NORTHROP AND ZENON DANCE PRESENT Graham Technique Class
Fri, Feb 6, 6:00-7:30 pm
Zenon Dance School
Free Event, Registration Required, Limited Capacity
Join Ben Schultz of Martha Graham Dance Company for a Graham Technique Class at Zenon Dance — made possible by a partnership between Northrop and Zenon Dance. This 90-minute workshop for intermediate/advanced dancers offers an insider look at the famed physical vocabulary created by Martha Graham. This technique class is designed to give students insight into Graham’s innovations and her concept of “contraction and release,” the foundations of this unique form of physical expression. Previous study of the Graham Technique is not required.
Free for all participants, including University of Minnesota students, faculty and staff. Participants will receive a 50% off discount code to attend Martha Graham Dance Company at Northrop on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
This class has a capacity of 30 students, and registration is required.
Technique Class with Twyla Tharp Dance
Free Event, Registration Required, Limited Capacity
Ben Schultz Bio
Ben Schultz joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 2009 and serves as rehearsal director. He’s danced lead roles including King Hades in “Clytemnestra,” Jason in “Cave of the Heart” and Shaman in “The Rite of Spring.” He premiered Martha Graham’s work in Russia, performing “Errand into the Maze” with prima ballerina Diana Vishneva at the Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg. He’s also performed with Buglisi Dance Theater, Hannah Kahn Dance Company and The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. Currently, he’s on staff at both The Martha Graham School and The Alvin Ailey School teaching the Martha Graham Technique for pre-professional students and divisions.
Know Before You Go
Class Location:
Zenon Dance School
Hennepin Center for the Arts
528 Hennepin Ave St, #430
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Zenon Dance School is located on the 4th floor.
Class Begins: 6:00 pm; Studio 4A available for warm-up at 5:30 pm
Duration: 90 minutes
Parking:
Parking is available in the LOOP Butler Park open-air parking lot on the corner of 1st Avenue and 6th Street (entrances on both 1st Avenue and 6th Street) directly behind Hennepin Center for the Arts. Pay by cash or credit card at the exit. Additional lots and metered street parking are available throughout the neighborhood.
The MetroTransit Light Rail Station nearest Hennepin Center for the Arts is the Warehouse District/Hennepin Avenue Station. Take either the METRO Blue or METRO Green Lines, and then proceed one half-block southwest on Hennepin Avenue. Hennepin Center for the Arts is located on the corner of Hennepin Avenue and 6th Street. For more information or to find your closest bus stop, visit Metro Transit.
Related links:
The Performance at Northrop
Martha Graham Dance Company
2025–26 Northrop Season
Sat, Feb 7, 7:30 pm
Marking the 100th anniversary of Martha Graham Dance Company in 2026, the legendary modern dance company continues its three-year Graham100 tour with a celebratory mixed repertory stop at Northrop. Exemplifying its founder’s timeless and uniquely American style of dance, this once-in-a-lifetime performance honors the theme American Legacies.
The stunning “protest set to banjo” piece (The New York Times) We the People (2024) by Jamar Roberts with music by Rhiannon Giddens; a new work by two-time Bessie Award winner Hope Boykin; and the inimitable Martha Graham classic Appalachian Spring, with music by Aaron Copland; and “Steps in the Street” from Graham’s Chronicle, performed by dancers in the University of Minnesota dance program, round out the repertoire. Known as one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century, Martha Graham’s groundbreaking legacy has inspired generations of artists and continues to captivate audiences worldwide.