available.

Embark on a fun and holistic dance experience for your child in this comprehensive approach to summer dance learning. Dancers will grow in confidence, strength, and self-expression as they study ballet and modern techniques. They will learn self-care for their bodies and minds through nutrition and embodied movement exploration. Journals will be provided as a tool for self-reflection and discovery. Students will share what they’ve learned in a casual showing at the end of each week.

No prior dance experience is required. A limited number of partial and full scholarships are available – visit our website for more information.

Threads Dance Project Advanced Professional Summer Intensive

The Threads Dance Project Advanced/Professional Summer Intensive is an intensive workshop that explores advanced dance techniques to enhance both performance and choreography for professional and pre-professional dancers.

Participants can choose one or both tracks and are encouraged to register for both tracks for a full immersive experience.

Performer’s Track: June 23-27 from 10:30am-2:45pm
Strengthen technical mastery and performance skills in Contemporary-Modern, African Dance, Ballet, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and more.

Choreographer’s Track: June 23-27 from 1:30-5:30pm
Focus on creation with classes in Repertoire, Composition, and Improvisation, plus studies in Grant Writing, Show Production, and more.

Final Showing: Friday, June 27 from 5:30-6:00pm
Tuition: $260 per track or $449 for both tracks

For more details and registration, click here.

Ballet Co.Laboratory Intermediate and Advanced Summer Intensives

Build strength and develop your artistry. Our Summer Intensives include classical and contemporary technique classes and the opportunity to perform dance works created for the professional Company of Ballet Co.Laboratory.

Intermediate Intensive: July 29-August 15, Tuesday-Friday from 9:30am-4:00pm
Dancers aged 12-16 spend three weeks immersed in classes including classical ballet technique, pointe, jazz, contemporary, musical theater, character, conditioning, and repertoire. Dancers should have at least 1 year of pointe experience.

Advanced Intensive: July 28-August 15, Monday-Friday from 9:00am-4:30pm
Dancers aged 15-22 spend three weeks immersed in classes including classical ballet technique, pointe, partnering, jazz, contemporary, modern, musical theatre, character, improvisation, conditioning, and repertoire. Dancers should have at least 2.5 years of pointe experience.

Summer Jazz Dance Intensive

Improve your technique and advance your artistry in a positive and welcoming environment with one of the top dance companies in the Twin Cities!

Classes in our Summer Dance Intensive include Musical Theatre Jazz, Classic Jazz Technique, Ballet, Leaps and Turns, Hip-Hop, Contemporary, and more. Students may register for one or both weeks.

The Intensive culminates with our Collide Showcase. Video will be taken so dancers have a professional-grade copy to use for future auditions and submissions. Local students are also invited to perform excerpts from the Intensive at the Minnesota State Fair in August!

Level placement requires a referral from a teacher or Collide company member or a two-minute video submission. Please send a video (one minute of Ballet Adagio with pirouettes and one minute of Jazz) or referral name and contact information to Auditions@collidetheatrical.org.