Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Karla Grotting - Season 4, Episode 51

Karla Grotting is a dancer, choreographer, educator and
producer working with a unique blend of jazz, tap, modern,
theater, and percussive dance techniques. Since 1990, she has
been a founding member, principal dancer, and artistic associate
with Joe Chvala's The Flying Foot Forum. Karla has performed and
toured with Jazzdance: by Danny Buraczeski, MN Jazz Dance
Co,  Keane Sense of Rhythm, and dance/theater
companies;Off-Leash Area, and Combustible Company. 


For 22 years, Karla was on  faculty with the University of
Minnesota Department of Theater and Dance, and has been a
visiting guest teaching/choreography artist at St Olaf College,
Carleton College, Gustavus Adolphus College, UW-Whitewater,
Macalester College, as well as creating dance works for several
local and regional dance companies. Her teaching philosophy
emphasizes the history of jazz music, jazz dance, social dance
forms, tap dance, and improvisation; exploring the connections of
these histories and their relationship to concert jazz dance.


In 2015, in collaboration with Karis Sloss Harris and her
Eclectic Edge Ensemble, Karla co-produced the project Lost Voices
in Jazz: The Choreographers of the Minnesota Jazz Dance Company,
which reconstructed works by local jazz artists lost to AIDS.
Lost Voices was recognized with a Sage Award for Outstanding
Performance in 2015, and Karla was named as one of City Pages’
Artists of the Year, the same year.