Archive: Dance Writing, Reviews, and Podcasts

Placing a Finger On the Groove is a new dance podcast dedicated to getting curious about the incredible dance work happening in the Twin Cities. Join host Daniel Grove as they interview local choreographers and learn more about the work shaping our current-day dance scene and community.

The first interview episode takes a deep dive into [If I Had the Chance] To Do It Again, choreographed by Erinn Liebhard / Rhythmically Speaking.

[If I Had the Chance] To Do It Again is a reflection on time travel, investigating why we are so interested in it, how we would use the capability if (and perhaps when) Physical Time Travel might become possible, and the human phenomenon of Mental Time Travel, a psychological capability often credited as a major contributor to our evolutionary leap. This piece considers our human fallibility and times apparent lack thereof, how—if time were more fallible—many of us would try to bend it to our will, and the value in navigating the ever-shifting balance of where our minds travel – past and future – while striving to experience the present.

Photo: Bill Cameron

This week, we sit down with Minneapolis choreographer, performer, educator, and artistic leader Joanna Lees, co-founder and Artistic and Executive Director of Alternative Motion Project. We’ll talk about her nearly two decades in the Minnesota dance community, the evolution of her creative practice, and her current research into cultivating empowerment and healing through trauma-informed artistic practices.

Thursday, September 10 at 12:00pm 

Tune in here or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

This Thursday, Sept. 3 at noon on Studio Stories, we welcome Dana Luebke—dancer, choreographer, teacher, and artistic leader whose extraordinary career has spanned more than five decades and taken him across five continents. From Minnesota Dance Theatre and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet to co-founding SUN.ERGOS, Dana shares a lifetime devoted to movement, artistry, and connecting communities through dance.

Listen in on Thursday, August 27, at noon with Orlando Hunter-Valentine.

Orlando is a choreographer and Hood Agroartupreneur whose work centers a same-gender-loving, U.S.-born African American perspective while exploring the intersections of dance, agriculture, identity, and sustainability. A recent MFA graduate of The Ohio State University with specialized study in Agriculture and Technology, Orlando joins us to talk about an artistic practice rooted in ancestry, social inquiry, and the possibilities of embodied and ecological sustainability.

Tune in here or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

Listen in on Thursday, August 20, at noon with Gemma Isaacson.

Gemma has been a professional dancer since age 15, beginning with Minnesota Ballet and building a wide-ranging career across ballet, contemporary dance, opera, and choreography. A 2026 McKnight Dancer Fellow, Gemma brings an intensely physical, vulnerable, and deeply human presence to her work—guided by a simple belief: “When I dance, I am undeniably me.” Join us on Studio Stories as we trace the many dance lives that have shaped the artist she is today.

Tune in here or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

Listen in on Thursday, August 13, at noon with Davente Gilreath.

Davente is a Minneapolis-born dancer, educator, and choreographer whose journey has taken him from training at Perpich and the University of Minnesota to eight years performing with Garth Fagan Dance, and now back home, where he teaches at the University of Minnesota and currently performs with Ananya Dance Theatre.

Tune in here or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

Photo by Kameron Herndon

This Thursday, August 6, at noon, we hear from Roger Beck discussing the unforgettable and impactful David Voss. This is a rare opportunity to have a glimpse into the career and life of David Voss.

David was a remarkable and multi-talented force in the development of Minnesota contemporary dance — a composer, musician, dancer, choreographer, and beloved teacher whose influence touched countless students, collaborators, and audiences alike. Roger Beck shares a glimpse into David’s personal and creative world — the man behind the artist, the work, and the legacy that still resonates in our community.

Tune in here or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

Discover dance from around the world through Common Threads: Tapestry’s monthly dance media review series featuring resources such as the Hennepin County Library’s Dance in Video Collection.

This month, Operations Manager Sandra Carlo explores Of Beauty & Deities: Music & Dance of India—a documentary that offers a window into the artistry, history, and storytelling traditions of Bharatanatyam. Through performance footage, interviews, and live music, the film reveals how this classical dance form continues to evolve while remaining deeply rooted in cultural tradition.

Inspired by what you read? Experience it for yourself this summer at Tapestry Class Series: Contemporary Bharatanatyam, taught by Sudarsna Mukund on Wednesdays from 8:00–9:30pm.

Threads invites you to share your story. Here’s how:

Write a story or poem (1500 words max) inspired by one of these four photographs. The four photos are also represented at the bottom of Threads’ Tell Me a Story webpage.

Some guiding questions you could consider when writing:

• What happened right before or after this photograph was taken?
• Each of these photos captures a moment of change. What is this individual—or these individuals—transitioning into or out of?
• What might the person or people in the photograph be experiencing?
• What emotions does the image evoke for you?

Two outstanding submissions will be selected by a panel of community writers, professors, literary artists, and Threads Dance Project’s Artistic and Executive Director, Karen Charles, in late July.

Selected writers will win a $500.00 prize and be a part of the creative process, turning their written word into movement for Threads’ 15th year anniversary show, Love Evolving.

Learn more here and view the four photos here. Submit your writing here by Saturday, June 20.

Threads invites you to share your story. Here’s how:

Write a story or poem (1500 words max) inspired by one of these four photographs. The four photos are also represented at the bottom of Threads’ Tell Me a Story webpage.

Some guiding questions you could consider when writing:

• What happened right before or after this photograph was taken?
• Each of these photos captures a moment of change. What is this individual—or these individuals—transitioning into or out of?
• What might the person or people in the photograph be experiencing?
• What emotions does the image evoke for you?

Two outstanding submissions will be selected by a panel of community writers, professors, literary artists, and Threads Dance Project’s Artistic and Executive Director, Karen Charles, in late July.

Selected writers will win a $500.00 prize and be a part of the creative process, turning their written word into movement for Threads’ 15th year anniversary show, Love Evolving.

Learn more here and view the four photos here. Submit your writing here by Saturday, June 20.