Archive: Workshops, Intensives, Master Classes, and Open Houses

December 18-21
11:30am-2:00pm
Join for one, two, three, or all four days!
Discounts apply for multiple days.

James Sewell Ballet hosts a movement workshop series geared toward adult dancers (18+) with intermediate/advanced technique who are:

• interested in “trying out” the movement vocabulary of various dance-makers
• committing to their movement practice ahead of a holiday break, and
• looking for a friendly creative environment without commitment to a long-term project.

Move with emerging leaders in the Twin Cities contemporary dance scene.
Featuring Javan Mngrezzo, Berit Ahlgren, Jarod Boltjes, and Elayna Waxse.

The goal of this series is pure process. The leaders get to see ideas actualized on movers in the room, and movers get to experience a single-day choreographic workshop with each leader.

The Dancing Together Workshop is a child and parent/caregiver Creative Movement class. This 8-week workshop is designed for children (ages 2-4) and their parent/caregiver who is interested in a shared movement experience that engages the senses of curiosity and play.

Both child and caregiver will participate in developmentally appropriate movement exercises that incorporate elements such as effort, shape, and tempo. Music will play an essential role in the class as students will be asked to respond to sounds as well as make sounds themselves. Participants will be encouraged to join at their own comfort level with the understanding that observation is often the best form of learning with younger children. This class will give children and caregivers the opportunity to learn more about themselves and one another through the art form of dance.

Session 2: January 20-February 24
Session 3: March 16-May 4; No class on April 6 and 13.

Saturdays, 9:00-9:45am
At TU Dance Center.

To register, please click here.

Ballet Royale has a wonderful and exciting opportunity for young dancers! On Saturday, November 25, we will be offering a specialty workshop for dancers to learn Nutcracker inspired dances. Le Petit Nut will bring out the Sugar Plum Fairy and Toy Soldier in every child!

Saturday, November 25, 2023
10:00am–12:00pm, with a mini-performance.
For dancers ages 4 through 9 years old.

Each registered student will receive a goodie bag at the end of the workshop.

The Artistry of Fluid Strength
November 29-February 11
A 10-week Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement Series with Sarah Baumert

Live stream classes will be taught over Zoom
Sundays, 4:00-5:00pm CT
Wednesdays, 6:30-7:30pm CT
No class December 24, 27, or 31.

Moshe Feldenkrais’ own personal experience of sustaining injuries on both knees led him to develop a strong interest in human movement and health, and what we can do to improve it. He defined health as the ability to recover from shock: “Health is measured, not by the capacity to stay standing, but by the ability to be knocked down and then return to standing.” This thought became central to building his method.

In the winter Feldenkrais Series, The Artistry of Fluid Strength, we will explore Feldenkrais’ unique definition of what it means to be strong and resilient; where concepts of physics and artistry will intersect during the experiments of our Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement research. Using the playground of our own bodies and the surfaces that support us, we will study themes of skeletal support, distribution of effort, and proportional tone. Oftentimes the outcome of lessons can be perplexing to students. It can seem paradoxical that a movement can become so much easier and smoother without trying harder. We will practice building the strength of our internal resources, so we can enjoy moving with both ease and confidence in most anything that we do.

A sampling of the lessons that will be taught in this series include:
Organizing Your Torso to Carry Your Head
Clocks Under Your Heels for Sitting, Standing, Balancing
Organizing Your Pelvis for Power and Quickness
Counterbalance and Ground Force When Lengthening Your Hamstrings
Understanding Ground Forces in Walking

Moving Towards Joy
Are you ready to step away from grief, trauma, and stress and take a restorative journey towards joy, healing, and connection? Join us for the Moving Towards Joy workshop, a powerful two-hour experience that combines movement, introspection, and journaling to guide you towards a more joyful and peaceful self. No prior dance experience needed. Come as you are, and let’s move towards joy together.

Saturday, December 2
10:00am-12:00pm

Thursday, December 14
6:30-8:30pm

Connect with Your Body: Explore the connection between stress, trauma, and the body. Identify physical areas where tension is held and gain insight into your emotional landscape through journaling.
Embrace Joyful Movements: Discover the healing power of movement with guided exercises inspired by Resma Menakem’s primal body movements. Create and share movement phrases that evoke joy, releasing trapped emotions.
Journal for Healing: Use the provided journal to process your journey towards a more joyful and peaceful place. Document your insights, reflections, and newfound clarity.

Purpose
Reconnect with their physical and mental selves.
Understand how trauma and grief can manifest within the body.
Learn empowering movements and practices to support healing and a more joyous life.
Utilize journaling as a means to process and journey towards a happier, more peaceful place.

Come as you are, and let’s move towards joy together.

Balanced Body® Reformer 1 Instructor Training

December 1-3, 2023
Friday, 4:00-8:00pm
Saturday, 11:30am-6:00pm
Sunday, 9:30am-4:30pm

This course introduces you to what Joseph Pilates called the Universal Reformer, which is the centerpiece of the Pilates equipment studio and an invaluable training tool. Reformer 1 teaches you how to safely utilize the Reformer and many of the beginning and intermediate Pilates Reformer exercises. Reformer 1 also reviews common modifications and variations necessary for teaching the client in front of you and gives you the “why” behind the “what,” empowering critical reasoning skills from the very start of your training.

Fee: $549 + $60 materials
Prerequisite: Movement Principles
Instructor: Matthew Hodge-Rice

Join CULTIVATE trainees and Anna Pinault for a dance class at TU Dance Center for intermediate/advanced dancers. Anna’s Contemporary Floorwork class focuses on moving in and out of the floor with fluidity and expressivity. After a warmup and floor-based drills across the space, you’ll learn choreography that incorporates highly physical contemporary movement with fluid and grounded floorwork movement in order to practice transitioning between the two. Knee pads are recommended.

Thursday, November 16
4:30-6:00pm
Cost: $16

This class is for intermediate/advanced dancers.
For more information and to register, click here.

Raised in Minnesota, Anna Pinault worked as a dance artist and educator in New York City for nearly a decade. In 2022, she landed back in the Twin Cities once again to pursue the next season of her creative work. Anna’s most recent work includes Ashwini Ramaswamy’s Invisible Cities, TU Dance Company’s The Three Women Project, and projects with Joe Chvala’s Flying Foot Forum, Rovaco Dance Company, and the Des Moines Metro Opera. Her work as an educator has included Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Neighborhood Playhouse, Daya Yoga Studio, the NYC Public School System, Zenon Dance School, Hothouse, and The School at TU Dance Center, among others. Anna also practices Thai Bodywork and is studying for her MS in Human Movement Science. Her passion for bodily education spills into both her teaching and artistic work. Her current choreographic creations explore the creation of imagery and architecture by transposing rhythm and other musical languages onto the body. Her powerful energy is unique in its ability to quickly morph from style to style, all while maintaining a supple articulation and water-like quality.

Join Threads Dance Project’s Karen Charles and acclaimed poet Chavonn Williams Shen for Moving Words, a 90-minute workshop that blends the magic of movement and poetry.

Experience a dynamic session starting with a simple movement warm-up, followed by an introductory poetry writing workshop, and concluding with participants crafting their own poetic dance creations. Guided to integrate their writing into a literary-inspired dance, participants will gain a newfound appreciation for the synergy between poetry and dance. No prior dance or poetry-writing experience is necessary.

Friday, November 18
1:00-2:30pm

About Karen
Karen (she/her) is the founder and artistic/executive director of Threads Dance Project and the visionary of the Moving Words workshop. Read more about Karen at ThreadsDance.org. 

About Chavonn
Chavonn Williams Shen (she/they) is a 2022 McKnight Writing fellow and was a first runner-up for The Los Angeles Review Flash Fiction Contest. She was also a Best of the Net Award finalist, a Pushcart Prize nominee, a winner of the Loft Literary Center’s Mentor Series and a fellow with the Givens Foundation for African American Literature. Learn more about Chavonn here. 

This workshop is offered in conjunction with Threads Dance Project’s fall season performances of Let America Be America, an exquisite, collaborative work that seamlessly integrates movement, spoken word, and original music. Be inspired by the artistry of Langston Hughes’ famous poem and discover the transformative power of words and dance.

The Cowles Center’s Critical Conversations: Fundamentals of Editing a Video Work Sample
Sunday, November 19
2:30-4:00pm
Cowles Center first floor Flex Space, off the main lobby

Join us for an informative experience as we guide you through the process of creating a work sample in real time. Whether you’re a budding dancer or a seasoned pro, this workshop is designed to help you enhance your skills and leave with basic fundamental tools, tips and tricks to apply to your own video projects.

Free and open to the public!
Snacks and transportation stipend provided.

Moderator: Colin Edwards, Programs Coordinator & McKnight Artist Fellowship Programs Assistant for Dance and for Choreographers