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

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 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

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

Minnesota Dance Theatre: Young Children’s Division Summer Camps

Minnesota Dance Theatre invites young children, ages 4-7, to fun-filled, week-long camps. Young dancers will discover the joy of movement, music, and imagination. Students will enhance their coordination, develop fundamental dance skills, and challenge their brains in learning basic choreography!

Daily ballet and jazz classes, themed arts and crafts, stretching and conditioning, story time and dance media, and more!  An end-of-week showing for parents and families gives dancers a performance opportunity to share all they have learned throughout the week!

Students can sign up for one or both weeks, half-day or full-day options. Class sizes will be limited, with two instructors.

Week 1: Monday-Friday, June 9-13
Week 2: Monday-Friday, June 16-20
Half-day: 9:30am-12:00pm
Full-day: 9:30am-3:00pm
At the Center for Performing Arts

Registration is open until Thursday, May 15.

Minnesota Dance Theatre: Performing Arts Division Summer Programs

Minnesota Dance Theater’s Performing Arts Division (PAD) summer programs are designed to expand upon MDT&S’s classical ballet-based curriculum, seamlessly integrating contemporary dance styles, innovative choreography, and classical repertoire. All classes are led by the esteemed MDT faculty and exciting guest teachers, with live piano accompaniment enriching most classes.

All classes are aimed for dancers who have mastered the fundamentals of ballet technique. Classes will include: ballet technique, pre-pointe, pointe, men’s repertoire, choreography, contemporary technique, jazz, character, conditioning/strength and more.

Classes are taught by esteemed MDT staff, and internationally recognized choreographer, Gemma Bond (ABT and The Royal Ballet), and Katie Deuitch (Ballet Austin), among others. Stay tuned for updates!

Session Dates: 
June 9-13, 9:30am-4:00pm 
June 16-20, 9:30am-4:00pm
June 23-27, 9:30am-4:00pm 

PAD summer program classes are divided into three levels: Level 1 for ages 8-10, Level 2 for ages 10-13 and Level 3 for ages 13-18. Level placement will be determined by age and experience level and is at the discretion of MDT&S staff. Please enroll based on age, and email school@mndance for any questions.

Registration is open until Thursday, May 15.

For more information visit Minnesota Dance Theatre: Performing Arts Division Summer Program.

Threads Dance Project Youth Summer Camps

Discover dance this summer at Threads Dance Nexus!

Creative Connections for ages 4-6: June 16-20 and June 23-27, 9:00-10:15am
$125 for one week or $230 for both weeks. Need-based scholarships are available.

Young movers will explore a variety of dance styles and how dance intersects with music, numbers, art, theater, and more. They will learn the importance of healthy bodies and minds, discuss basic nutrition, and how emotions can be defined, demonstrated, and calmed using movement. This journey of creativity and self-expression will be shared in a casual showing for family and friends at the end of each week.

NexGen/YDP (Youth Dance Project) for ages 8-12: July 7-11 and July 14-18, 9:00am-12:00pm
$279 for one week or $499 for both weeks. Need-based scholarships are available.

NexGen/YDP PLUS for ages 8-12 with 2+ years dance experience: July 7-11 and July 14-18, 9:00am-1:00pm
$329 for one week or $579 for both weeks. Need-based scholarships are available.

Embark on a fun and holistic dance experience for your child in this comprehensive approach to summer dance learning. Dancers will grow in confidence, strength, and self-expression as they study ballet and modern techniques. They will learn self-care for their bodies and minds through nutrition and embodied movement exploration. Journals will be provided as a tool for self-reflection and discovery. Students will share what they’ve learned in a casual showing at the end of each week.

No prior dance experience is required. A limited number of partial and full scholarships are available – visit our website for more information.

Threads Dance Project Advanced Professional Summer Intensive

The Threads Dance Project Advanced/Professional Summer Intensive is an intensive workshop that explores advanced dance techniques to enhance both performance and choreography for professional and pre-professional dancers.

Participants can choose one or both tracks and are encouraged to register for both tracks for a full immersive experience.

Performer’s Track: June 23-27 from 10:30am-2:45pm
Strengthen technical mastery and performance skills in Contemporary-Modern, African Dance, Ballet, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and more.

Choreographer’s Track: June 23-27 from 1:30-5:30pm
Focus on creation with classes in Repertoire, Composition, and Improvisation, plus studies in Grant Writing, Show Production, and more.

Final Showing: Friday, June 27 from 5:30-6:00pm
Tuition: $260 per track or $449 for both tracks

For more details and registration, click here.