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Threads Dance Project: Adult Beginning Modern Workshop

Discover the fundamentals of modern dance in a welcoming and supportive environment. This six-week series introduces key techniques such as floor work, center exercises, and basic movement phrases, helping students build strength, coordination, and creative expression.

Designed for beginners and those looking to deepen their confidence in movement, this session is an extension of the early spring series, but remains open to new learners.

Adult Beginning Modern Workshop:
April 28-June 9 — No class on Memorial Day (May 26)
Mondays, 5:30-7:00pm
Instructor: Lily Conforti
Cost: $135

Threads Dance Project Presents Tapestries 9.0

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

MotionArt First Friday Improv Gathering

First Friday Improv Gathering on April 4 is cancelled.

Friday, May 2 from 6:30–8:00pm
Center for Performing Arts, Studio 105w – next to 38th Street entrance

This event is open to people of all ages and abilities. Enjoy being present in the moment, responding to other dancers, finding new ways of moving, and discovering form as it emerges during this fun evening of creative movement. We’ll begin with an informal warm-up, then improvise together based on movement ideas offered by participants.

Come to move, to dance, to observe, or some of each!

Suggested donation $5-$15. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Pilates Chair and Barrels Instructor Training at Paragon Pilates and Physical Therapy

Balanced Body® Pilates Chair and Barrels Instructor Training encompasses both the Pilates Chairs and the Pilates Barrels courses. The Pilates chair is great for strengthening athletic clients, and as an addition to group programming. The chair can be used to incorporate standing and upright core work into a client’s studio experience. This course includes exercises, programming, and variations for the original Wunda chair, the EXO chair, and the split pedal Combo Chair. This weekend module also includes exercises and variations for the Step Barrel, which is a great addition to group classes, and the Ladder Barrel, most commonly used in a studio setting. Both are excellent tools for enhancing spinal mobility and core strength.

Friday, May 2, 3:00-8:00pm
Saturday, May 3, 11:30am-7:30pm
Sunday, May 4, 9:30am-6:00pm

Fee: $599 + $120 materials ($649 after April 12)
Prerequisites: Mat 1 and Reformer 1
Instructor: Matthew Hodge-Rice

Walker Art Center/ARENA DANCES: Only the perverse fantasy can still save us

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

An American in Paris

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

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.

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.

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.