Happy Birthday, Merce, and Other Daily Inspirations This Week

Greetings from my home office, where I can see that the snow is melting. I’m ending my first Twin Cities winter and still getting used to the idea that sometimes it snows in April. For me, the snowy days this week have required some extra inspiration. Here, for you, are our Northrop highlights from this week for the Daily Inspirations:

To keep your body moving, LINES Dance Center (home of Alonzo King LINES Ballet, last seen at Northrop in May 2018) has an extensive online class offering. Weekly classes include Ballet, Horton (Lester Horton was one of Alvin Ailey's mentors - the Ailey company trains extensively in this technique), jazz, and Egyptian-style belly dance!

For your viewing pleasure, visit the Ballet Hispanico Vimeo channel. The videos include several excerpts from the choreographers featured in the company’s Northrop debut in October 2018 as well as a virtual tour of the company’s studios which I had the pleasure of visiting in January, back when travel was a routine part of my job.

Our friends at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra have made a selection of concerts available online in both video and audio formats. I’ve been listening to their recordings of Jessie Montgomery’s music when I’m not on Zoom meetings.

Merce Cunningham was born 101 years ago Thursday. We wished Merce a Happy Birthday with this mini-documentary produced by the Walker Art Center. The Walker has been our partner for decades, co-hosting presentations with us including the Cunningham company and many others, and we are ready to make some collaborative magic with them again when we can get back into the theater.  

And finally, to fill your weekend with innovative performances, all of the videos at On The Boards TV are free this month. You do have to complete their checkout process, using the code ARTATHOME20 to get the full discount, but it’s worth it. Artists with shows available this month include Northrop favorites A.I.M by Kyle Abraham in Where the Wolves Came In and Kidd Pivot in Dark Matters. 

Thanks for staying connected with us, and know that all of us at Northrop are planning, sometimes patiently and sometimes with anxious excitement, for the time when we can see each other safely in the theater again. Until then, we’ll keep providing these links to help you stay inspired. “See” you next week...