in:habit

An evening of new dance works by Erinn Liebhard, exploring habit via repetition in jazz-influenced electronic music

WHEN: 4/23, 4/30 and 5/7 @ 7:30pm
TICKETS: $13 advance/$15 at door (tickets – 4/23/ 4/30/ 5/7)
WHERE: Icehouse (Mpls, MN) – One of the Twin Cities’ premiere music venues, the Icehouse also has an excellent food and cocktail menu, so come early for dinner and stay for the show! Note: If you wish to have reserved seats along with your tickets, please call the venue at 612-276-6523, and leave ample time night-of to park!

In her first evening of all her own work in the Twin Cities, choreographer Erinn Liebhard and a cast of seven dynamic local dance artists explore how habit can positively and negatively affect people, a concept brought into focus by the repetition found in groove and jazz-influenced electronic music. With personal aspects explored through improvisation and social aspects highlighted by Icehouse’s atmosphere, the audience is encouraged to enjoy a drink and stick around to get their groove on at popular venue dance night Nightchain.

Live out of town, can’t make it or wish to support the show beyond the price of your ticket?  Donate to our Indiegogo campaign – we could sure use it! Check out our out-of-towner option for ‘seeing’ the show 🙂

To learn more about the content of the show, visit this research document that compiles Erinn’s resources and some of her notes, and watch this interview!

PEOPLE:
Choreographer: Erinn Liebhard with dancers
Cast: Genevieve D. Johnson, O’Calla Joslyn, Erinn Liebhard and Crissy Tolson with Rush Benson, Ali Higginbotham, Amy Jones and Sydney Swanson
Lighting Designer: Ian Knodel
Photographer: Jillian Bell
Videographer: Ben McGinley
Graphic Designer: Jaime Willems
Costume Construction: Joy Liebhard

Special thanks to James Buckley and The Icehouse crew, Ian Knodel and Joy and Wayne Liebhard, Zenon Dance Company and School, the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts, all of our donors, and to the dancers: without their beautiful spiritedness and dedication, none of this would have been possible.

BIOS:

Erinn Liebhard (BFA University of Minnesota, MFA University of Colorado Boulder): is a dance artist making opportunities for people to experience the embodiment of music, with a specialty in jazz and the American vernacular. Her own choreography has been presented across the U.S. and Canada, and is the Artistic Director of Rhythmically Speaking, a jazz and American vernacular dance presenting organization. She’s worked with creatives as varied as hip-hop artist Rennie Harris and the Wild Goose Chase Cloggers, and is currently a company member of Contempo Physical Dance (Afro-Brazilian contemporary), a freelance performer and plays “Nerdette” as a member of Saint Paul Saints Baseball’s Entertainment Team. Also an active educator, Erinn is faculty at Winona State University and a Teaching Artist for the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts (MN).

Rush Benson: graduated with a B.A. in Theatre and Dance from Gustavus Adolphus College and is currently a company member with the Flying Foot Forum directed by Joe Chvala. He works as a musical theater choreographer with area schools and has performed works by numerous national and international choreographers throughout the Twin Cities and beyond, with groups including Park Square Theater, The Guthrie, The Ordway and The Old Log Theater, James Sewell Ballet, Collide Theatrical Dance Company, Bloomington Civic Theater, Minnesota Dance Theater and Keane Sense of Rhythm Tap Company. Rush teaches regularly at Zenon Dance School in Minneapolis, and enjoys a solid jam session, ciphers, colored pencils, animals, nature, and the feeling you get from a deep intellectual discussion.

Ali Higginbotham: a proud Minnesota native, grew up dancing at the DanceXchange in Edina and went on to attend the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists where she had the opportunity to train with many renown Twin Cities artists. She has performed works by Carl Flink, Wynn Fricke, Angharad Davies and Joanie Smith. Currently, Ali is pursuing a dance degree at the University of Minnesota and is the artistic director of Agape Dance Collective, a Twin Cities based Christian dance group. She is wild about Jesus, dance and music and is thankful for the wonderful opportunity to perform in Erinn’s rhythmic and pulsating work.

Genevieve D. Johnson: is a proud mother of one, feeling inspired to move every day because of her incredible son. Trained classical, contemporary and American vernacular dance forms over the past 3 decades, she has also been teaching, choreographing and producing dance for 18 years. Genevieve most recently appeared in “Rhythmically Speaking 2016” and Bryant Lake Bowl’s “9×22 Dance/Lab: February 2017,” and has appeared in music videos with Brian Evans for local band “Meridian Incident.” Genevieve is thrilled to be living in Minneapolis surrounded by art, culture and new opportunities for her family!

Amy Jones: has performed in Minneapolis and New York and holds degrees in Theatre/Dance and Management from Luther College. Her dance credits include Rhythmically Speaking, AMP, Still Life by Morgan Thorson, Opera at Bard Summerscape by Noemie LaFrance, an American Standard billboard in Times Square, and The Mystic Dancers. Amy loves performing with this crew for in:habit! 

O’Calla Joslyn: completed an IDIM including dance and theatre arts at the University of MN in 2003. The IDIM was inspired by work she was already doing with Revolution Youth Theatre, which she co-founded and choreographed for. She began teaching at studios and working with dance in the entertainment sector after college, choreographing and performing for dance nights and special events for First Avenue and Enticing Entertainment. Aside from entertainment work, she has also danced for April Sellers Dance Collective. She has truly enjoyed working with Erinn Liebhard in her current work.

Sydney Swanson: is a dancer based in Winona, MN and is excited to be a part of Erinn’s showin:habit. She has had the pleasure of working with Erinn in previous works such as Circus McGurkus with Mike’s Brass, and in her previous rendition of …thWUmp.. at Winona State University. Sydney was recently a guest performer in Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater’s evening work Matinee and feels fortunate to be involved with shows around Minneapolis.

Crissy Tolson: is super excited to be grooving with Erinn again in in:habit! She is a founding company member of Borealis Dance and has also worked with other choreographers in the Minneapolis community such as Elise Martin, Missa Kes and Non Edwards. She is a graduate of George Mason University’s Dance Program.

Ian Knodel (Lighting Designer): designs lighting and projection for dance, theatre, music, interactive environments and a host of other mediums. in:habit marks his second collaboration with Erinn, and he couldn’t be more humbled to support the innovative and exciting work of this artist and these dancers. Ian is passionate about the integration of technology in design, the use of projection as a source of illumination, the growth of support and funding for the arts and the belief that everyone has a voice, and the right to be heard. Ian is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and very excited golf season has arrived!