Amanda Sachs.

Amanda grew up in New Jersey studying R.A.D before moving to San Francisco for the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program. In 2014, Sachs joined The Francesca Harper Project in NYC, and in 2017 joined TU Dance in MN, where she performed Alvin Ailey’s solo Witness and Night Creature, Walking with Pearl: Africa Diaries by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, and numerous other works. She is an original member of Come Through, produced by Liquid Music in collaboration with Grammy-winning musician Bon Iver and TU Dance. She is featured in Bon Iver’s Naeem and We lyric videos and has performed at the Bonnaroo and Eaux Claires music festivals. Sachs joined NW Dance Project in Portland in 2021, where she performed works by Ihsan Rustem, Yin Yue, Joseph Hernandez, Sarah Slipper, and Luca Veggetti. She performed locally with Honeyworks and Hatch Dance for their Live @ The Shed series in 2021 and 2022. Sachs premiered in Ashwini Ramaswamy’s Invisible Cities as well as Cold Air Rises by Ben Frost as part of The Great Northern Festival in Minnesota. In 2023, she made her opera debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago this Spring in Carmen and joined PARA.MAR, performing original works by Helen Simoneau and Stephanie Martinez.

WORK DESCRIPTION

This work will use contemporary techniques to investigate moving collectively. How can we shift as an ensemble from herd mentality to individuality quickly and efficiently? There will be choreographed phrases to learn and opportunities to generate movement through various guided tasks and improvisation. I hope to share an experience of visceral joy through effort and active mind engagement during the process and performance.  

REHEARSALS

Monday: 7:00 – 8:30 pm | in-person: Studio 4A at Zenon Dance School.  

Amanda Sachs photo by William Cameron Photography

Shannon Hartle Dolan.

Shannon is from Des Moines, Iowa where she started her dance training at a young age. Shannon graduated high school early to attend Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary Trainee Program in NYC before attending college. She graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a BFA in Dance, Minor in Communication Studies, and a Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship. During her time at UIowa, she was an active performer and was lucky to travel the country to perform many of her professor’s work. Now, she resides in the Twin Cities area and is a company member with Threads Dance Project and Ruby Josephine Dance Theatre and actively participates in project-based work and teaches throughout the cities. 

WORK DESCRIPTION

This work will be an exploration of individuality within the context of a group. I am interested in discovering ways to be ourselves within the rule’s society gives us. I am interested in people and moments that shape who we are; for good and for bad. I am interested in the landmarks in our lives where we can pinpoint why we are who we are.

Using the statements above, we will learn and generate movement. Through unison phrases, we will play with uniqueness within togetherness. Though guided movement generation, dancers will create individual phrases which will be shaped and changed as they are influenced by those around them.

REHEARSALS

Tuesday: 5:30 – 7:00 pm | in-person: Studio 4B at Zenon Dance School.  

Shannon Hartle Dolan photo by William Cameron Photography