STUDIO STORIES: REMINISCING ON TWIN CITIES DANCE HISTORY

Jennifer Glaws is an artist who makes body-based work, who believes in elevating a deep-rooted felt experience for the audience, performer, and participant with the presentation of her work. She probes the physical psychology of SPACE and EFFORT, scrutinizing these elemental contemporary dance themes to recognize human and humane connection, time, push the proscenium, and inspire inquiry. Jennifer works as a choreographer, contemporary performance artist, educator, producer, and curator, serving as Artistic/Executive Director for Jagged Moves, Curator for RADFest Kalamazoo, MI, and Assistant Professor of Dance at Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction. She specializes in the creation of multi-disciplinary danceworks and cross-disciplinary collaboration, and has been recognized nationally with commissions, residencies, and invitations for her work by Red Eye Theater (MN), Southern Theater (MN), Gustavus Adolphus College (MN), Hamline University (MN), DanceBARN (MN), Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival, Peck School of the Arts - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association, Sans Limites Dance (NY), RADfest (MI), Cohesion Dance Project (MT), The Generating Room: Cowles Center (MN).

Nancy J. Duncan has had an eclectic career spanning over 50 years of experience in the performing arts as a dancer, educator, producing director, manager, and arts management consultant. Nancy’s dance training started under Nevorah Adams in South Dakota and it was through Nevorah’s hosting of a summer dance residency taught by Loyce Houlton and two of her dancers, Frances Machala and David Voss, that her passion for dancing fully ignited. Under the tutelage of Houlton and her beautiful, diversely skilled dancers and many guest artists at the Contemporary Dance Playhouse in Minneapolis, later renamed Minnesota Dance Theater, Nancy developed her skills as a dance teacher and performer. Upon moving to New York City in 1981, Nancy began forming her own artistic vision and mission greatly inspired by Loyce Houlton’s vision. Working in partnership with composer Scott Killian and dancer Jackie Goodrich, and in consultation with Lawrence Rhodes, esteemed dancer, teacher and Chair of the New York University Tisch School for the Arts Dance department, Nancy conceived and founded CoDanceCo (collaborative dance company). Nancy and her team established CoDanceCo as a production company devoted to nurturing the creative development of dance artists and providing audience access to outstanding dance artistry that reflected the creativity and eclecticism of contemporary dance. CoDanceCo was designed as a highly flexible organizational model that could adapt to the ever-changing world of dance creators, performers, collaborators, educators, presenters, and audiences. From 1982-1991 Duncan commissioned and presented works created by 28 choreographers, 14 composers, and 50 dancers. Choreographers commissioned over the years include Eiko & Koma, Ralph Lemon, Susan Marshall, Bebe Miller, Mark Morris, Charles Moulton, Ohad Naharin, Doug Varone, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane, among others. Duncan’s work through CoDanceCo garnered Duncan a 1991 New York Dance and Performance Award Citation (aka Bessie). Highlights from 1991-2003 include serving as the artistic director for London Contemporary Dance Theatre; producer of a four-week British dance festival in New York City, project management for Arts International, and Community Outreach Programs Director for Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project production PastForward, touring both nationally and internationally. From 1996-2003, under the umbrella of CoDanceCo, Duncan managed to keep producing projects to support dance artists and their audiences through her membership in the New York State DanceForce. The projects were accomplished in partnership with NY state artists, presenters, and educators. In 2003 Duncan relocated to Long Island and established a new home base for her work through CoDanceCo. During this time Duncan also served as a member of the Suffolk County Citizens Arts Advisory Board, became a founding member of the Patchogue Arts Council, served on the Board of the Patchogue Theater, among other opportunities. In 2006, Duncan was introduced to Pierre Dulaine’s arts-in-education, social-emotional in-school residency program titled “Dancing Classrooms.” Working in partnership with Dulaine, Duncan secured a two-year grant from the Dana Foundation to have CoDanceCo become the licensed national network affiliate site on Long Island. Pierre and his staff trained Duncan and a team of teaching artists in the Dancing Classrooms syllabus and the company launched its first in-school residencies in the winter of 2008. Since the founding of Dancing Classrooms on Long Island, CoDanceCo’s teaching artists have touched the lives of over 30,000 youth, adults, educators and families with the transformative power of Dancing Classrooms. For youth and adults alike, the program creates meaningful social connections, inspires respect for diversity, and instills self-confidence all through the joy of social dance.

Susan Delattre was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She graduated from Barnard College and earned an MFA in Dance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She continued in the academic world teaching in the University of Minnesota’s Dance Program. As a member of the Minnesota Independent Choreographer’s Alliance, she choreographed and produced dance pieces, including a solo evening and collaborations with other performers. Through the MN State Arts Board, Susan traveled throughout the state doing Artist in the Schools residencies. With Heck and Delattre: Story Dance Theater, she performed in school assemblies. She also performed with At the Foot of the Mountain women’s theater and the Women’s Performance Project. She co-authored two fables, The Woman Who Lost Her Heart and The Woman Who Found Her Voice. She has also self-published a collection of her poetry, Such Days as This. Susan currently lives in Minneapolis, working with hope for the healing of our planet from climate change.

Justin Leaf is a Minneapolis-based ballet teacher, choreographer, and performance artist whose multifaceted career spans over two decades. A graduate of The Juilliard School with a BFA in Dance Performance, Justin’s training also includes The Kirov Academy, School of American Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. As a dancer, Justin was a company member with James Sewell Ballet and Minnesota Dance Theatre, and has also performed works by Ernesta Corvino, John Kelly, Morgan Thorson, George Stamos, and others through independent engagements. Critics have described them as “a fascinating and beguiling dancer—so lanky, loose, and idiosyncratic that [their] fine-tuned ballet chops take you by surprise” (Deborah Jowitt, The Village Voice). In their extensive teaching career, Justin has worked with various schools and companies, including Ballet Hispánico, James Sewell Ballet, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Ballet Co.Laboratory, and Minnesota Ballet. Their teaching is influenced by their professional experiences and mentorship under master teachers Andra and Ernesta Corvino. As a choreographer, Justin has created works presented by organizations such as Minnesota Dance Theatre, James Sewell Ballet, and Minnesota Orchestra. Their performance work currently encompasses dance, theater, and vocal artistry. Since 2006, they have frequently performed as Mistress Ginger, a glittering cabaret persona. As Ginger, they authored Mistress Ginger Cooks!: Everyday Vegan Food for Everyone (2014). Justin is honored to have received awards such as the Zaraspe Prize for Outstanding Choreography, a Minnesota SAGE Award for Best Performance, a McKnight Fellowship for Dancers, and a Next Step Fund Grant.