Mathew Janczewski’s ARENA DANCES presents the 8th Annual CANDY BOX Dance Festival, a dynamic sampling of featured performances, masterclasses, and public showings.
Happy Hour Artist performances are daily work-in-progress showings by locally established and up-and-coming choreographers. Each day, a different choreographer will present a new work or excerpt from their extensive repertoire, sharing a delightful array of artistry throughout the week!
CANDY BOX Dance Festival is a unique celebration of dance, packed with a wonderful assortment of various tastings that include renowned choreographers, accomplished dancers, and fresh movement styles all perfectly packed into one sweet treat of a week. It is an opportunity for diverse emerging and established artists to share the performance stage, with the addition of selected artists leading intimate workshops to offer a welcoming space for communal movement education, and in doing so gathering a range of tastes for varied audiences. From Featured Artists performances by nationally notable choreographers and collectives, to Happy Hour showings by exciting local dancers and emerging creatives, CANDY BOX is sure to offer a flavor for every performing arts enthusiast to savor and enjoy. Along with daily performances and masterclasses hosted throughout an impressive six day streak, question-and-answer sessions are offered for additional insight and rare sneak peeks into the engaging works created and designed by each artist exclusively for the Festival. Audiences are sure to experience a wide array of artistry, offering a unique flavor in every bite.
Monday, April 22 – Friday, April 26 | 5:30 – 6:30pm
The Southern Theater
1420 S Washington Ave, Minneapolis, MN
Monday, April 22
and Echo
Choreography by Shannon Hartle Dolan
Sound credit: Delirium, Danny Knutelsky; The Lake, René Aubry; Son of Nyx, Hozier; Who Lights the Sun?, René Aubry; In The Androgynous Dark, Brambles
Costuming: In collaboration with the dancers
Dancers: Hannah Albers, Kaitlin Craven, Tatum Lang, Javan Mngrezzo, Jake Nehrbass, Lauren Vasilakos
Notes: All the love to the stunning dancers who brought this piece to life.
This project aims to examine the significance of the mythological tale of Narcissus. It will be structured in movements, each delving into themes from the myth to explore a distorted and self-centered reality prevalent on individual, organizational, and cultural levels in contemporary society.
Shannon Hartle Dolan is from Des Moines, Iowa where she started her dance training at a young age. Shannon graduated high school early to attend Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary Trainee Program in NYC before attending college. She graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a BFA in Dance, Minor in Communication Studies, and a Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship. During her time at UI, she worked with artists including Monica Bill Barnes, Jennifer Kayle, Christopher Rasheem-McMillan, Eloy Barragan, Armando Duarte. She toured with UI’s Dancers in Company along with traveling to perform at ACDA, the American Dance Guild, and Hollins University. Now, she resides in the Twin Cities area and is a company member with Threads Dance Project and Ruby Josephine Dance Theater as well as participating in project based work and teaching throughout the cities.
The Lighthouse
Choreography by Alicia Steeves and Kaitlyn Hawkins
Sound credit: Can Thought Exist Without the Body – John Roberts, Come Wander with Me – Jeff Alexander, Before Meaning Comes – Ian William Craig, Crazy – Patsy Cline, Iniziare – Alessandro Cortini, Time Away – Andy Scott, Half Light of Dawn – Abul Mogard, Where Can I Go Without You – Nina Simone
Costuming: Alicia Steeves
Dancers: Kaitlyn Hawkins and Alicia Steeves
In an attempt to tackle their fear of the future unknown, Kaitlyn and Alicia play off each other as they decide to stay within this lit path of limited possibilities or if they should permeate the barrier to embrace the abyss. This work is full of non-linear storytelling, intimate partnering, and the hope of what could be if these two can learn to trust the ability of their beings. “The Lighthouse” is a dance work that was originally presented as “The Prologue” in December 2023 as an hour-long immersive duet in Brooklyn, NY.
KAITLYN HAWKINS is a freelance dance artist and choreographer who likes to research an endless list of questions with movement and conversation. She holds a BFA in Dance and Health & Wellbeing Sciences from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and has completed a certificate in Contemporary Dance from Gibney’s Independent Training Program. Kaitlyn has performed with TU Dance, Shapiro & Smith Dance, Christopher Watson Dance Company, Honeyworks, Contempo Physical Dance, Doma Dance, and Black Label Movement. She has presented work in Minneapolis, MN and Brooklyn, NY, and recently was a part of Black Label Movement’s Movers Make showcase.
Alicia Steeves is from a small town outside of Toronto beginning her formal training at Canadian National Ballet and continuing it at Alberta Ballet School. She has a BFA in dance from Marymount Manhattan College, receiving the Gold Key achievement. She has worked with Sidra Bell, Jenn Freeman, Darshan Bhuller, Christian Von Howard, Katie Langan, Netta Yerushalmy, and Jennifer Archibald. She has also performed in Dance Against Cancers Youth Movement and Earl Mosleys Diversity in Dance.
Tuesday, April 23
is this magic? (work in progress)
Choreography & Performance by Kayla Schiltgen
Production Assistant & Stage Manager: Eric Elefson
Music: Dean Sibinski
Screendance Projections: choreography/editing by Kayla Schiltgen, cinematography by Kayla Schiltgen paired with various open source video selections
This activity is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, thanks to appropriations from the Minnesota State Legislature’s general and arts and cultural heritage funds.
“is this magic?” experimentally blends live performance and screendance to examine anti self-curation as a radical act of personal acceptance. Unfolding through a movement score allowing space for my nureocomplexity, intuitive decision-making, desire, resourcefulness, and play, each rendition of “is this magic?” is a distinct expression offering nuance and fresh discovery.
Kayla Schiltgen is an interdisciplinary artist based in Two Harbors, Minnesota. Using movement, improvisation, and visual choreographies Kayla explores her personal truth in an effort to nurture compassion for the pieces of herself that she finds challenging to comprehend. Guided by the wisdom of the natural landscape and mundane, Kayla unearths her inner world creating experimental works of vulnerability and deep feeling, tenderly jostling audiences into the aliveness of existence.
Kayla’s work has been presented at the Walker Art Center, Intl. Mtg. on Video-Dance and Video-Performance, North Dakota Environmental Rights Film Festival, InShadow, Duluth Superior Film Festival, DanceBARN Screendance Festival and the Minnesota Fringe Festival, among others. Accolades include the Minnesota Upstream Fellowship, Minnesota State Arts Board Grants, Arrowhead Regional Arts Council Grants, and the honor of presenting the inaugural screendance at the 50th anniversary of Choreographers’ Evening. Kayla holds a B.A. in Dance from University of Minnesota with continued education through mentorship with screendance pioneer Katrina McPherson, courses in filmmaking, and classes in creative mediums she is unfamiliar with.
Kayla makes further meaning in her life with Wildhaven, a sustainable lodging retreat connecting people and planet through rest and creativity operated by her and her spouse.
Wednesday, April 24
De Mi Corazón
Choreography by Nieya Amezquita
Collaborators: Gabrielle “The Baddie” Abram, Javan Mngrezzo, Odessa Rain, Sean Scantlebury
Sound credit: Internetjunkhound
Costuming: Nieya Amezquita
Dancers: Nieya Amezquita, Javan Mngrezzo, Odessa Rain, Sean Scantlebury
Amez Dance will present excerpts from De Mi Corazón which will premiere in June 2024 at the Southern Theater. De Mi Corazón exists as a love letter to the black family. Only through exploration of how and why we emotionally structure our family unit can we begin to truly appreciate the nuanced intricacies of the African American family.
Javan (he/him) relocated to Minnesota in 2021 by way of Portland, OR. He graduated from Western Oregon University in three years, magna cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science in Dance and Sociology. At present, he dances with Amez Dance, James Sewell Ballet, and Rhythmically Speaking. He has previously been a company dancer with Black Label Movement, Collide Theatrical, Threads Dance Project, Dar Vejon Jones Dance Ensemble, and BodyVox. He has also had the privilege of performing as a guest artist for numerous companies such as Hatch Dance, Arena Dances, Analog Dance Works, Ballet Co.Laboratory, Heidi Duckler Dance, Cynthia Gutierrez’s Company Movimiento, and Dar Vejon Jones Dance Ensemble. In 2023 he created the work Ne’er to bout ‘gainst Generous Woes which was presented as part of CandyBox’s 7th series, and now he looks forward to continuing to operate and grow within the realm of choreographic creation.
Sean Scantlebury is a performer and teacher equally adept in modern, ballet, and contemporary. He moved to New York City at age eight and was invited to study at the New York City Public School for Dance. He became a member of Eliot Feld’s Ballet Tech and performed in the company’s Joyce Theater seasons for ten years. During his first season with Battery Dance in 2003, he took part in a residency in Kraków, Poland, performing for the European Conference on Tolerance. Since then he has performed, taught, and led Dancing to Connect workshops in more than 45 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Middle East and Europe. He was also a guest artist for Quorum Ballet (Portugal), Sutra Dance Theatre (Malaysia), Chevalier Ballet (NYC) plus many more in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area. In 2017, Sean was named by Dance.com as one of 15 black dancers who are changing the world, second only to ABT’s Misty Copeland.
Odessa Rain is a freelance artist new to Minneapolis. She began dancing at age three and fell in love with competitions before seeking more rigorous ballet training at the Yocum Institute for The Arts. She continued her training at The Lehigh Valley Charter High School For The Arts in Bethlehem, PA as a dance major and spent her summers at the Joffrey Ballet School summer intensive in NYC. Odessa then attended the Boston Conservatory on merit scholarship and was cast in works choreographed by Gregory Dawson, Otis Salid, Jon Ole Olstad, Yury Yanowsky, Zoe Schoefield and Stephanie Martinez. While in Boston Odessa danced with Tilted, Dance Lab and Dance Currents LLC. Since moving to MN she has performed as Freya in “VANAHEIMR” with Fox and Beggar Theatre, performed in Black Label’s “Movers Make,” and joined Minnesota Ballet Collective as a company dancer.
Originally from Decatur, GA, Nieya is a dancer and choreographer based in the Twin Cities. Nieya graduated from the University of Georgia with a BFA in Dance and a BS in Psychology in 2019. Currently, Nieya is performing with Threads Dance Project and Rhythmically Speaking Dance. She has also worked with Alexandra Bodnarchuk Dance Projects, Yuki Tokuda, Off Leash Area and Concerto Dance. In addition to performing, Nieya is an independent choreographer who recently created contemporary works for Ballet Co.Laboratory, the Blackness Is…arts festival produced by the Guthrie Theater, Threads Dance Project and Alternative Motion Project. In 2023, Nieya founded Amez Dance to house her creative works, and she is working on her first evening length work set to premiere at the Southern Theater in June 2024.
Thursday, April 25
Bao (choreographed by Whitney McClusky): celebration for the Forest people (played on krin, traditional log drum)
Drum Call: Every important occasion begins with the drums calling everyone together
Kondjana Fe (choreographed by Sana Bangoura): Welcome rhythm for special guests to the village
Sana’s Solo
Wara (Choreographed by Naby Bangoura): celebration rhythm for the elders in the Jakhanke ethnic group
Woman’s Doun Piece: A style of dance created by the professional ballet companies of Guinea. The dancers play a drum called a “doun” while dancing
Drummers and Dancers: Fara Bangoura (drummer), Fode Bangoura (drummer), Sana Bangoura (drummer/dancer), Melissa Clark (dancer), Stefani Graddy (dancer), Cynthia Mathews (dancer), Whitney McClusky (dancer)
For more information please visit duniyadrumanddance.org
Lead by Directors Fode Bangoura and Whitney McClusky Duniya Drum & Dance has been teaching and performing traditional rhythms and dances from Guinea West Africa in the Twin Cities and the Mid West for over a decade. Duniya has performed at The Cowles Center Fall Forward Festival, Orchestra Hall’s Day of Music, Cumar at The Southern, Timber Wolves Halftime Show and they have been a staple at the MN Sate Fair for many years. Fode and Whitney are on staff at Carleton College and MacPhail School of Music. This is Duniya’s first time being a part of Candy Box!
Friday, April 26
White Zinnia (work-in-progress excerpts) and Penelope – a cabaret
Choreography & Performance by Penelope Freeh
Collaborator: Project Mentor / Dramaturg: Randy Reyes
Sound: White Zinnia: Todd Spahr; Penelope – a cabaret: PF with Matthew Keefe and Benjamin Johnson
Costuming: PF
Prop assistance: Jack Dant
White Zinnia offers work-in-progress sketches exploring my mother’s iconography and characteristics: an abundance of blue shirts, a family heirloom still life painting, left handedness, dyslexia, and Alzheimer’s. For this viewing I am placing it inside the frames of my own iconography as reflected in Penelope – a cabaret, which will be performed second.
Twin Cities dance artist and educator Penelope Freeh works to thoughtfully transform how contemporary ballet is transmitted and embodied. In frequent collaboration with musicians and composers, she was recently on the design team of Minnesota Opera’s The Song Poet (libretto by Kao Kalia Yang, score by Jocelyn Hagen, stage direction by Rick Shiomi, conducted by Tiffany Chang), the first Hmong/English opera. In October she premiered Unfashioned Creature, a choral ballet created with composer Timothy C. Takach, featuring the artists of James Sewell Ballet and MPLS(imPulse) choral ensemble. Freeh is a McKnight Fellow for Choreographers (2014, 2010), McKnight Fellow for Dancers (1998), and Sage awardee for Outstanding Performer (2010). She danced with James Sewell Ballet for seventeen years, serving as Artistic Associate from 2007-11. She is an affiliate Lecturer at the University of Minnesota, adjunct Assistant Professor at St. Olaf College, and recently was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Hollins University where she earned a Dance MFA in 2019. She is a member of TINATA, a trio collective with Elizabeth Corbett and Brynne Billingsley, bridging time and distance to create new work. Corbett’s Things that aren’t there is currently in development; iterations have been performed in NYC and Roanoke, VA.
ARENA DANCES Leadership:
Founder & Artistic Director: Mathew Janczewski
Creative Design Manager: Sandra Carlo
Board Of Directors:
Catherine Dannenbring, Chair
Marisa Epstein
Javan Mngrezzo
Betsy Maloney Leaf
Deanna Thompson
Elliana Vesely
We extend a special thank you to our Season Sponsors and Event Donors:
This festival is also made possible with the support of the following:
