The Cowles Center Announces 2023/24 Season

A stellar 11-production season of shared performances, new work commissions, mainstage debuts, co-productions, world premieres, and a returning holiday tradition

The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts, Minnesota’s hub for dance, today announced a full season of evening-length productions from Rhythm Street Movement, Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre, Crash Dance Productions, Arena Dances, Taja Will, James Sewell Ballet, BRKFST Dance Company, and Ragamala Dance Company; as well as the return of the Fall Forward Festival showcasing dance by Afoutayi, Concerto Dance, Kaleena Miller Dance, Mexico Azteca, STRONGmovement, Yuki Tokuda, Katha Dance Theatre, Sapiro & Smith Dance, and Alternative Motion Project.

Co-Director Joseph Bingham remarked, “What’s so special about this season particularly is that it showcases the progression of those who engage with the Cowles Center. We have a Generating Room artist making their Cowles debut, a 2021 MERGE artist now sharing the stage for the Fall Forward Festival, two artists from last year’s Fall Forward Festival presenting full-scaled productions, reimagined pieces featured at other venues, and of course a returning holiday tradition.”

Mexico Azteca

Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre

Co-Director Jessi Fett added, “Presenting stellar dance productions is at the forefront of our work, but so is professional and artistic development, and this season perfectly represents that momentum-building. We’re proud of the stepping stones we’ve built into our programming and will continue to be supportive players in accelerating the careers of artists throughout the state.”

The season begins with the second annual Fall Forward Festival, a three-week festival of shared evening performances that uplifts the incredibly robust dance community and will connect a variety of artists with each other and new audiences. Week 1 (October 21 & 22, 2023) will be comprised of pieces from Afoutayi, Concerto Dance, and Kaleena Miller Dance. Week 2 (October 28 & 29, 2023) includes pieces from Mexico Azteca, STRONGmovement, and Yuki Tokuda. Week 3 (November 4 & 5, 2023) will showcase Katha Dance Theatre, Shapiro & Smith Dance, and Alternative Motion Project.

Then, back for the holiday season is Rhythm Street Movement’s Who Brought the Humbug? from December 14 - 17, 2023. What has quickly become a holiday favorite, the fun, funky, hilarious show pairs live music with amazing tap dance for a unique mix of comedy, drama, and mystery that’s sure to be a memorable evening for the whole family.

Into the new year, The Cowles Center welcomes Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre back to the Goodale Stage for a full-length production of Conference of the Birds on February 10 & 11, 2024. Inspired by the 12th c. Persian/Sufi poem of the same name, this performance unites Flamenco and Hip Hop, two genres that emerged “on the street” as expressions of resilience and renewal in response to life's hardships and are well suited to tell this dark, moving, and humorous story. International Flamenco composer and guitarist Juanito Pascual and Darius Strong join the production.

Next, Crash Dance Productions performs Domino on March 2 & 3, 2024. Each suspenseful performance will be completely different as 13 unique personalities blindly select who will undertake the role of the “Con.” When identities collide, some rise to power, and others become the prey. It’s only a matter of time before they all fall one by one in this dramatic interplay that establishes a hierarchy of vulnerability and influence.

Also in March, The Cowles Center presents the annual performance from its MERGES program, A Merge In March, running March 23 & 24, 2024. The program pairs artists in unconventional collaborations and culminates in evening-length performances. This year’s pairing features Mathew Janczeski's Arena Dances and Taja Will for a high-energy, club-like atmosphere of daring ecstasy, collective revolt, and queer reclamation.

James Sewell Ballet

Next, on April 6 & 7, 2024, James Sewell Ballet, in its 34th season, returns to The Cowles Center with new works by Shohei Iwahama and James Sewell. The program will also include a remount of Doo-Be-Doo which premiered in 1994 and combines high-energy playful antics with stunning technical feats, sure to delight the entire family.

Then, in a co-production with Northrop, BRKFST Dance Company celebrates their 10th anniversary with a world premiere and a reimagining of Dancers, Dreamers, and Presidents on April 27 & 28, 2024. A commentary on the American Dream filled with a mix of passion, blame, justice, love, and the company’s signature style of Breaking opens new doors for storytelling and diverse methods of creation.

Closing the season will be Ragamala Dance Company’s Avimukta, performing May 4 & 5, 2024. In an intimate ritual for the stage, mother and daughters Ranee, Aparna, and Ashwini Ramaswamy honor the memory of their ancestors with Bharatanatyam solos in contrast with the ceremonial movements and sacred unison of the company. The dancers are seekers engrossed in rituals of sacred contemplation that become an ecstatic prayer celebrating the inevitable dissolution of life.

Ragamala Dance Company’s Avimukta