Walker Art Center presents
Mathew Janczewski/ARENA DANCES
Only the perverse fantasy can still save us
Friday–Saturday, May 16–17, 2025
7:30pm
McGuire Theater
Only the perverse fantasy can still save us
Dancers
DUSTING HAUG, SARAH MCCULLOUGH, LESLIE O’NEILL
Costumes
JON “MAGGIE” MAGS
Lighting
KARIN OLSON
Music
JOSHUA CLAUSEN
Set
LELIS BRITO
Rehearsal Director
LAURA SELLE VIRTUCIO
Video/Projection
FLYWHEEL MEDIA PRODUCTIONS
Choreography
MATHEW JANCZEWSKI in collaboration with the dancers
Tonight's performance will run approximately 60 minutes with no intermission.
A post-show Q&A with the artists will follow Friday’s performance.
Please join us before and after the performance in the Walker's Cityview Bar.
Special Thanks
ARENA DANCES extends our deepest gratitude to the incredible collaborators listed above who made this project possible and for the invaluable creative support of Todd Pinzuti with Bungalow6 Creative, David Fortney, Javan Mngrezzo, and Alex Roob whose insight, artistry, and encouragement helped shape this work. We are also deeply grateful to our dedicated Board of Directors, amazing volunteers, and generous supporters. Every gift—large or small—helps uplift and expand the role of dance in our community, and we are truly thankful.
We are honored to have received this commission from the Walker Art Center and are immensely appreciative of their commitment to championing local performing arts. Their partnership and support have been instrumental in bringing this work to life.
Mathew Janczewski would also like to express his heartfelt gratitude to his family and friends for years of encouraging his imagination and unwavering love of dance—and especially to his partner, Brian Revell.
Only the perverse fantasy can still save us research/rehearsal period was made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. We are grateful for this vital support and for the opportunity to continue creating meaningful, boundary-pushing work for our community.
Accessibility Notes
For more information about accessibility, visit our Access page.
For questions on accessibility, content and sensory notes or to request additional accommodations, call 612-253-3556 or email access@walkerart.org.
Learn More
Mathew Janczewski, founder of ARENA DANCES, first viewed Matthew Barney’s monumental five-part Cremaster art-film cycle (1994–2002)at the Walker Art Center over two decades ago. But it wasn’t until a period between 2019 and 2021, of alternating months on his couch and in the hospital battling leukemia, that Janczewski discovered a shared inspiration with Barney.
Cremaster is an audacious, highly stylized journey into the embryonic stages of sexual differentiation as determined by a single chromosome. So, too, did a single chromosome play a role in Janczewski’s leukemia. This coincidence of biological destiny spurred the Minnesota-based choreographer’s creative journey toward Only the perverse fantasy can still save us.
Janczewski recently met with Twin Cities dance writer Caroline Palmer to discuss his new work, Barney’s influence, and the freedom to imagine the details of brave new worlds.
Read the interview on Walker Reader: A Single Chromosome: Mathew Janczewski on Biology, Dance, and Matthew Barney.
Listen to the interview on ARENA DANCES' podcast Studio Stories.
About the Artists
Mathew Janczewski is a Minneapolis-based dancer, choreographer, and artistic director dedicated to elevating dance as an essential artform both within Minnesota and beyond. Originally from Illinois, Mathew has made Minneapolis his creative home since 1989, where he founded ARENA DANCES in 1995. Through his work, he strives to awaken the body, heart, and mind—creating meaningful connections through movement and shared experience.
Mathew deeply believes in the power of dance to shape and inspire community. His long-term vision includes collaborating with fellow movement-makers and social activists to explore new, innovative pathways for creating work and engaging audiences. As part of this commitment, he plays an active role in supporting the MN Dance Task Force, helping to uplift the value of dance across the state.
To make dance more accessible and vital, Mathew spearheads several community-based initiatives, including the K–12 DanceON educational outreach program, Studio Stories—an oral history project capturing the voices of Minnesota’s dance artists—and Floorwork, a recurring community gathering space for artists to share and connect. He is also the founder of the annual CANDY BOX Dance Festival, now approaching its 10th year of showcasing local and national talent.
As a performer, Mathew was a member of JAZZDANCE! by Danny Buraczeski (1992–1997) and Shapiro & Smith Dance (2007–2014), and has appeared as a guest with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, Bebe Miller, and Jacek Luminski of Poland. His performance history also includes works by Beth Corning, Sean Curran, HIJACK, Marge Maddux, Shawn McConneloug, Jane Shockley, Robin Stiehm, Morgan Thorson, Doug Varone, and Cathy Young.
His choreography—often driven by a dialogue between music, architecture, and the body's expressive limits—has been commissioned by numerous universities, colleges, and professional companies. Recognized nationally, Mathew has been named a Bates Dance Festival choreographer (2001), received the Sage Award for Outstanding Performance (2005), earned a McKnight Fellowship for Choreographers (2005), and was honored by Dance Magazine as one of their "25 to Watch" in 2008.
Through every endeavor, Mathew remains focused on fostering a vibrant dance ecosystem—where artists are seen, stories are shared, and movement becomes a catalyst for change. https://www.arena-dances.org/
Dustin Haug (Dancer) grew up in southern Minnesota and attended St. Olaf College. Although he was very active in the dance department and spent a good deal of time studying chemistry, he earned a BA in Visual Art in 2000. He moved to Seattle, WA after graduation and began working with KT Niehoff’s Lingo Dance Theater in 2002, creating and performing in several evening-length works, including Speak to Me, Relatively Real, and Inhabit. In the summer of 2007, Dustin moved back home to Minnesota. Dustin joined Mathew Janczewski’s ARENA DANCES in 2013 to help create and perform the evening-length work The Main Street Project. Since then, he has performed several repertory pieces, notably Plastic Language, Picturing that Day, and Run With Me, and new works Hold My Hand, THERMAL, Erased Steps, Semipermeable fluid set of ideas and As of Now. He has taught dance at Zenon Dance School as well as dance and science at St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists since 2008. Dustin thanks Kelly Jo, Anawynn, Flora, his family, and his colleagues for their relentless love and support.
Sarah McCullough (Dancer) (she/her) is a Minneapolis-based dance artist and educator in contemporary forms. She is a highly collaborative artist who is passionate about aliveness in performance, and seeks to perform works that center humanity, vulnerability, and play. Originally from Virginia, Sarah attended James Madison University as a Madison Achievement Scholar, and earned her BA in Dance and Mathematics. Since joining Minneapolis’ dance community in 2018, she has had the pleasure of performing works choreographed by Berit Ahlgren, Alexandra Bodnarchuk, Carl Flink, Helen Hatch, Mathew Janczewski, Elayna Waxse, Taja Will, and more. She has toured with Minneapolis dance companies Black Label Movement and ARENA DANCES to the greater Minnesota area, Florida, and New York. Most recently, she has been working with VA/NYC-based company Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance as a collaborating dance artist and company manager. She currently teaches contemporary classes at Hothouse and Minnesota Dance Theatre. She is also a 200-hour accredited yoga teacher and offers a holistic approach to mindful movement as a personal and artistic practice.
Leslie O’Neill (Dancer) has danced professionally since 2004. She began her formal training at age 18 at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay and received her BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota in 2003. Leslie was a founding member of Black Label Movement from 2005 – 2009, and joined nationally acclaimed repertory company Zenon Dance in 2006. She built a rich and diverse performance career at Zenon until its final performance in 2019 when the company closed its doors. Leslie has performed as a guest artist with the Minnesota Opera, Jon Ferguson’s Theatre Forever, Shapiro and Smith Dance, Tamara Ober, Paula Mann’s Time Track Productions, Maggie Bergeron, Laura Osterhaus/SLO Dance, Arena Dances, Taja Will, and Wavelets Creative, among others. Leslie has earned recognition for her excellence in performance with Sage Award Nominations in 2009 and 2016 and she is the recipient of a McKnight Fellowship for Dancers in 2010. Her choreography has been supported by Red Eye Theater, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, the Walker Arts Center, Minnesota State Arts Board, and Bryant Lake Bowl. Leslie would like to express her sincere gratitude to Mathew Janczewski, Laura Selle-Virtucio, Dustin Haug, and Sarah McCullough for this unique and invested collaboration.
Laura Selle Virtucio (Rehearsal Director): For 25 years, Laura has maintained a vibrant performance career in the Twin Cities and toured nationally with several artists and companies, most recently continuing her long history with Shapiro & Smith Dance, as a performer and Artistic Associate, as well as creating new works with choreographers Mathew Janczewski and Chris Schlicting; and rehearsal directing for Arena Dances. Laura has graced several of the nation's best-known stages such as the Joyce Theater in NYC, and Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church in NYC, the Guthrie Theater, and The Walker Art Center. She was a long-time company member and teaching artist with Stuart Pimsler Dance and Theater, Zenon Dance Company, and Carl Flink’s Black Label Movement. While at Zenon Dance Company, she had the pleasure of creating and performing new works by Morgan Thorson, Kyle Abraham, Luciana Achugar, and Daniel Charon, to name a few. In her work with Shapiro & Smith Dance, Laura consistently restages the company's repertory across the country from Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in Salt Lake City to students at Boston Conservatory and Carleton College in MN. Laura received a 2007 McKnight Fellowship for Dancers and a Minnesota Sage Award for Best Performer. As an arts educator, Laura taught contemporary modern and jazz dance techniques at the St. Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts for eight years and has extensive experience working in communities of non-dancers. Laura is currently a senior teaching specialist in dance at the University of Minnesota as well as the director of University Dance Theatre Fall production.
Jon “Maggie” Mags (costumes), a lifelong maker of things, has always been a bit of a troublemaker. Because of that, as a kid, they spent a lot of time alone in their room, creating without any distractions. This creative spirit has never wavered and finding the “best costume for the day” (as Little Edie once put it) has been one of their joys! After over two decades as a floral designer as well as a drag/burlesque/dancer/singer/performer with the Dykes Do Drag, they decided to finally acquire the skills and knowledge of proper garment construction and earn their Apparel Technology Degree. Combining this with their insatiable love of knitting and their constant quest for fun in dressing up has resulted in a closet that keeps getting fuller! Hoping to inspire others to “dress out loud,” their goal is to encourage people to express themselves in any way they want.
Karin Olson (Lighting) has been lighting live performance for over 20 years with dance companies BRKFST, Threads Dance Project, Alternative Motion Project, Collide Theatricals, and Twin Cities Ballet. She has collaborated with local design teams at the Guthrie, Park Square, Penumbra, Mixed Blood, Artistry, PRIME Productions, and the History Theatre. She's designed regionally for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Syracuse Stage, Cleveland Playhouse, and Trinity Rep. Recent designs include BRKFST Dance's "Storm Clutter," Twin Cities Ballet's "Romeo and Juliet" set to the music of Queen, and Minnesota Opera's "The Snowy Day". Karin is a 23'-24' McKnight Theater Artist Fellow. More info at karinolsonlighting.com.
Joshua Clausen (Composer): Described by Public Radio International as “powerful” and “poignant,” Joshua Clausen’s works frequently fuse strong rhythmic textures and intricate patterning with narratives from history, mass culture and current events. Clausen is a 2018-2019 McKnight Composer Fellow, currently collaborating with ARENA DANCES and artist Kim Heidkamp on THERMAL, an interdisciplinary installation and evening-length performance at the American Swedish Institute, the chamber ensemble 10th Wave, and ceramic artist Anna Metcalfe. Other recent collaborations include Hold My Hand with ARENA DANCES (Fitzgerald Theater), Crossfire with HUB New Music (Boston), a mass choir performance of Requiem at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, and the film VESSEL with members of the FIX collective, directed by Joe Horton (Minneapolis Institute of Art). Previous honors include awards from the Jerome Foundation Fellowship, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, the American Composers Forum and the Minnesota State Arts Board. Performances include the 2018 Tribeca New Music Festival, Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, Ensemble Mise-En, ShoutHouse, Verdant Vibes in Providence RI, and the American Composers Forum showcase. Clausen’s music has been featured on PRI’s The World with Marco Werman and Classical Minnesota Public Radio. Clausen is a member of the Spitting Image Collective, and a board member of the 113 Composers Collective, both Twin-Cities groups dedicated to composer-curated programming.
Lelis Brito (Set Design/build) is a Venezuelan-American installation artist, theater director, choreographer, educator, performer, writer and director of the Center for Moving Cultures. Brito has created over 80 original performances. 2022-25 projects include Composer/Choreographer/Designer of A Binding Strangeness; dancer for Rosy Simas Danse and Procession/Creative; Choreographer for M. Deen; Kinaesthetic set designer for Movement Architecture Dance; 2024 MAP fund grantee; and playwright for Teatro del Pueblo.
Living Land Acknowledgment
The McGuire Theater and Walker Art Center are located on the contemporary, traditional, and ancestral homelands of the Dakota people. Situated near Bde Maka Ska and Wíta Tópa Bde, or Lake of the Isles, on what was once an expanse of marshland and meadow, this site holds meaning for Dakota, Ojibwe, and Indigenous people from other Native nations, who still live in the community today.
We acknowledge the discrimination and violence inflicted on Indigenous peoples in Minnesota and the Americas, including forced removal from ancestral lands, the deliberate destruction of communities and culture, deceptive treaties, war, and genocide. We recognize that, as a museum in the United States, we have a colonial history and are beneficiaries of this land and its resources. We acknowledge the history of Native displacement that allowed for the founding of the Walker. By remembering this dark past, we recognize its continuing harm in the present and resolve to work toward reconciliation, systemic change, and healing in support of Dakota people and the land itself.
We honor Native people and their relatives, past, present, and future. As a cultural organization, the Walker works toward building relationships with Native communities through artistic and educational programs, curatorial and community partnerships, and the presentation of new work.
Acknowledgments
Producers' Council
About the Walker Art Center
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To learn more about upcoming performances, visit 2024/25 Walker Performing Arts Season.
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