The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts

a CILC Content Provider

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The Cowles Center is a dance and performing arts hub that promotes movement and growth through supportive space to create and collaborate, engages audiences through dynamic performances, and educates artists of all ages through robust and inclusive education and community engagement programming.

We program an exciting season annually, representing more than 20 local artists and companies that showcase the depth and breadth of the Twin Cities' professional dance scene. 

We partner with artists and companies in our season by providing free marketing and production support, letting the artists focus on their performances. 

We educate through robust, high-quality arts learning programs serving students of all ages, statewide, via residencies, workshops, and student matinees. 

We support the growth and life-cycle of dancers and companies through our below-market-rate offices, studios and stages; and through community engagement programs, McKnight Fellowships, and our MERGES co-production program. 

2022-2023

2021-2022

2020-2021

2015-2016

2012-2013

Honorable Mention

2011-2012

Honorable Mention

2010-2011

 

Programs by The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts

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American Social Dance

Explore different styles of American social dance, from minuet and waltz to clogging and tap to jazz and soul to funk and hip-hop styles, through this engaging and fun offering. Students will learn the basic steps of dances from several eras in...

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Black Dance Evolution

This unit can happen as a singular session or a more in-depth 3-part series. In addition to fun facts shared during the session(s) about each dance form, Black Dance Evolution comes with a bonus reference list by the Teaching Artist. This is a...

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Creative Movement

In this fun and engaging class, students will use the BASTE dance elements (Body, Action, Space, Time and Energy) to creatively problem-solve physical tasks and use their bodies in motion as a tool of meaningful self-expression. 

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Flamenco

Embark on a journey through the culture, dance, and music of Spain. Students will have the opportunity to learn basic Flamenco steps, find common rhythm, and build on it with percussive footwork and hand clapping sequences to a total body...

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Hip Hop: Fundamentals of Breaking

Get ready to move in this energetic and engaging class on one of the most popular American dance forms. Through spinning on the grounds, kicking in the air, and top rocking the dance floor your class will discover what real Breaking is all about.

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Israeli Dance

Circle and line dances promoting togetherness and community. Dances range from beginner to advanced and incorporate footwork, rhythm, and musicality. Students will dive into Israeli culture and history in this exciting and joyful workshop.

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Jazz Dance: The History, Music and Movement

Through exploring simple, grooving rhythmic movements and using them to interact with one another and improvise, students get to experience the relationship between jazz dance, music, and history. Learn how jazz was born from a combination of...

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Latin Social Dances: Merengue, Bachata, Cumbia, Mambo, Salsa

Trace the roots of Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Cumbia, and Mambo back to their origin and discover where and how they are danced today. For students studying the Spanish language, our bilingual Teaching Artists will be happy to teach in Spanish to...

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MovementWise

An invigorating, community-oriented dance class for adults 50+ who love a healthy, active lifestyle. MovementWise participants explore a wide variety of dance forms, from social dance and modern to ballet and percussive dance. Whether you’re a...

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Musical Theater Dance: 1950's - Today

This exciting class will teach short combinations to music from Tony Award winning musicals and will take participants through a tour of Musical Theater dance history from the Golden Age of Musicals to today. The dance combinations will be...

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Percussive Dance: Unlocking the Human Instrument

This class combines drumming and dance for beginning and advanced movers alike. We will go through the basic steps of physicalizing the beat as an individual and then build a soundscape as a class. This class is high energy, fun, and a great...

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Poetry & Motion

During this learning experience, students will explore how movement can be used to interpret poems they have read and discussed. Poem selections can be of the requester’s choosing or by Teaching Artist’s suggestion. This unit can be implemented as...

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Voguing

We will explore elements of New Way, Old Way, Runway and Vogue Fem performance – with an emphasis on understanding cultural and historical roots in the ballroom scene, evolution of the form, and the significance of community-based movement practices.

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More About This Provider

Type of Organization

Performing Arts

Contact

Tameka Davidson   education@thecowlescenter.org
528 Hennepin Ave S
Minneapolis MN 55403
612-512-5918
United States

http://www.thecowlescenter.org

Primary Disciplines

The programs of The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts cover:

Career Education
Culture
Fine Arts
Foreign/World Languages
Health/Physical Education
International
Language Arts/English
Literacy
Mathematics
Performing Arts
Problem Based Learning
Problem Solving
Social Studies/History
Dance

Awards, Quotes, Testimonials

Minnesota PTA Board of Directors
"The Minnesota PTA, as well as the National PTA, is very impressed with this terrific outreach arts program. It offers an added element to the art programs of all schools in the state. And the fact that it is free to schools in Minnesota makes it a possibility for any school."

Hopkins High School of the Swing Session
“Thank you SO much! It was a highlight of my year!”

Rahn Elementary on the City Children’s Nutcracker sessions:
“It was great to see how technology can make things like this happen for students.”
“Our arts budgets are never enough and many of our students don’t have the money to take dance classes on their own.” (commenting on interest in future sessions)

Brooklyn Junior High of the Hip Hop Sessions
“I loved seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter of the students as they were participating. This experience allowed some students to express themselves in front of their peers in a new way.”

Morris Area High School of The Cowles Center Residency
“It was a real neat experience and we would love to be a part of it again. I know my students have a greater appreciation for both hip hop and swing. They realized the dances are a lot more difficult than they appear. I also have a greater appreciation for them too – I was exhausted and sore after!”

STUDENT COMMENTS

Main Street School on the Ballet Session:
“We did the same thing in modern dance and it gets better every time. I thought the abstract modern excerpt was beautiful. I love the choreography, it's creative and very abstract and entertaining.”
“I thought that the video conference was fun and it was really entertaining and made a fun way to spend a ballet class.”
“It was fun and different from a regular class which I liked”

Little Falls High School on the Swing Session:
“It was fun and he wasn’t pushy about going fast. It gave us time to learn it. It was a new experience.”
“It was a great experience and thank you for having us and taking your time to teach us!”

Brooklyn Junior High on the Hip Hop Sessions:
“I like it, we should do this once a year, every year.”
“It was fun and no one laughed at each other because we were all learning. It was great exercise…you would sweat!”
“I liked learning about the four elements of hip hop. It was fun!!!”

"Morris Area High School on The Cowles Center Residency"
“She made sure we all understood, was very positive and prepared us all more for contest.” (of the vocal technique session)
“I really liked their positive attitudes and the type of dances we learned.” (of the hip hop and swing dancing sessions)
“The swing session had some cool moves that I could use at a wedding or something and impress everyone.” (of the swing dancing session)
“I really liked learning the history of the dance.” (of the hip hop session)