Archive: Performances and Events

Concerto Dance presents Looking Back/Moving Forward at the Southern Theater, March 10-12.

Looking Back/Moving Forward features a mixed repertoire of modern and jazz dance works from Artistic Director Jolene Konkel, including audience favorite Ode to Opus Jazz (2018), along with two premieres choreographed by visiting guest artists Steve Rooks (formerly of the Martha Graham Company, NYC) and Cynthia Gutierrez Garner (Artistic Director of Company Movimiento, Eugene, OR).

Join us for this evening of vibrant concert dance as we reflect on the past and look forward with hopeful expectations – moving forward together!

Featuring
Concerto Dance Company Members: Rachel Bonkoungou, Lydia Kantor, Sara Karimi, Helena Magalhães, Shannon Mulcahy, Betsy G. Nelson, Sarah Pieper, and Maddy Woodman.
Guest Artists: Rush Benson, Malia Craft, Brenda Nepsund, and Doug Hooker.
Apprentices: Hunter Batterson and Kaitlyn Craven.

Friday, March 10, 7:30pm
Saturday, March 11, 7:30pm
Sunday, March 12, 3:00pm

Tickets: $25 (plus fees)

EMBRACE with the Ahn Trio

James Sewell Ballet reunites with the extraordinary Ahn Trio in a program featuring a reimagining of 2018’s Connections. Like the best embrace, there’s known comfort and new spark combined. The three sisters of the Ahn Trio – Lucia on piano, Angella on violin, and Maria on cello – were born in Seoul, Korea, and educated at the Juilliard School in New York City. These growing-up experiences in two cultures, along with their extensive international touring, infuse their celebration of 21st-century classical music with a particular flare and style.

Friday, March 17 at 7:30pm
Saturday, March 18 at 2:00pm

This performance runs approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes with one intermission.
Price: $5-35

Collide Theatrical Dance Company presents its first dance musical with an original score—

SKOL! plays at the Southern Theater March 23–April 9, 2023.

When a mysterious illness befalls a Viking clan, a young woman is called to fulfill her destiny as a great warrior leader in a battle for the cure with the Christian army. Inspired by the Norse gods, her journey tests the boundaries of her faith, shakes the ground of the relationships with the men dearest in her life, and causes her to question the definition of female strength.

Inspired by recent evidence of the grave of a female Viking holding the accoutrements and injury marks of a prestigious warrior, a discovery that cast a new light on gender roles in Scandinavian history. Collide explores this fascinating story with an original pop rock/rap score composed by Twin Cities musician Mike Michel (Bill Mike Band), with lyrics by vocalists Rush Benson (Ordway) and Katie Gearty (Dakota Jazz Club).

Created by Collide Artistic Director, Regina Peluso, the production stars Renee Guittar and Jarod Boltjes. For tickets visit www.collidetheatrical.org/skol or call 651-395-7903.

Join Ashwini Ramaswamy, lead choreographer of Invisible Cities, and Will McGrath (author of Everything Lost is Found Again and Farewell Transmission) as they discuss her process of adapting Italo Calvino’s book as a multi-faceted dance performance premiering January 27 and 28, 2023.

Long an inspiration for artists of many disciplines, Calvino’s 1973 novel is a meditation on the environments all around us. The Invisible Cities performance will evoke the book’s themes through movement communicated via four dance traditions: Bharatanatyam (Classical Indian), Modern/African Diasporic, Breaking, and Gaga, as Syrian-American digital artist Kevork Mourad fills the space with live illustrations.

Hear from Ramaswamy and the other lead choreographers – Alanna Morris, Berit Ahlgren, and Joseph “MN Joe” Tran – as they describe their process of finding cohesion and harmony among the myriad perspectives they bring to their work.

January 19 at 7:30pm

Grants are a substantial part of maintaining one’s self as an art business, that is unique to Minnesota. With that process arises a lot of questions: How do you fit yourself into the application process? How do you make sure you are reading the requirements right? How do you put together work samples, what different types of work samples? What makes a strong resume? How do you articulate yourself as a person, artist, and your vision in a digestible way? What grants are you eligible for and how can you understand if you are not?

Join us in conversation as we gather to unpack the world of grant writing. This discussion will be open to all. Come to share your thoughts or just listen.

Art of Business: The World of Grants
January 22, 2023
2:00-3:30pm
The Cowles Center, Tek Box, Second Floor
Free and open to the public. Refreshments provided. Transportation stipend available.

Moderators
Jessi Fett, The Cowles Center Director of Programming and Education
Colin Edwards, Programs Coordinator and McKnight Artist Fellowship Programs Assistant for Dance and for Choreographers

Participants will include:
Dana Kassel, McKnight Artist Fellowship Programs Director for Dance and for Choreographers 
Mirella Espino, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council

Ashwini Ramaswamy and Kevork Mourad: Invisible Cities reimagines Italo Calvino’s metaphysical novel through a stunning synthesis of kinetic and visual storytelling. Featuring 13 dancers, Invisible Cities is grounded in four distinct forms led by a dynamic group of artists—Ranee, Aparna, and Ashwini Ramaswamy (Bharatanatyam), Berit Ahlgren (Gaga), Alanna Morris (Modern), Joseph ‘MN Joe’ Tran (Breaking)—and visual artist Kevork Mourad, who creates Invisible Cities’ interactive, immersive projections and illustrations.

January 27 at 7:30pm
January 28 at 7:30pm
Price: $35

Cumar (“confluence” in Irish Gaelic) brings together the complex rhythms and fluid, expressive movement of West Africa with the flowing melodies, percussive footwork, and intricate dance figures of Ireland, in an exuberant celebration of multi-cultural collaboration. The group features an outstanding ensemble of Twin Cities dancers and musicians, ranging from internationally recognized masters to dedicated young artists carrying these traditions into the next generation.

January 27 at 7:30pm
January 28 at 7:30pm

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.

Sunday, January 29 at 10:00am
Presented as part of The Great Northern

Get together, get moving, and build some midwinter heat with this all-abilities movement class, offering a fun and inclusive approach to dancing. Designed for people of all shapes and sizes, backgrounds and identities, Dance Church is a communal space for people who want to move their bodies.

During a 50-minute class, participants will be guided through a series of movement cues accompanied by a curated playlist of multi-genre pop music. The format is open but guided throughout. No previous training is required, but open-mindedness is a prerequisite. Get lost dancing together—it’s the dance party you wish you had last night.

Dance Church® has been bringing the joy and release of dance to people since 2010. Classes are hosted regularly in New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles, and have popped up in cities worldwide. Dance Church Go is an online streaming version of our in-person classes. Go was created to dance together from wherever with on-demand and live-streamed classes available anytime. Whether in-person or on the internet, Dance Church is committed to spreading joy through movement while building community physically and virtually around the world.

Floorwork: a communal conversation and shared meal. Every first Saturday! Floorwork was developed to hold conversations, knowledge-sharing, and a supportive space for dance artists and people who like to move.

The next Floorwork is:
Saturday, February 4
3:00-5:00pm
RSVP by Thursday, February 2.

This February Floorwork will focus on how we can create a root system of support that allows us to thrive and create art that is more inspired. Conversation will be held over a communal meal – bring your own dish to share in our potluck! ARENA DANCES will supply beverages, plates, napkins, and utensils.