Miko Fogarty

First Position, the documentary feature from director Bess Kargman about young dancers put their lifelong dreams on the line at the world’s most prestigious ballet competitions — Youth America Grand Prix  — will open at the Landmark Lagoon Cinema on Friday.

With hundreds competing for a handful of elite scholarships and contracts, practice and discipline are paramount, and nothing short of perfection is expected. Kargman’s award-winning documentary, Fist Position, follows six young dancers as they prepare for a chance to enter the world of professional ballet, struggling through bloodied feet, near exhaustion and debilitating injuries all while navigating the drama of adolescence.

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Join us for an Amazing night of dance and music with Iny Asian Dance Theater. A night with Iny Asian Dance Theater is a fundraising event for community members who would show support for this valuable learning experience for IADT’s dancers in China. This event will be held at the Buasavanh Banquet Hall at 7324 Lakeland Avenue North, Brooklyn Park, MN 55428, on May 4, Friday, 7pm-midnight. There is a general admission of $15 per guest or $150 per table (10 guests) that tickets could be purchased from Asian Media Access, by phone at 612-376-7715 or email to See Xiong see.xiong@amamedia.org. All proceeds will go to this China Exchange Trip expenses.

Iny Asian Dance Theater (IADT) is invited by two top performing arts festivals in China this summer – 2012 Tianjin International Children’s Culture & Art Festival and 2012 Shandong Int’l Youngsters’ Culture Tour for arts exchange opportunities.  During this Arts/Culture Appreciation Trip, the youth will perform 4 dances, including an American icon Hip Hop dance.  Such activities could strengthen their knowledge with understanding of global cultures and creating friendships with students from different countries and local students from China.

The event will start with dance performance at 7pm. Guests would appreciate IADT’s youth dancers perform different kinds of Asian dance styles and their solid acrobatic training. Start from 9pm, the venue will be changed into a dance floor featuring the famous local Hmong Band. During this event, light appetizers and beverage would be served.   You don’t want to miss the great opportunity to appreciate top talents’ performances from the Pan Asian community.

About Iny Asian Dnace Theater:

Led and Choreographed by Acclaimed Hmong Artist, Iny Xiong, Iny Asian Dance Theater has included following groups:

• MN Sunshine – girls’ age from 15 and up, 7 hours training weekly

• Ocean – girls’ age from 11 – 16, 6 hours training weekly

• Silver Skies – girls’ age from 8 – 13, 6 hours training weekly

• Rainbow – girls’ age from 5 – 10, 3 hours training weekly

• Phab Ej Hmoob/Hmong Heroes/All Boy’s Group – all age, 5 hours training weekly

Iny Asian Dance Theater’s mission is to broaden students’ ability and general public’s appreciation of Asian Dances through teaching and performance.   Our 2 major projects are: 1) Bringing the Asian Traditional Dances to Life, with a special focus on Asian Indian, Chinese, Hmong, Laotian and Thai dances through weekly dance classes and community engagement performances; 2) Sharing Hmong cultures and talents with mainstream audience to build a better community of appreciation of diverse arts with Annual Recitals and newly created Dance Drama Performance series.

If you’d like more information, please call See Xiong at 612-376-7715 or e-mail See at see.xiong@amamedia.org.

Katha Dance Theatre founder Rita Mustaphi (Photo by Michal Daniel)

To celebrate its 25th season, Katha Dance Theatre presents IN RETROSPECT showcasing its rich history, along with the variety, diversity and ingenuity of its critically acclaimed repertoire.

The performances reunite artistic director/choreographer Rita Mustaphi and her award-winning company with Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre, Ethnic Dance Theatre and gospel singer Robert Robinson to stage dynamic excerpts from Katha’s remarkable past.  The dance concerts will be held at 8 p.m. on Friday-Saturday, June 1-2, at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, College of St. Catherine, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul.

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By MARY TAN
AAP staff writer

Jin Xing means “golden star” in Chinese and is quite fitting for the name of China’s most celebrated dancer.  Jin Xing and her dance company will perform at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Minneapolis this weekend.  She and her artists are ready to showcase “a blend of east and west cultures in dance, costumes and music,” according to promoters.

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Kats D returns to the Twin Cities stage with his newest solo work, created after his intensive study in India. “A Dream of Calabi-Yau Fetus” is an evening-length solo work that encapsulates his Butoh work of the last seven years.

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The Fil-Minnesotan Association announces the presentation of nine lovely  Debutantes and their handsome escorts at its annual Debutantes Ball on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, at the Hilton Airport Hotel in Bloomington. Cocktails will start at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Music will be provided by Quadronics DJ Services. Formal attire is requested.

A genteel celebration of culture, this event is also a celebration of the accomplishments of these young Filipino women and their arrival into adult    society, done with elegance and formality. For the young women, it is a moment never to be forgotten.

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Do you want prom fashion styles without prom fashion costs?

Anoka County 4-H is holding a sale of gently-used or new prom/formal dresses and accessories on Sat., March 3, from 9 a.m. until Noon at the Bunker Hills Activities Center, 550 Bunker Lake Boulevard NW in Andover.

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Sachicko Nishiuchi in Seville, Spain.

SEVILLE, Spain (Feb. 4, 2012) — “Me gusta !iole, ole!! Que elgancia” was just one comment on these Facebook photos of Sachiko Nishiuchi “La Sachi” as she appears performing a flamenco dance Saturday night at the Bar Puerta Sol, on Sol Street in Seville, Spain.

Nishiuchi is a native of Japan and has studied flamenco dance since the 90′s. During her 10 year living in Minneapolis, she frequently traveled to Spain, her second home, to study flamenco dance. She is a 2003 graduate of educational policy and administration at the University of Minnesota and while in the Twin Cities she studied and taught flamenco as a company member of Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre.

Nishiuchi has performed locally and nationally in the U.S. with various groups, such as Zorongo Flamenco, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Michael Hauser’s Cuadro Flamenco, and FUEGO Flamenco. She was a recipient of the Jerome Foundation’s Travel and Study Grant in 2006. She received Sage People’s Choice Award for Dance and was commissioned by Walker Art Center’s Momentum series in 2009.

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Natsuko Oshima

Shipwrecks, pirates and romance are the story of Le Corsaire! This February 11-12, be certain to witness this wonder of balletic storytelling as the Metropolitan Ballet presents this time honored tale of romance on the high seas. With choreography by Petipa and music by Adolphe Adam, Delibes and Cesare Pugni, the production is directed by Erik Sanborn with staging by Tatiana Berenova.

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Vibha-Minnesota presents Taal, a dance and music competition for children on April 21, starting 9:30 a.m. at the University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus Student Center, 2017 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108.

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