Archive

Studio Stories: Special CB25 Spotlight with Cheng “Technica” Xiong

Studio Stories this week is with the CANDY BOX 2025 Featured Artist Cheng “Technica” Xiong for Episode 180 airing at noon on Thursday, April 17!

Cheng Xiong is a local artist, teacher, and community leader. Xiong grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and received his Bachelor of Arts in Dance at the University of Minnesota. Though he began his journey as a street dancer, through his studies, he broadened to different styles and professional skills. Xiong is also a Hmong dance artist/researcher who is among the first in Minnesota to fuse forms of breaking, contemporary, and acrobatic dance styles. He is currently a company member of Black Label Movement and has recently worked with local professional companies such as STRONGmovement, BRKFST Dance, and Minnesota Timberwolves’s First Avenue Breakers.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Come see Cheng “Technica” Xiong’s premiere at the ninth annual CANDY BOX Dance Festival, April 24-26. Tickets here!

MotionArt Adult Modern Dance Classes

MotionArt’s mission is to share the art of dance and the joy of movement with people of all ages and abilities. We strive to enrich lives by fostering creativity, body awareness, and self-expression in a fun, non-competitive, welcoming environment. We offer ongoing dance classes in-studio, on Zoom, and outside (weather permitting).

Paying the regular rate helps keep our organization afloat; however, no one will be turned away for inability to pay. There is also an option to pay what you can.

Please go to motionartmn.org to sign up for classes, or contact Pam Gleason for information.

Ageless Dance
Mondays, 3:00-4:15pm – Center for Performing Arts, Sunroom
Thursdays, 3:00-4:15pm – Center for Performing Arts, Sunroom

Beginning Modern Dance
Tuesdays, 5:00-6:15pm – Zoom only

Intermediate Modern Dance
Wednesdays, 10:30am-12:00pm – Center for Performing Arts, Sunroom

Mixed-Level Modern Dance
Tuesdays, 7:00-8:15pm – Center for Performing Arts, Studio 205W
Saturdays, 4:00-5:30pm – Center for Performing Arts, Sunroom

Minnesota Dance Theatre: Adult Open Classes

Join Minnesota Dance Theatre Adult Division! We offer fundamentals to advanced classes all through the week.

Ballet Fundamentals I
Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30pm, April 1 – June 17
Session Tuition: $175

Ballet Fundamentals II
Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00pm, April 2 – June 18
Session Tuition: $175

Ballet Fundamentals I — 6-week session
Mondays, 7:00-8:30pm, April 14 – May 19 in Studio 6A
Session Tuition: $100

Adult Beginning/Intermediate Ballet
Wednesdays, 6:30-8:00pm; Pointe, 8:00-8:30pm with Kerry Parker

Adult Intermediate Ballet
Monday, 7:00pm – 8:30pm with Justin Leaf, Studio 2B
Saturdays, 9:30-11:00am with Justin Leaf, accompanied by Pat Lyles
Sundays, 11:00am-12:30pm; Pointe, 12:30-1:00pm with Sally Rousse, accompanied by Marya Hart

Adult Intermediate/Advanced Ballet
Mondays, 9:30-11:00am with Helen Hatch, accompanied by Tom Linker
Fridays, 9:30-11:00am with Kerry Parker, accompanied by Joe Strachan

Adult Ballet with Midwest School of Ballet

Join a welcoming and supportive adult ballet community at Midwest School of Ballet, held in Edina’s large, light-filled studios. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced dancer, our program offers classes three days a week, making it easy to find the right level and fit. New dancers will find an exceptionally welcoming community of students ranging from their 20s to 70s who truly enjoy class and each other.

With 35+ years of experience, Lisa Erickson fosters joy in movement and trust in the body, and Kaethe Birkner will coach you in individual muscle engagement and proper alignment for health and longevity. All classes emphasize a structured approach to sustainable flexibility, balance, energy, and lifelong well-being—welcoming all ages, experience levels, and fitness backgrounds. Whether stepping into ballet for the first time or refining your skills, you’ll find expert-level instruction in a stress-free environment marked by good cheer and laughter.

Fundamentals of Ballet with Keathe Birkner
Tuesdays, 7:30-9:00pm

Intermediate Adult Ballet (Slower Pace) with Lisa Erickson
Wednesdays, 6:00-7:30pm and Saturdays, 9:30-11:00am

Price: $80 per/month—drop-ins welcome at $22 per class. Please reach out to midwestballetmn@gmail.com.

Conveniently located off Highway 100 at the Edina Community Center with free and easy parking.

Open Intermediate/Advanced Ballet Class by Yuki Tokuda

Join my open ballet class, where technique meets artistry!

With a focus on foundation, musicality, and kinesiology, I help dancers build a strong technical base, develop musical sensitivity, and move with awareness—all while embracing the joy of expression through dance.

Thursdays in April and May, 9:30-11:00am
Studio 2B at Hennepin Center For the Arts
$15 per class
New: Basic Pointe, 11:00-11:30am after open class
Additional $5 per class

South Minneapolis Studio Available for Rent

The Sabathani Community Center in South Minneapolis has a dance studio available for hourly rental. The building includes security and free parking. The studio space includes mirrors, ballet barres, and hardwood floor.

Studio Dimensions: 39′ x 23′ x 9′

Available for Rent
Monday-Friday, 7:00am-9:00pm
Saturdays, 10:00am-4:00pm
Closed Sundays.

Rental Rates
Rehearsals and photoshoots: $15/hour
Classes and auditions: $20/hour

Complete this request form to reserve the studio.

TU Dance Center: Intermediate and Advanced Summer Intensive

The TU Dance Intermediate and Advanced Summer Intensive 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 class (by appointment only and a class fee applies), 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 is 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.

Rent TU Dance Center Studios

TU Dance Center is available for rental when not in use by TU Dance’s programming. TU Dance Center features a reception area and front desk for check-in or event use. Access to the adjacent dressing room and green room with kitchenette are available upon request.

Studio 1: 60 x 34
Studio 2: 46 x 21

Both studios feature:
Sprung dance floor with Marley-type surface by Harlequin
Wall of mirrors
Portable ballet barre units 10′ in length
Room-level sound system with CD and mini-jack inputs
50″ LCD TV cart for presentation and videoconferencing
Large windows providing ample natural light

Studio 1 only: A curtain that can be drawn on the entire mirror and wall-mounted ballet barres of 27′ and 33′.

Rental fees:
Individual artists: $18/hour
Nonprofit organizations: $22/hour for rehearsals
Other rental inquiries (for-profit, classes, workshops, auditions, life events, photo sessions, filming, etc.), please contact us.

TU Dance Center: Open Class Series

Join us for a series of open classes at TU Dance Center. Teaching artists include TU Dance Founder and Artistic Director Toni Pierce-Sands, along with Wendy Anderson, Non Edwards, Hassan Ingraham, Laurel Keen, Anna Pinault, and Abdo Sayegh-Rodriguez.

The technique classes are for intermediate/advanced dancers, and the GYROKINESIS® and Dance/Yoga classes are for physically active people.

The GYROKINESIS® Method is a movement method that addresses the entire body, opening energy pathways, stimulating the nervous system, increasing range of motion, and creating functional strength through rhythmic, flowing movement sequences. It is an original and unique method that coordinates movement, breath, and mental focus. The GYROKINESIS® Method is practiced on a mat and chair.

Please check the Open Class Calendar, as classes and/or teaching artists might change.
Cost: $16/class or $140/10 classes