“The wonderfully fresh and inventive quintet of bearded, dreadlocked, baggy-jeaned dancers spark with movement ideas that I’ve never seen on ice before, let alone on stage.” —The Guardian
Former championship figure skaters turned movement innovators, Montreal-based Le Patin Libre invites you onto the ice for a kinetic experience of exhilarating inventiveness. The joyously engaging performers pull off vertiginous spins, tap and hip-hop footwork, and spiraling arabesques in daring, dazzling ways. With exceptional lighting and sound design, Le Patin Libre’s performance showers audiences with elation.
Both days include an excerpt of Tracing Sacred Steps, a new work-in-progress by Twin Cities–based Brownbody, which the ensemble describes as “Black social dances from centuries of slavery in America that are translated to the ice.”
Join us at the rink to experience two unique perspectives of contemporary performance on ice. Warm coats, hats, and gloves are highly recommended.
Copresented by Northrop, University of Minnesota.
Le Patin Libre Vertical Influences
Thursday, April 25 at 6pm and 8:30pm
Breck School/Anderson Ice Arena
4210 Olson Memorial Highway, Golden Valley
Saturday, April 27 at 3pm and 7pm
Charles M. Schulz Highland Arena
800 Snelling Avenue, St. Paul
Vertical Influences is approximately 75 minutes long including one 15-minute intermission.
SPECIAL GUESTS
Brownbody: Tracing Sacred Steps (excerpt)
Thursday, April 25 at 4pm
Breck School/Anderson Ice Arena
4210 Olson Memorial Highway, Golden Valley
Saturday, April 27 at 5pm
Charles M. Schulz Highland Arena
800 Snelling Ave S, St. Paul
Free tickets to Brownbody’s performance are available on-site (Breck School/Anderson Ice Arena or Charles M. Schulz Highland Arena) one hour before each program.
“Profoundly moving.” —Compendium Mpls
Twin Cities–based ensemble Brownbody, known for “breaking down cultural barriers in figure skating” (Blavity), presents a work-in-progress excerpt of their compelling new work Tracing Sacred Steps. Black social dances from centuries of slavery in America are used to translate the sacred spiritual tradition of Ring Shout to the ice, telling a vital story of resilience, resistance, and unity that continues to resonate today. The work is originally created for Brownbody, with choreography by Deneane Richburg in collaboration with the performers.
Tracing Sacred Steps (excerpt) is approximately 30 minutes long and is followed by a facilitated discussion with the artists.
Presented in conjunction with Le Patin Libre’s Vertical Influences, copresented with Northrop.
Food Vendor Onsite
Food provided by Pimento Kitchen will be available for purchase on Thursday, April 25 at Breck School Anderson Ice Arena from 3–6pm and on Saturday, April 27 at Charles M. Schulz Highland Ice Arena from 4–7pm.
About Pimento Kitchen
Winners of Food Network’s reality show, Food Court Wars, Pimento offers authentic Jamaican street food using family recipes, chef-inspired techniques and fresh local ingredients, all prepared from scratch.
RELATED EVENTS
Le Patin Libre and Brownbody: Related Events & Workshops
April 22–27, locations and times below
Join Le Patin Libre and Brownbody for these special events in April, related to their upcoming performances Vertical Influences and Tracing Sacred Steps (excerpt).
Please note that events take place at different locations. For skating events, please bring your own skates. The arenas will open 30 minutes prior to the workshops.
Black on Ice: A Conversation on Cultures and Contexts
Monday, April 22, 7 pm
East Side Freedom Library
1105 Greenbrier Street, St. Paul
Free, but online reservations requested. RSVP here.
Join Brownbody at the East Side Freedom Library for an evening of conversation around the cultural significance of black skaters who have grown up, trained, and competed in various ice sports and arts that are dominated by white aesthetics and culture. In a conversation moderated by Clarence White (East Side Freedom Library), skaters including Deneane Richburg (Brownbody), Samory Ba (Le Patin Libre, Canada), and special guests will share their personal stories.
Advanced Skater Workshop with Le Patin Libre
Wednesday, April 24, 6:30 pm
Breck School/Anderson Ice Arena
4210 Olson Memorial Highway, Golden Valley
$10 per person Buy Tickets Here.
Do you feel comfortable on ice? Le Patin Libre will share how they liberated their athletic skills to create a form of contemporary performance based on glide. This pure fun workshop suits anybody with basic skating skills, including athletes with strong figure skating or hockey experience. Participants will be encouraged to use their personal skating style as an artistic medium. Limited to 50 participants.
Beginning Skater Workshop with Le Patin Libre
Friday, April 26, 6:30 pm
Charles M. Schulz Highland Arena
800 Snelling Ave S, St. Paul
$10 per person Buy Tickets Here.
This playful “learn to ice-dance” workshop can be enjoyed by all skaters. Le Patin Libre believes that approaching ice-skating as a form of dance will help improve your skating skills, even if you’re a total beginner. Through choreographic games and simple teachings, the artists will convince participants that anybody can feel the magic of glide and enjoy the freedom and liberation of ice-dancing. Limited to 50 participants. Some skates will be available to use on a first-come, first-served basis but sizes are limited.
Ice-Dancing Party
Saturday, April 27, 8:30–9:30 pm
Charles M. Schulz Highland Arena
800 Snelling Ave S, St. Paul
Free
Join the artists of Le Patin Libre for an ice-dancing party after their final performance. There will be help for beginners, good tunes, and playful mini-workshops so that we can turn this ice rink into a dance floor. Some skates will be available to use on a first-come, first-served basis but sizes are limited so it’s recommended that you bring your own skates.
Copresented by Northrop, University of Minnesota.
ABOUT LE PATIN LIBRE
Le Patin Libre was founded in 2005 by Alexandre Hamel, then a retiring professional figure skater. The first performances were modestly offered on frozen ponds during the traditional winter carnivals organized by most cities and villages in the Canadian province of Quebec.
After 10 years of work, the performance group grew into a mature company creating what many now describe as contemporary dance on ice. Support from many of the most respected dance institutions in the world (Dance Umbrella Festival in London, Sadler’s Wells in London, Théâtre de la Ville de Paris, Canada’s National Art Centre, etc.) enabled Le Patin Libre to develop its unique style based on the amazing choreographic possibilities of glide. Glide allows the human body to move through space while being liberated from walking, running, crawling, and other natural gestures. It’s an impressing “magic” creating a very unique vertigo for onlookers and performers alike.
Le Patin Libre has been invited to perform its creations by the most prestigious arts presenters of the world and tours in a dozen country every year including at key dance presenters in the US: Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and The Yard. Vertical Influences has been presented over 130 times around the globe, was awarded the prestigious Total Theatre Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2016, and was the recipient of a 2017 New England Foundation for the Arts Expeditions Touring Grant for performances in USA communities.
Contemporary ice-skating is a new artistic discipline. It emerged truthfully and organically because a modest group of virtuoso figure skaters decided to abandon the lucrative stereotypes of the “On Ice” tradition in order to re-construct their discipline as a form of legitimate and contemporary performing art. Vertical Influences marks the moment this emergence was completed. The show is mature while still infused by a youthful creative energy.
It is experimental and contemporary, yet fun and accessible. If you never saw a contemporary dance performance, this might be a great way to fall in love with the poetry of the movement.
ABOUT BROWNBODY
Grounded in African diasporic perspectives, under the artistic direction of choreographer and founder Deneane Richburg, Brownbody builds artistic experiences that disrupt biased narratives and prompts audiences to engage as active participants in the journey. Blending modern dance, theater, social justice and skating since 2007, Brownbody brings stories/topics important to diasporic communities from the peripheries of mainstream consciousness to “center stage” thereby expanding horizons and changing perspectives, and making the ice welcoming to communities of color.
“Through our programming we witness, reflect, dialogue, dance, and heal as we assess if our perspectives stem from destructive historic ideologies and learn how to disempower these belief systems leading to self-defined nourishing change.”
Brownbody’s programming is designed to awaken connections to the histories and topics relevant to individuals of color through artistic productions and workshops and they strive to make the ice welcoming to communities of color. While there have been African-American pioneers on the ice, skating is still predominantly white. Lack of role models and the associated expense put skating out of consideration for many individuals of color, leading directly to under-representation in the field. Therefore, Brownbody presents work that features professional skaters of color—creating a space where audiences of color see powerful representations of themselves on the ice. In addition to engaging a Black cast, Brownbody is increasing access and training a new generation of skaters by offering pay-as-able skating lessons for communities of color. For more information, visit brownbody.org.
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