Expansion: A Hatch Dance Intensive

Expansion: A Hatch Dance Intensive

August 11–14, 2025

9:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Hennepin Center for the Arts

528 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403

Tuition: $475

Join Hatch Dance for four immersive days of artistic expansion, designed for the next generation of dance artists ages 14–22.

Dancers will begin the day investigating ballet with Helen Hatch. Through a contemporary lens, Helen’s approach to ballet prioritizes the individual, inviting dancers to explore efficiency through coordination, expansion through energetic length, and precision through articulation. Students will be encouraged to take ownership of their technique and discover artistry through presence.

Following class, dancers will dive into the repertory of Hatch Dance. Known for rigorous movement that is technically complex, highly articulate, and musical, dancers will learn directly from Hatch Dance artists who performed in the works. After lunch, dancers will stretch their choreographic voices and creativity through workshops with theater artist Jon Ferguson, and HoneyWorks Artistic Director Berit Ahlgren, both frequent Hatch Dance collaborators.

Requirements: Minimum 4 years of ballet and contemporary/modern training.

Scholarships: Limited full and partial scholarships available. Email aGF0Y2hkYW5jZW1uIHwgZ21haWwgISBjb20= for more information.

Hatch Dance is a contemporary dance company based in Minneapolis. Founded in 2017 by choreographer Helen Hatch, Hatch Dance creates original productions through collaborative creative processes that combine dance, theater, and music, bringing together artists across disciplines. Collaboration is the cornerstone of our work. We have witnessed the power of a collaborative creative process between artists and how it manifests far beyond the performance. Through the deep listening necessary to make art and the trust that is developed, truths are shared and perspectives are altered. Hatch Dance performs in theaters as well as nontraditional spaces, and host talk backs, classes, and open rehearsals in connection with our performances. Our debut performance, Isotope, presented by The Southern Theater, was named a “2018 Top Ten Twin Cities Dance Performance” by the Star Tribune, and since then our work has been enthusiastically received by both critics and audiences alike. We have been commissioned by The Cowles Center, Saint Paul Ballet, Penelope Freeh, Mareck Dance (MO) and Aveda, participated in The Southern Theater’s Performance Partnership Program, The Cowles Center’s MERGE program, and Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out Festival (MA). In 2020, Hatch Dance and fellow Twin Cities dance company HoneyWorks joined forces to launch Summerdance, a biennial annual outdoor dance event that culminates in the premiere of a new collaborative ensemble work that celebrates a large cast of dancers from the Twin Cities. Last summer’s critically acclaimed iteration, inspired by and set to Terry Riley’s In C, was performed by 6 musicians and 17 dancers atop the Minneapolis Club parking ramp in downtown Minneapolis. Hatch Dance has been supported by grants from the MSAB, MRAC, The Bob and Kathie Goodale Family Foundation, and individual donors.

Helen Hatch is a Minneapolis based performer, choreographer, director, and teacher. Recognized as one of MN Monthly’s 10 Artists to Watch in 2012, she began her career with Minnesota Dance Theatre, performing a diverse range of repertory and creating her own choreographic works. In 2018, she formed Hatch Dance, which has produced critically acclaimed interdisciplinary performances. Additionally, she has sustained a robust freelance career including appearances with The Moving Company and The MN Opera. Her choreography has been presented at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, the Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out Festival, The Southern Theater, throughout Mexico and Guatemala by the Juntos Collective, and commissioned by MN Dance Theatre, St Paul Ballet, Aveda, Mareck Dance, and The Cowles Center. In 2022, Helen was selected for the Choreographic Institute Residency at the U of NC School of the Arts. In 2023 she served as an Artist in Residence at Moulin/Belle in Mareuil en Périgord, France. Helen has been teaching dance in the Twin Cities since 2013. Her students have gone on to dance professionally with ballet and contemporary dance companies across the nation, and have pursued dance degrees at top university programs.

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