Minnesota Dance Theatre Returns to The O’Shaughnessy with a Dazzling, Celebratory Program

Minnesota Dance Theatre (MDT) is pleased to return to The O’Shaughnessy, one of the Twin Cities’ premiere venues for the performing arts, as it celebrates its 60th season. In 1962, MDT helped inaugurate the new stage when they performed at the auditorium that first year. 

Under the direction of Artistic Director Lise Houlton, Early Spring – Masterworks Old & New will feature poignant storytelling along with lush music by Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, and Sir Michael Tippett. With movement ranging from sensuous to athletically ambitious, these compelling dances represent the multi-disciplinary artistry showcasing the adventurous vision of MDT.  

Early Spring – Masterworks, to be held on Saturday, March 5 at 7:30pm and Sunday, March 6 at 2pm, features the following works.

Knoxville, Summer of 1915: In 1975, MDT founder Loyce Houlton combined her choreographic brilliance with Samuel Barber’s rapturous music based on James Agee prose where a story unfolds on a nostalgic summer’s evening. Company dancers will be joined by guest artists Linh Kauffman, soprano, and Tom Linker, pianist. This production includes original set design by Jack Barkla and costumes by Judith Cooper.

Chichester Psalms: VocalEssence invited MDT to return to the stage in a performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, at Orchestra Hall in October 2021. To realize Bernstein’s glorious choral masterpiece, MDT commissioned Minnesota-born/Munich-based Alexander Hille and choreographic assistant Pier Loup Lacour. After emerging from pandemic isolation, the result is a breathtaking mix of jubilance and reflection. 

Alchemical Wedding: Artistic Director Lise Houlton plays in the lyrical radiance of Sir Michael Tippet’s Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli, carrying the energy of alchemy, with symbolic chemistry for three couples in ambiguous interplay. 

The dance program features the talents of MDT company dancers: Brennan Benson, Katelyn Boche, Elissa Fonseca, Sarah Jordan, Jared Kelly, Jacob Lewis, Sam Neale, Adrián Pastén, Solana Temple Nelson and Zachary Tuazon. 

Tickets for MDT Early Spring – Masterworks are $35-$45. For more information and tickets, contact The O’Shaughnessy Ticket Office at 651-690-6700. The ticket office is located on the main campus of St. Catherine University at 2004 Randolph Ave. in Saint Paul. Tickets can also be purchased online 24/7 at  https://oshag.stkate.edu

Minnesota Dance Theatre is a nonprofit professional dance company and school founded in 1962 by Loyce Houlton, one of the first American women to gain national and international recognition as a choreographer, teacher, and producer. Since 1995, Lise Houlton has led the organization, which has become one of Minnesota’s cultural treasures and an acclaimed arts leader. To learn more visit https://www.mndance.org/