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

Master Classes at CANDY BOX Dance Festival

CANDY BOX Dance Festival Master Classes:
Wednesday, April 23, 4:00-5:15pm – Joe Chvala of Flying Foot Forum
Thursday, April 24, 4:00-5:15pm – Cheng “Technica” Xiong
Friday, April 25, 4:00-5:15pm – Connor Berkompas of NERVOUS THEATRE

Price: $10-$25

Environmental Attunement: Writing/Dancing Workshop with Margaret Ogas

Join us at the Como Conservatory for a workshop with Marggie Ogas. We will spend time attuning with the environment (plants, sounds, smells, etc.) indoors and outside, if weather allows. Bring a notebook and a writing utensil. We will practice solitary and group attunement, meditation, and improvisation.

Wednesday, April 23 from 4:00-6:00pm

Margaret Ogas is a choreographer and performer based in the Twin Cities. Working at the confluence of dance, storytelling, and experimental performance, her works tell surreal narratives through a collage of movement, text, sound, and object.

Ogas is a 2023-2025 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow and was a 2021 Naked Stages Fellow at Pillsbury House + Theatre. Her work has been presented by the Walker Art Center, Red Eye Theater, Candy Box Dance Festival, Minnesota International Dance Festival, Center for Performing Arts, Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio, and others. She has been a core collaborator with the Taja Will Ensemble since 2018.

Presented by the Taja Will Ensemble

Prima Classical Coaching’s Spring Master Class

Elevate your technique and artistry with an exclusive Prima Master Class led by Jacqueline McDaniel, founder and director of Prima Classical Coaching. With a distinguished career in ballet training and mentorship, Jacqueline brings her expertise to this immersive class designed to refine your precision, strength, and expression.

This master class offers a unique opportunity to learn from one of the industry’s leading coaches, gaining personalized insights to take your dancing to the next level. Don’t miss this chance to train with Prima Classical Coaching’s visionary leader and experience the difference of elite coaching.

Sunday, April 27
2:00-4:00pm
Price: $20

A Movement/Rest Gathering with Marisol Herling

A movement practice, a gathering, a rest. You are invited to come into the space and meet yourself where you’re at. Mari will offer suggestions that will move through grounded space as well as explosive movement. This will be a time to rest, or to play, in whatever ways feel good for you.

Sunday, April 27 from 2:00-4:00pm

Marisol Herling is a queer, Latine artist and chef based in the Twin Cities. Marisol began dancing with TWE in 2018 after relocating from Nebraska. She has since collaborated with other MN artists and created her own work as part of the 2018 MN Fringe Festival and as a 2022 Naked Stages Fellow. Marisol is also the co-producer of a multidisciplinary show with her spouse, aimed at highlighting local and national BIPOC artists, called The LIFT. Alongside her performance work as a dance and burlesque artist, Marisol is a chef; prioritizing accessibility and sustainability in food.

Presented by the Taja Will Ensemble

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

Pilates Teacher Training at Paragon Pilates and Physical Therapy

Balanced Body® Pilates Chair and Barrels Instructor Training is a weekend module that 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 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: $649 + $120 materials
Prerequisites: Mat 1 and Reformer 1
Instructor: Matthew Hodge-Rice

MotionArt First Friday Improv Gathering

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.

Musician Dave Stagner will enhance our in-the-moment creations with his incredible guitar playing. A fun and relaxing evening for all!

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

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

Northern Light Studio: Free Open House

Escape to the woods and discover a community built on creativity, nature, and wellness at the Northern Light Studio. We’re more than just a studio; we’re a sanctuary where heart-centered creatives and unique souls come together to relax, create, and grow.

Saturday, May 17 from 12:00-4:00pm
It’s all free, but registration is required! Please register at www.northernlightstudiomn.com.

What’s Happening?

  • Free dance and yoga classes
  • Artistic expression stations
  • A rejuvenating sauna experience
  • Live music
  • Refreshments and good company
Come as you are and enjoy a day of fun, creativity, and connection. We can’t wait to welcome you to this special space!

Keane Tap Workshops

Saturday, May 24 Tap Workshops
Intermediate with Acia Gray: 10:00-11:15am
Intermediate with Aleksandr Ostanin: 11:30am-12:45pm
Advanced with Aleksandr Ostanin: 1:00-12:15pm
Advanced with Acia Gray: 2:30-3:45pm
Tap Talk – learn the history of this beautiful art form: 4:00pm, $10 fee.

Sunday, May 25 Tap Workshop
Intermediate with Jensen Freedman: 12:00-1:15pm

Summer Kathak Classes with Katha Dance Theatre

Katha Dance Theatre: Summer Session
June 1 – July 29
In-person or virtual Kathak classes

New students will be introduced to this dynamic storytelling dance tradition in a supportive and welcoming environment. Returning students will spend the first half of each class refining technique and the second half learning a complete dance sequence that can be performed at Diwali celebrations.

This summer, we are so excited to announce a new class format: Parent & Me, a parent-child recreational dance class for children ages 3-5. The Parent & Me class will allow preschool-age kids and their caregivers to explore how to tell stories creatively and in a fun way through games, basic Indian dance movements, hand gestures, music and rhythm.

Children ages 6+ and teen/adult dancers will discover the fundamentals of Kathak dance in a welcoming and supportive environment. This eight-week series introduces key techniques such as basic movements, footwork, spins and storytelling techniques helping students build confidence, coordination and creative expression. The session will culminate with an informal in-studio showing for students’ family. All new beginner classes will be taught by KDT instructor and Company member Shilpi Chatterjee.

These classes will be led by KDT Artistic Director and master teacher Rita Mustaphi. They’ll serve as a one-of-a-kind opportunity for beginners through advanced students to refine their skills, push themselves, and have fun in an eight-week session led by one of this world’s finest Kathak gurus.

Enroll now on our website.
Enrollment Deadline: June 5