Dance
Come to understand the contemporary forms of world dance and hip-hop that influence the dynamic Brazilian group Companhia Urbana de Dança in advance of their performances at the Walker the following weekend. After the program, participants are invited to take part in Study Hall, a facilitated small group discussion.
Art School demystifies contemporary art by putting it into context—culturally, historically, and personally. Through short, succinct sessions, you’ll come to understand what the fuss is all about—and even feel like a connoisseur yourself. This program for Walker members is copresented by the University of Minnesota Departments of Art and Art History.
To Register
Registration is required online at members.walkerart.org, by e-mail to membership@walkerart.org, or by calling 612.375.7655.
About the Presenters
Minnesota-based dancer, choreographer, and instructor Lisa “MonaLisa” Berman has been breaking since 2004, when she became a member of Collective Hip Hop Dance Company. In 2008, she received the Jerome Travel and Study Grant for Choreography and studied under Bgirl Aruna in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Berman has performed at “Street Science,” Gallery Tribute to Women in Hip Hop, and the National History Museum of Amsterdam, in addition to competing in the Bgirl battle at IBE. She has also performed extensively in New York City. She is a hip-hop instructor for the J-term production at the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Arts, and has performed locally at the Joint Project, Elements in Translation, the Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges Inaugural Ball (alongside Desdemona and Carnage), and most recently at the Cowles Center for Bboy J-sun’s show Hip Hop.
A PhD candidate in the department of theatre arts and dance at the University of Minnesota, Kelly McKay holds an MA in performance studies from New York University and a BA in theater and Spanish from Colgate University. Her research focuses on artistic practices and social justice activism in Latin America. With grants from the University of Minnesota’s Global Programs and Strategy Alliance and the College of Liberal Arts, McKay has spent several summers in Santiago, Chile, studying ways that local hip-hop artists engage with the Mapuche rights movement. She currently serves as a section instructor for introduction to theater at the University of Minnesota while completing her dissertation. Also a musician, she performs locally as the drummer for Kitty Kitty Bang Bang.
)