It's Been Awhile, but We've Been Busy: BLM Announces is 2017/18 MN Season!

Announcing BLM's

2017-2018 Season

BLM Opens Its Second Decade

The Ritz Theater!


	The Ritz has free parking and great restaurants within a one block radius!

After five wonderful seasons at the Goodale Theater @ The Cowles Center for Dance, BLM embarks on a new journey at the Ritz Theater in the heart of Nordeast Minneapolis for our 11th Minnesota season. Now owned and operated by Theater Latte Da, the Ritz presents BLM the opportunity to do a full two-week season with 8 shows and a student matinee in January 12 - 21, 2018!

We will celebrate our collaborations with numerous artistic partners including BLM company composer Greg Brosofske, BLM company photographer Bill Cameron, biomedical engineer David Odde, visual artist Lara Hansen, visual artist Anne Swan, choreographer Marciano Silva Dos Santos and composer ba musser.

Season repertoire includes:

Animal Velocity (premiere) - Developed from a work-in-progress created for the James Sewell Ballet's 2017 Balletworks series, this piece explores the idea of "team," an idea near and dear to the heart of BLM artistic director Carl Flink.

HIT (2011) - Nominated for a 2012 Sage Award, deploys the vocabulary of physical impact to exhilarating effect in this searing examination of human interactions on the edge of violence.

I am a rope, bringing this down . . . (premiere) - Inspired and driven by the delightful textile art of Anne Swan (deceased), this witty work represents a new subtly playful direction for BLM.

MERGE (2016) - Nominated for a 2016 Sage Award, Carl and Contemporary Physical Dance leader Marciano Silva Dos Santos created this wildly athletic tour de force for their combined companies in 2016.

Yet the season doesn't stop there! During the run, the walls of the Ritz Theater will become a gallery exhibiting the art of Anne Swan, Lara Hansen and Bill Cameron curated by University of Minnesota Performing Arts Librarian Deborah Boudewyns. All performances will be followed by talk-backs led by Carl and a guest collaborator.

Ticket Information
January 12 - 21, 2018

General Admission tickets are $20 each. BUT we are offering an early discount to our friends of BLM. From now until October 13th you can purchase a ticket to any show for HALF PRICE! That means your ticket will only be $10. Purchase your tickets today. Don't delay!

To redeem your half price ticket please enter BLMFriend into the discount code box on the website.

8 chances to see BLM perform!
Friday January 12 @ 7:30pm
Saturday January 13 @ 7:30pm
Wednesday January 17 @ 7:30pm - Pay What You Wish night
Thursday January 18 @ 7:30pm
Friday January 19 @ 7:30pm
Saturday January 20 @ 2pm and 7:30pm
Sunday January 21 @ 4pm

Buy Tickets

Events to Know About

FLORIDA YOUNG DANCERS WORKSHOP

Carl and BLM will be in residence for one week in Gainesville, FL at the University of Florida and Santa Fe College later this month. The residency is for Florida Dance Association's Young Dancers Workshop and consists of master classes to the university students, the community and one hundred of middle and high school students from all over Florida. The company will perform on Thursday October 26 at 7:30pm. Get tickets HERE!

BLM named- the Inaugural Dance Company-in-Residence at the Performing Institute of Minnesota in Eden Prairie, MN

Formerly Main Street for the Performing Arts, The Performing Institute of Minnesota (PIM) opened the new doors of its arts high school and performance center in Eden Prairie, MN in August 2017. One of its first steps was to invite BLM in as its first ever dance company-in-residence! BLM will conduct numerous activities at PIM through next summer, including a spring performance and bodystorming workshops for the entire student body.

CANDY BOX 2018
Mathew Janczewski's Arena Dances invited BLM to participate in its second annual CANDY BOX at the Southern Theater, Mpls, MN May 4 - 12, 2018. BLM's seven performances will feature audience favorites from the past like This Bleeding Heart . . . and HIT!

The Moving Cell Project Year Nine
Its hard to believe but BLM's pioneering collaboration with biomedical engineer David Odde will enter its ninth year in 2018. The project is now funded in part by the National Cancer Institute and continues to offer bodystorming workshops in various venues from high schools to the MN State Fair. We continue to explore new ways for scientists and artists to conduct substantive research together.

Introducing the 2017/2018 Company

Jessica "JessE" Teska

Teska was raised in Missouri where she first cultivated a love for movement as a competitive gymnast. She earned her BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota, and has been working with Black Label Movement (BLM) since 2010.

Cheng Xiong

Xiong grew up on the East side of St. Paul, Minnesota and started off as a street dancer. He received a BA in Dance at the University of Minnesota in 2014. He is currently working with Black Label Movement, Strong Movement and BRKFST Dance Company. Xiong has been with BLM since 2013.

Darrius Strong

Artistic Director of his own Strong Movement, Strong is a Twin Cities based choreographer, dancer and educator whose creative work has been chosen for events across the cities. He is now faculty at three locations where he focuses on teaching young dancers

how to connect their identity to

movement. Strong has been with BLM

since 2016.

Mirabai Miller

Miller was born and raised in Silverton, Oregon. In 2010, she moved to Minneapolis to obtain a BFA at the University of Minnesota's Dance Program. In 2015 she guested with Black Label Movement and is excited to join their performance season again this year.

Berit Ahlgren

Ahlgren seeks out risk-taking collaborators, and sunshine on her face. She completed her M.F.A. in Dance from NYU/Tisch School of the Arts in May 2016, and continues to invest herself in dance that resonates with artistic and

curious audiences alike. This is her first

season with BLM.

Georgia Sylvester

Sylvester was raised in North Port, Florida. She graduated with a BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota in 2017. She joined BLM immediately after graduating.

Joey "JT" Weaver

From Eagan, MN - Weaver holds a BFA in dance from the University of Minnesota. He's currently a member of Black Label Movement & Daara Dance Company. He explores his contemporary/urban aesthetic by choreographing and

exploring other mediums of art.

Alexandra Bodnarchuk

Bodnarchuk hails from Pittsburgh, PA where she worked with STAYCEE PEARL dance project, Attack Theatre, and Mark Conway Thompson. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Ohio University. She is thrilled to move with BLM for her first season!

Deanna Gooding

Gooding studied at San Francisco Conservatory of Dance under the direction of Summer Lee Rhatigan. In the Twin Cities, she has worked with Joanna Kotze, Myron Johnson, Sharon Eyal, James Sewell and more. Deanna loves to

paint and choreograph. This is her first

season with BLM.

Gabriel Mata

Mata is an independent choreographer, educator, and performer. He graduated from San José State University with a B.F.A. in Dance. Gabriel Mata/Movements is his solo based project. He performs for several artists and Zenon Dance Company. This is his first season with BLM.

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