In collaboration with ISD 191 Community Education, Youth Dance Ensemble has sponsored the MODERN DANCE PROJECT since 2015. Participants, in grades 6-8 from Eagle Ridge and Nicollet Middle Schools, attended the eight-week program featuring teaching artists from the Twin Cities. Stay tuned for this year's teaching artists. Follow us on instagram at @moderndanceproject.
Modern Dance Project Community Concerts
Friday, March 7th, 2025 at 7:00pm
Saturday, March 8th, 2025 at 2:00pm
Mraz Center at Burnsville High School
This performance is "pay as you are able."
Friday, March 7th, 2025 at 7:00pm
Saturday, March 8th, 2025 at 2:00pm
Mraz Center at Burnsville High School
This performance is "pay as you are able."
Interested in performing at the Community Concert? Email info@ydeschool.com for more information!
DARRIUS STRONG, TEACHING ARTIST
Darrius Strong is a 2015 graduate of the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities campus). He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance. Strong is currently a Twin Cities based choreographer, dancer, and educator whose creative work has been chosen for the Walker Arts Center Choreographers Evening, Rhythmically Speaking, The American College Dance Festival, and was featured in the New Griots Festival at the Phoenix Theater, Minneapolis. Strong has created works for Threads Dance Project, Flying Foot Forum, Alternative Motion Projects, St. Olaf College, Macalester College, Hamline University, St. Paul Conservatory Performing Arts, and many more high schools in Minnesota. He also shared a few evenings of work titled Ipseity, Access Granted, and more recently was commissioned to create a 35-minute work for the 2017 Momentum New Works Dance series. In 2016 Strong was featured in an NYC Time Square Bill Board for American Standards. Strong also served as a 2016 Sage Award panelist and for the Metropolitan Regional Arts in 2017. Strong developed his own dance company STRONGmovement in 2015. He is also on faculty at St. Paul Conservatory Performing Arts High School, TU Dance Center, and Eleve Performing Arts Center where he focuses on teaching young dancers how to connect their identity to movement. Strong is also a company member of Black Label Movement Dance Company.
Darrius Strong is a 2015 graduate of the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities campus). He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance. Strong is currently a Twin Cities based choreographer, dancer, and educator whose creative work has been chosen for the Walker Arts Center Choreographers Evening, Rhythmically Speaking, The American College Dance Festival, and was featured in the New Griots Festival at the Phoenix Theater, Minneapolis. Strong has created works for Threads Dance Project, Flying Foot Forum, Alternative Motion Projects, St. Olaf College, Macalester College, Hamline University, St. Paul Conservatory Performing Arts, and many more high schools in Minnesota. He also shared a few evenings of work titled Ipseity, Access Granted, and more recently was commissioned to create a 35-minute work for the 2017 Momentum New Works Dance series. In 2016 Strong was featured in an NYC Time Square Bill Board for American Standards. Strong also served as a 2016 Sage Award panelist and for the Metropolitan Regional Arts in 2017. Strong developed his own dance company STRONGmovement in 2015. He is also on faculty at St. Paul Conservatory Performing Arts High School, TU Dance Center, and Eleve Performing Arts Center where he focuses on teaching young dancers how to connect their identity to movement. Strong is also a company member of Black Label Movement Dance Company.
HALEY JENSEN, TEACHING ARTIST
Haley Jensen is a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer based in the Twin Cities. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Illinois- Urbana Champaign in 2015. While at UIUC she had the pleasure of working with professors, Tere O’Connor, Renee Wadleigh, Cynthia Oliver, and Jennifer Monson. Ms. Jensen was selected as the only undergraduate dancer in the program to accompany professor/choreographer, Linda Lehovec, to Santiago, Chile to perform work internationally. Ms. Jensen instructs Modern and Jazz classes throughout the Twin Cities where she is most known for her work with dancers ages 12-18. In 2016, Ms. Jensen held the position of Project Liaison with the MODERN DANCE PROJECT. In this position, she was responsible for overall coordination of choreography retention, rehearsals, and production of the Community Concert. In 2018, based on requests from returning MODERN DANCE PROJECT participants, Ms Jensen was selected as a Teaching Artist where she instructed modern dance technique and choreographed SOUND BEING for the Community Concert. Additional works by Ms. Jensen have been seen at Apple Valley High School, Youth Dance Ensemble, The Southern Theater and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (University of Illinois). Ms. Jensen is currently a member of Eclectic Edge Ensemble and most recently performed All Together Now for Rhythmically Speaking with Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner.
Haley Jensen is a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer based in the Twin Cities. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Illinois- Urbana Champaign in 2015. While at UIUC she had the pleasure of working with professors, Tere O’Connor, Renee Wadleigh, Cynthia Oliver, and Jennifer Monson. Ms. Jensen was selected as the only undergraduate dancer in the program to accompany professor/choreographer, Linda Lehovec, to Santiago, Chile to perform work internationally. Ms. Jensen instructs Modern and Jazz classes throughout the Twin Cities where she is most known for her work with dancers ages 12-18. In 2016, Ms. Jensen held the position of Project Liaison with the MODERN DANCE PROJECT. In this position, she was responsible for overall coordination of choreography retention, rehearsals, and production of the Community Concert. In 2018, based on requests from returning MODERN DANCE PROJECT participants, Ms Jensen was selected as a Teaching Artist where she instructed modern dance technique and choreographed SOUND BEING for the Community Concert. Additional works by Ms. Jensen have been seen at Apple Valley High School, Youth Dance Ensemble, The Southern Theater and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (University of Illinois). Ms. Jensen is currently a member of Eclectic Edge Ensemble and most recently performed All Together Now for Rhythmically Speaking with Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner.
BEKAH BERRY, PROGRAM DIRECTOR Bekah Berry is the Associate Director at Youth Dance Ensemble, coach of the Burnsville Swing Team, and a choreographer throughout the Twin Cities. Her passion for dance and young people collides at Youth Dance Ensemble where she teaches ages 3-18. Growing up in Burnsville, she was active in the community, and in school where she danced with Youth Dance Ensemble, Burnsville Swing, and NHS and BHS theater productions. How fun to return to her hometown to give back to the places that shaped her! She received her Bachelor of Performing Arts degree from Oklahoma City University where she specialized in Dance Performance. She spent recent years in New York City where she trained young artists at Artistree Performing Arts and directed and produced the Campy Cabaret. She was also cast as the Female Swing in The Ordway's 42nd Street, choreographed by Tony-Nominated Jared Grimes. Favorite creative projects include: Jesus Christ Superstar (Lake Harriet Players), White Christmas (Duluth Playhouse), the world premiere of What Do You Do With an Idea? (Stages Theater Company), and Modern Dance Project (Youth Dance Ensemble). Bekah loves working with each student who passes through MDP and is inspired by the creativity and boldness that she sees every time the music plays!
