MTI Late FALL 2025

PHYSICAL PERSPECTIVES

A MOVEMENT SAMPLER SERIES ft. KT SHORB, JULIA GAY, & ANANYA DANCE THEATRE

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A LA CARTE CROSS TRAINING FOR ACTORS & DANCERS

This November and December, explore the connection between intention, character, and movement with a la carte MTI classes by kt shorb, Julia Gay, and Ananya Dance Theatre’s Kealoha Ferreira. Participants need not have experience in the style or method—these classes are meant to explore.

This series is designed for aspiring or working theater artists (16+) in the global majority. Classes vary in location and tuition, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Nov 9 update: Musical Theater or Tap with Rush Benson has been canceled due to a scheduling conflict. We apologize for the change in curriculum!

From 7-9 pm CT: How do we cultivate presence onstage? How do we support our intuitive acting decisions while remaining collaborative and open to direction? How can we learn to be both intensely present while also observing ourselves and scene partners? How do we experience both freedom and discipline simultaneously? What is the equivalent to "playing scales" for an actor? Combining aspects of the physically rigorous, forms-based Suzuki Method with the open-yet-structured approach to improvisatory time and space via Anne Bogart's Viewpoints, actors learn to hone their storytelling bodies.
SUGGESTED TUITION: $50 total
LOCATION: Collide Theatrical Studio
ATTIRE: movement wear (NO JEANS), socks with no holes (or cotton tabi), shorts that show the knees, potentially a change of long pants, water, a small hand towel for people who tend to sweat a lot.
From 7-9 pm CT: Join Julia for an immersive two-part workshop, tailored for BIPOC artists, where we will delve into the art of storytelling through movement. Participants will engage in writing exercises, movement explorations, and story circles, guiding them in crafting their personal narratives and translating those stories into movement. Together, we’ll uncover the profound connections between voice, body, and identity in a nurturing and generative environment. No prior dance experience is necessary—just an open heart and a willingness to explore! This course requires attendance at both sessions.

SUGGESTED TUITION: $50 total
LOCATION: Collide Theatrical Studio
ATTIRE: Clothing and shoes in which you can experience cardio and full range of motion.
From 7-8:30 pm CT: In this addictively energizing class, participants will experience the foundational elements of Yorchhā, Ananya Dance Theatre’s (ADT’s) transnational feminist technique, through an innovative, experimental framework we are calling the Juggaad method. Together, we will move across the space in rhythmic sequences that incrementally build in complexity and energy, while amplifying joyful connection and collective power.
Ananya Dance Theatre is a company of BIPOC women and femme cultural activists, dancing at the intersection of artistic excellence and social justice.
Yorchhā is ADT’s trademarked contemporary technique which stems from vinyasa yoga, Odissi dance, and chhau martial art.
SUGGESTED TUITION: $25
LOCATION: Ananya Dance Theatre
ATTIRE: Wear clothing in which you can experience cardio and full range of motion. Yorchhā is performed barefoot, but if you need to wear shoes or socks for health reasons, please contact Kealoha before class on Monday at kealoha.ferreira@ananyadancetheatre.org.

GENERAL INFORMATION

DATES

Mondays, Nov 24 & Dec 1, from 7-9 pm CT
Cultivating Presence for Actors with kt shorb

Tuesdays, Dec 2 & 9, from 7-9 pm CT
Our Stories in Motion: Bridging Body & Voice with Julia Gay

Monday, Dec 8, from 7-8:30 pm CT
Yorchhā Juggaad with Ananya Dance Theatre’s Kealoha Ferreira

LOCATION

Collide Theatrical, 755 Prior Ave N #235H, Saint Paul, MN 55104: class with kt shorb and Julia Gay

Ananya Dance Theatre, 1197 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55104: class with Kealoha Ferreira

TUITION

Suggested tuition ranges from $15-$50 and is listed under each individual class description. No one will be turned away for lack of funds, so you will see a Pay As You Are sliding scale as you register. Payment is made when you register for the class. Send payment inquiries to info@theatermu.org.

ABOUT THE TEACHING ARTISTS

KEALOHA FERREIRA (she/her) is a Kanaka Maoli, Filipino, Chinese dance artist from Nuʻuanu, Oʻahu, now residing in Mni Sóta Makoce on the unceded lands of the Dakhóta Oyáte. She celebrates her 12th season with Ananya Dance Theatre after joining as a company artist in 2013 and being named artistic associate in 2018. Kealoha is a McKnight dancer fellow (2024) and selected artist for Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation’s Art in This Present Moment Initiative (2025). In spring 2025, she worked as assistant to the choreographer in the world premiere of Theater Mu’s Fifty Boxes of Earth. Kealoha teaches yoga as associate faculty in the UMN theater arts and dance department, and a range of classes at Ananya Dance Theatre's Shawngrām Institute for Performance & Social Justice.

JULIA GAY (she/they) is a dancer, writer, and community organizer dedicated to uplifting the intersections of justice, healing, and the arts. She serves as the community development program manager at Springboard for the Arts and is a ballroom instructor at Dancers Studio in Saint Paul. From 2016 to 2020, she danced with Ananya Dance Theatre, performing and training in the contemporary Indian dance form of Yorchhā. Her one-woman show, Motherlanded, which explores her journey as a Chinese adoptee, premiered in 2016 and was remounted in October 2019. | juliagay.com.

KT SHORB (they/them) is a director, actor, and scholar. They began training in Suzuki and Viewpoints in 2008. Since then, they have travelled to Japan twice to work with Tadashi Suzuki, as well as participated in multiple advanced Viewpoints training with Anne Bogart and the SITI Company. kt is currently the vice president for the Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists as well as an assistant professor in the theater and dance department at Macalester College.