Performance Transcript: Opening Remarks

Hello everyone, and welcome to Northrop. My name is Kristen Brogdon. I’m Northrop’s director of artistic and community programs, and I’m delighted to welcome you. 

Before we begin, I first want to acknowledge that the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is built within the traditional, ancestral and contemporary homelands of Dakota people. This land acknowledgment is one of the ways in which we work to educate the campus and community about this land and our relationships with it and each other. I hope you’ll find time to visit our exhibit Why Canoes in our upstairs gallery to learn more about three Indigenous communities in Minnesota.

Today, Northrop is incredibly honored to host you and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. We’re excited to spend the weekend together with two Beethoven symphonies, and I’m delighted that we have live music for this performance, played by the Minneapolis STRINGenius Symphony. Thank you also to our lobby musicians Murah Hsuing, Brianna Talusan, and Ash Wood [Saturday only]. 

There is a sensory lounge this evening if at any point you or your guests need a break outside the theater space. 

We respectfully request no photo or video this evening.

Our next ballet event at Northrop will be 10,000 Dreams: A Celebration of Asian Choreography on April 12 & 13, and we hope we’ll see you again soon. I also extend a warm welcome to all of the dance, music, and French classes here as part of Northrop Across Campus.

Northrop is grateful that this performance is sponsored by PNC Bank and is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

We’re also thankful for our audience and so happy you are here with us. Please join me in a warm Northrop welcome for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.