Atrek St. Louis Dance Collective |

9th Annual Impulse Dance Festival
COMPLETED 2008:

Mathew Janczewski (Arena Dances, Artistic Director)
Mathew Janczewski is a Chicago native who
began his early dance training at DanceCenter North. At age 19, he moved to the Twin Cities and began his training at the University of Minnesota. There he performed in the works of Doug Varone, Bill T. Jones, Mark Morris, Bebe Miller, Merce Cunningham and many more. He received his BFA in Dance in 1994. Mathew has danced with a variety of Minnesota choreographers, including Beth Corning, Shawn McConneloug, Robin Stiehm and Cathy Young. He was a company member of Shapiro & Smith Dance and JAZZDANCE! by Danny Buraczeski for five years with both companies.

Since 1992, Mathew has choreographed more than 30 contemporary works. His continued studies of ballet, hip-hop, yoga, tai-chi and modern dance continue to influence his blend of movement. In 2005 Mathew joined forces with Theater Latte Da and choreographed an original dance theater work Bankrupt City Ballad to a live big band; with text by Kira Obolensky and directed by Peter Rothstein. Following Ugly at the Walker Art Center, Mathew will be choreographing for the Minnesota Opera’s production of Rusalka in April of 2008. ARENA is in the studio as well remounting the 2001 show waterBRIDGE taking place at the Southern Theater May 8-10, 2008 and a show at the Southern in October with the string quartet, ETHEL.

Over the years Mathew has been recognized by the McKnight and Jerome Foundation, Land O’ Lakes Foundation, Target Foundation, Faegre & Benson Foundation, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, the Minnesota State Arts Board, and the Foundation for Contemporary Performing Arts, receiving General Operating Support and Artists Fellowships to create and explore new works. Mathew received a 2005 Sage Award for “outstanding performance” for Solo Lounge. Mathew Janczewski is a recipient of a 2005 McKnight Artist Fellowship for Choreographers, administered by the Southern Theater and funded by the McKnight Foundation. In Fall 2006 ARENA celebrated its Tenth year Anniversary at the Southern Theater.

Several companies in the United States have performed Mathew’s distinctive movement. Special projects and commissions have included choreography for the Repertory Project of Cleveland, St. Olaf College, St. Paul Conservatory for the Arts,Gustavus Adolphus College, Macalester College, Hamline University, State University of New York - Potsdam, State University of New York - Brockport, Carleton College, University of Minnesota, Perpich Center for the Arts, Walker Art Center, and Zenon Dance Company and School.

Jon Lehrer (LehrerDance, Artistic Director)
Prior to launching his company, Jon was the Associate Director and Resident Choreographer of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago (GJDC). He has also danced professionally with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, John Passafiume Dancers, Merv Griffin's “Funderful” , and in the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular.

Jon has created works for companies around the world including GJDC, Thodos Dance Chicago, Instruments of Movement, Momenta Dance Theatre, Dancers from the Joffrey Ballet, Le Jazz Groupe from Monterrey, Mexico, and Kannon Dance of St. Petersburg, Russia. Jon has also set work at the University at Buffalo, University of Nevada Las Vegas, University of Nevada Reno, East Central University, Northern Illinois University and others. In 2002 Jon was one of four Chicago choreographers selected to participate in the first ever Dance Chicago Choreography Project.

Jon is on the Advisory Board of Dance Spirit Magazine and was featured on the November 2007 cover of Dance Teacher Magazine. He continues to teach master classes throughout the U.S. and around the world, is on the faculty of the Jazz Dance World Congress, Dance Masters of America, Chicago National Association of Dance Masters, Chicago Dance Connection, and is a guest artist at numerous colleges around the country

Jon's Class Description: these classes will focus on the 4 main elements of the LehrerDance style: Circularity, Momentum, 3-Dimensionality, and Athleticism. Dancers will experience a class that engages their entire physicality, combining elements of ballet, modern, and jazz to achieve a more efficient and engrossing method of movement and expression. More Info on Jon Lehrer, LehrerDance and company members.

Theodore Krzykowski is from Marcellus, NY and began formal dance training at the age of 19 with Absolute Dance Company in Auburn, NY. Prior to this, Ted studied gymnastics at CNY Gymnastics and West Side Gymnastics in Syracuse, NY. In 2006 Ted spent the summer in Seattle, WA at the United Stuntman Association where he earned his certification as a trained stuntman from the world renowned David Boucher. This varied training has enhanced Ted’s reputation as an accomplished break-dancer performing in many events, competitions, and promotions throughout Western, NY. Most recently, Ted's high level break-dancing and gymnastic ability won him the Lipton Iced Tea "Free Your Y" video competition on YouTube. You can see Ted's winning video on YouTube under "ted krueger". Ted is honored to be a part of LehrerDance, and is proud that his diverse background contributes to the growth of the company.

In Ted's class, the dancer will learn the basic principles of break dancing. The class will offer the dancer the opportunity to expand their technique through an exploration of the whole body movements fundamental to the breakdancing vocabulary.

Lehrer Dance Workshops
Fri July 18, 2008, 11am-12pm
Partnering
Learn how to partner like LehrerDance, and "happily invade each other’s space to connect, break apart, and recombine with daring speed and high-flying abandon." (Dance Magazine) This athletic partnering class will utilize the physics of balance, weight transfer, momentum, and circularity to enable you to execute physically exciting movement with one or more partners.

Sat July 19, 2008, 11am- 1:30pm
Choreography
Find your voice through various improv exercises that focus on the human act of conversation. The class will explore how to take an everyday conversation and extrapolate movement that is fresh, organic, and useful. The idea is to find your choreographic voice from a natural place rather than a preconceived notion on what movement should be.

Workshops with Mathew Janczewski
Sat July 26, 2008, 11am- 1:30pm
Partnering/Contact Improvisation
Dancers will play with sharing of weight and explore how to use bends and folds to move in contact with the space around you as well as with dance partners.

Sat July 26, 3-5:30
Choreography
Choreographers will be asked to play with different paths or ways of getting to a desired concept: d ynamics, time, space, attack. We will also consider that "the body doesn't lie" and explore how this affects choreography.