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Photo credits from top to bottom: Whitney browne, Billy Bustamante, bill Cameron

CREATING REVELATIONARY—AND REVOLUTIONARY—MOVEMENT

Dancer Kei Tsuruharatani (Broadway’s Jagged Little Pill) will be holding two movement workshops this May. The first is focused on body awareness and interpretation, with applications to all performing arts and general mindfulness, while the second is based more on ballet technique taught from a decolonized approach. Both are shaped by Kei’s collaborative, non-pedagogical teaching style that truly invites participants to open themselves up and learn from each other’s creativity and strengths.

Whether participants attend one or both workshops, they will come away with a deeper understanding of themselves and how they can be more connected with their bodies and their movements. Anyone 16 or older is welcome to attend, but the space will be centered on BIPOC and TGNC (transgender/non-conforming) experiences.

THE WORKSHOPS

CONSCIOUS MOVEMENT

May 23 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Threads Dance Nexus in Minneapolis
Capacity: 25 participants

This workshop is a movement exploration and mindfulness practice for both non-dancers and dancers. Activities include body mapping, improvisation, reflecting on perspective, and learning how to move with ease as you interpret and exude different experiences in your body. Kei will also be going over textures to support acting and singing, better allowing artists to connect with their bodies and understand how certain movements feel in relation to how they look.

The workshop will end with a discussion on participants’ experiences and additional questions that may come up during the process.

Participants should wear clothes they can move in. They can go barefoot, wear socks, or use soft-soled dance shoes.

DECOLONIZING BALLET

May 25 from 10 a.m.-noon
Threads Dance Nexus in Minneapolis
Capacity: 25 participants

Dancers will learn how to approach ballet from a decolonized perspective as they go through technique exercises and combinations with Kei. They will also focus on how to imbue their movements with creativity and artistry as opposed to executing them at a level of technical virtuosity. Like everything Kei does, approaches will have a focus on mindfulness and will explore how deconstructing movement and styles can bring new life to them.

The workshop will end with a discussion inviting participants to reflect on the class material, and on the experiences and difficulties often faced by oppressed groups in dance and theater spaces.

Participants should wear clothes they can move in, and they can go barefoot, wear socks, or use soft-soled dance shoes. This workshop is designed for movers at an intermediate to advanced level with previous knowledge of ballet vocabulary. Please email morgen@theatermu.org with any questions.

GENERAL INFORMATION

LOCATION

Threads Dance Nexus in Minneapolis (2213 Snelling Ave., Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55404)

The studio is accessible and will be unlocked 15 minutes prior to the workshops. For parking, participants are welcome to use the free front lot, and ample free street parking also surrounds the building.

PRICE

Each workshop is Pay As You Are within the range of $10 to $40.

COVID-19 POLICY

Participants must present either proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a lab-confirmed negative COVID-19 test result received within 72 hours. Masks, preferably KN95 or N95 masks, are recommended but not required.

CO-PRESENTERS

These workshops are co-presented by Theater Mu’s Mu Training Institute and Threads Dance Project at the Threads Dance Nexus in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

About Kei

KEI TSURUHARATANI (she/they) is a transgender artist and educator in New York. Their hometown is Osaka, Japan, where comedy and good food come from. Kei aspires to navigate her life from the moment she wakes up to the moment she falls asleep with awareness and care… on the subway and Broadway, and everywhere in between. Past performances include Jagged Little Pill (original Broadway cast), Miss Saigon (original Broadway revival cast), The King and I at Lincoln Center (original Broadway revival cast), and six years at the Metropolitan Opera. Kei finished their BA in dance and theater from SUNY Empire State College during the pandemic. They are also a qualified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher, trained at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University. | keitsuruharatani.com

About Threads

THREADS was founded in 2011 by Karen L. Charles with the mission to examine, expose, and celebrate the threads that connect us. Its performances touch on themes of human connectedness, promoting dialogue, understanding, and acceptance of all individuals, while the community engagement programs ensure that the art form is accessible to all. Summer movement offerings include Creative Connections for students ages 5-7 and 12-16 as well an Adv/Prof. Summer Intensive & Audition Workshop for dance artists ages 18 and up. Visit threadsdance.org/summer to learn how more about joining Threads’ culturally relevant, anatomically sound, and socially just movement classes–designed to amplify the human spirit and promote arts activism.

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