Artistic Director
Gretchen Pick
Young Dance is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Contributions help provide financial aid, fund outreach programs and increase school and community access to performances.
MAILING ADDRESS
Young Dance
3321 15th Ave So.
Minneapolis MN
55407
612-423-3064
email us
To learn more about Young Dance call, 612-423-3064, or email us.
About The Company
Auditions for the company will be held at the following times/locations:
Tuesday, May 27, 5-6 PM at the Center for Performing Arts
3754 Pleasant Ave South, Minneapolis
Monday, June 2, 4-5 PM at Whittier International School, 315 West 26th Street, Minneapolis. Multi-purpose room.
Tuesday, June 3, 2:30 - 3:45 PM at Bancroft Community School, 1315 East 38th Street, Minneapolis. Old Gym.
Wednesday, June 4, 4-5:15 PM at Ramsey International Fine Arts Center, 1 West 49th Street, Minneapolis. Dance Studio.
For more information, please call (612) 423-3064.
What to expect at auditions
Come prepared to move and have fun! All you need is your bare feet and comfortable clothes. If you've never danced before, don't worry. Auditions are very relaxed (like taking a dance class) and are structured for students of all ages and abilities. Even if you don't have a dance background, we encourage you to come learn about Young Dance. Some of our dancers start young, but others join us as middle or high schoolers.
We'll provide information about schedules, classes, rehearsals, tuition and financial aid. And answer all your questions... Financial aid is available.
About The Company
The Company is made up of 25 to 30 young artists, ages 7 to 18. We rarely turn away anyone due to lack of training. Our unique approach to dance is designed to help young artists develop physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Young Dance teaches modern dance technique, but more importantly, we teach our dancers how to be thinking artists. Many dancers join our artistic family in the 2nd or 3rd grade, and stay through high school. Some go on to dance in college and beyond.
The Young Dance Experience
Young Dance, founded in 1987, is currently composed of 30 boys and girls, aged seven to eighteen. Company members come from throughout the Twin Cities: south, southwest, southeast and north Minneapolis, St. Paul, and several western suburbs.
Young people who are interested in joining the Company are asked to attend an audition so the Artistic Director can assess their level of interest. Auditions also give families an opportunity to learn about the Company, to see if our mission aligns with the needs of their children. In order to provide a rich artistic and creative experience, Company members are expected to attend classes and rehearsals for a full year.
Dancers meet twice a week for a total of four hours. During the school week, they meet in age-specific groups, so the faculty can fully focus on developing specific technical and choreographic skills, at an appropriate level. On Saturdays, when the entire company comes together, unique relationships are formed across the age groups. Dancers learn to recognize the qualities of expression that others bring to their artistic work. Layers of mentoring take place as the entire company works together.
Tuition for Level I students (grades 2 to 4) is $570.
Tuition for Middles and High School students (grades 5 and up) is $880.
Financial aid is available. Students will not be refused because of inability to pay. Young Dance does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, or handicap.
Artistic Expression Through Dance
Young Dance is a unique arts organization that not only trains young dancers in a wide variety of dance forms, including modern, jazz, ballet, and improvisation, but also places equal value on developing the choreographic voice of each individual company member.
Young Dancers join the company because they are interested in creative expression and in letting their unique voice be heard. They love to be challenged physically and are excited when they are introduced to new possibilities of movement.
Throughout the year, members of The Company work to prepare for our Spring Dance Concert in May. (View the Photo gallery of our Spring 2007 concert here.)
Integrating Dance and the Arts
In past years, our artistic directors have opened up the young dancer’s perspectives through season-long workshops in other art forms such as improvisational theater, puppetry, creative writing and visual arts. As a result, Young Dance develops dancers who are thinking artists.
In 2001, in collaboration with Andrew Kim of the Heart of the Beast Theater, dancers created masks that were used as the basis for character development in an original dance performance. In 2002, the dancers studied with writer Sheila O’Connor, creating poetry, short essays and memoirs which inspired the dances they choreographed. This year's project, Sounds and Silences, focuses on strengthening the connection between dance and music.
The dancers have focused on youth concerns: thoughtful dance responses to September 11 and Hurricane Katrina, a tribute to Tyesha Edwards, playful interpretations of the Star Tribune’s Mindworks questions, and early experiments in jazz and blues music.
Community Presence, Involvement and Outreach
In the past two years, in addition to our annual spring performance, Young Dance has performed at the Dances at the Lakes Festival in Minneapolis and Prior Lake, Como Park, the Minnesota State Fair, the May Day Festival, and several Minneapolis Park and Recreation Centers – bringing dance to diverse audiences and venues.
The artistic director spearheads the planning process, but our projects are truly a group effort. Young Dance parents donate many hours of time and energy — helping with fundraising, programming, publicity, and production. Our network of volunteers helps build strong connections between families associated with the organization. Many parents stay involved long after their children are no longer dancing with the company.
Board of Directors
The board continually examines how Young Dance aligns with our stated mission: to provide young people the opportunity for artistic expression, for achievement of high quality performance, and for appreciation of diversity. They guide the company to ensure continued stability. Policymaking is a collaborative process in which the board involves the artistic director, the dancers, their parents and families, and the community at large.
Share Young Dance with a friend.
If you know someone – a teacher, student, friend – who would might be interested in dancing with us, or learning about our organization, please invite them to visit our site.
Or contact us – 612-423-3064 – and we will be happy to add them to our mailing list.