| FY25 Summer – Groovers & Makers ’25 & Screen ’25 |
August 14-16, 2025 @ The Southern Theater, Minneapolis MN
Our 2025 Summer production – the 7th in our company format and 17th annual Summer show overall – featured works by Brandi Coleman (Visiting Artist – Dallas TX), Cynthia Gutierrez (Visiting Artist – Spokane, WA), RS Artistic and Executive Director Erinn Liebhard, and Hannah MacKenzie Margulies (Local Artist). The show was performed by RS company dancers Nieya Amezquita, Malia Craft, Jayde Grass, Doug Hooker, Amy Jones, Sara Karimi, Erinn Liebhard, Kelli Miles, Jake Nehrbass, Kathleen Pender and Betsy Schaefer-Roob. Lighting Design and Technical Direction: Mike Grogan, Stage Management: Julie Marie Muskat. Our third bi-annual screening of jazz dance films, in collaboration with the Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema (Boulder, CO), featured the following works: Suspending Disbelief: Distanced Swing (Directed by Kimberley Cooper, Noel Bégin), Echo (Directed by Anthony Morigerato) Spoken Movement Family Honour (Directed by Daniel Gurton), Symphony of Skills (Directed by Karen Wood), Hambone Griot (Directed by Erika Randall), C’est LA Vie (Directed by Sierra Tanji, Colin Harabedian), Convivencia (Directed by John Jota Leaños, Vanessa Sanchez, Fuga Y Misterio (Directed by Martin and Facundo Lombard), From Jazz to Jackboots (Directed by Justin Stephenson) and Cut Me Summa Dat Noise (Directed by Cara Hagan).
| FY25 Winter – The Jazz Standards |
November 16-17, 2024 @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St. Paul MN
The Jazz Standards was a new, original production offering a spirited dance through the culture of standards: personal and social ideals, and, when it comes to jazz, well-known tunes that have stood the test of time and helped define an artistic genre. This show explored the communal nature of standard tunes in jazz like “Basin Street Blues” and “Chameleon,” and the three principles RS holds as standards at the heart of their work in jazz dance – groove, interaction, and improvisation, and featured a live quintet of some of the Twin Cities best gigging jazz musicians.
| FY24 Summer – The Cohort 2024 |
August 15-17, 2024 @ The Southern Theater, Minneapolis MN
This production – the 6th of our Cohort program and 16th annual Summer show overall – featured works by visiting artists Eboné Amos (Clarksville, TN) and Maurice Watson (Greensboro, NC), and local artists Erinn Liebhard (RS Artistic and Executive Director) and Jake Nehrbass (Rhythmically Speaking company member). The show was performed by RS company dancers Nieya Amezquita, Doug Hooker, Amy Jones, Sara Karimi, Erinn Liebhard, Kelli Miles, Javan Mngrezzo, Jake Nehrbass, Kathleen Pender and Betsy Schaefer-Roob. Lighting Design and Technical Direction: Mike Grogan, Stage Management: Sarah Salisbury.
| CHILL: The Entire “Charlie Brown Christmas” Soundtrack, Played Live & Danced! |
December 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023 @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St. Paul MN
CHILL will back BACK December 4-6, 2026 at Amsterdam Bar & Hall!
As the weather chills, our dancers chill into choreography and improvisations set to the groovy jazz tunes of Vince Guaraldi’s playful and nostalgic “Charlie Brown Christmas” soundtrack, played live by local quartet the Jazz Outlaws! As audience favorite CHILL plays at Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St. Paul (home city to Peanuts creator Charles Schultz!), folks are welcomed to come have a meal before the show or a drink during, and kiddos are encouraged! Seating for this unique live holiday music and dance show is first come, first served, so come early. See past coverage in this Press Log.
| FY23 Summer – The Cohort 2023: Stage & Screen |
August 17-19, 2023 @ The Southern Theater, Minneapolis MN
This production – the 5th of our Cohort program and 15th annual Summer show overall – featured stage works by local artists RS Artistic Director Erinn Liebhard and Laura Osterhaus Rosenstone, and visiting artists Cara Hagan (New York City, NY) and Carlos R.A. Jones (Buffalo, NY). The show was performed by company dancers Nieya Amezquita, Doug Hooker, Sara Karimi, Erinn Liebhard, Kelli Miles, Javan Mngrezzo, Jake Nehrbass, Kathleen Pender and Betsy Schaefer-Roob. Lighting Design and Technical Direction: Mike Grogan, Stage Management: Sarah Salisbury. The screen component, in collaboration with Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema, featured work by artists Nadav Herman, Alexis Robbins, Erinn Liebhard, Matthew Olwell, Anthony Morigerato, Taylor Madgett and Yusuf Nasir.
| FY23 Winter – RadioBody: Radiohead Danced and Played in Jazz |
February 10-11th, 2023 @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St. Paul MN
RadioBody: Radiohead Danced and Played in Jazz was a stage show expansion of our 2020 dance film, driven by the toil and triumph embedded in the music of pioneering alt-electronic band Radiohead. Featuring live dance, screen dance and projection designs set to original jazz renditions of Radiohead tunes played live by a quartet of excellent local jazz musicians, this show thrilled dance, jazz and Radiohead lovers alike.
| FY22 Summer – The Cohort 2022: Stage & Screen |
August 11-13 @ The Southern Theater, Minneapolis MN
This production – the fourth Summer show in our company format and 14th overall – featured works by local artists RS Artistic Director Erinn Liebhard and Rae Charles Harge (also an RS Company Member), and visiting artists Kathleen Doherty (Halifax, NS, Canada) and Laura Ann Smyth (Los Angeles, CA). The show was performed by company dancers Nieya Amezquita, Rae Charles Harge, Doug Hooker, Sara Karimi, Erinn Liebhard, Kelli Miles, Javan Mngrezzo, Jake Nerhbass, Kathleen Pender and Betsy Schaefer-Roob. Lighting Design and Technical Direction: Mike Grogan, Stage Management: Sarah Salisbury. Choreographer selection panel: Doug Hooker, Erinn Liebhard and Hannah Elias. This was also our first year producing a screen component of the program, created in collaboration with Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema and held October 23rd at the Showplace ICON Theater in Minneapolis. Details about this screen program can be found here.
| FY22 Winter – Riffin’: A Jazz-Danced Celebration of Human Interaction |
November 3-4, 2021 @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St. Paul MN
We were thrilled to return to live, indoor performance with Riffin’: A Jazz-Danced Celebration of Human Interaction. As a nod to being able to get back together after an extended period of time away from one another, we explored how we humans thrive off interacting with (or riffing off!) not only each other, but also complex rhythms and grooves! In this show, we used our signature groove, interaction and improvisation-based approach to jazz dance to enliven this concept, along with a combo of live jazz musicians led by guitarist and composer Mike Lauer.
| FY21 Summer – The Cohort 20/21: Jazz on Tap |
May 22-23, 2021 @ The Shed (Outdoors) at The Lab Brewery, St. Paul MN
Jazz on Tap – our third Summer show in our company format and 12th overall – was an outdoor, shared bill with Keane Sense of Rhythm tap company, with each group performing three shows in rotation with one another. After a year and a half in Covid limbo, the works by visiting choreographers Dougie Robbins and Ayo Walker, local choreographer Kayla Schiltgen and RS Artistic Director Erinn Liebhard that were selected for The Cohort 2020 finally made it to live performance! This show was performed by company dancers Nieya Amezquita, Doug Hooker, Amy Jones, Sara Karimi, Erinn Liebhard, Kelli Miles, Kathleen Pender and John Surber.
| FY21 Winter – Radiobody: The Screen Edition |
February 12th, 2020 via Zoom Webinars
RadioBody: The Screen Edition was RS A/ED Erinn Liebhard’s first foray into creating a work driven by the toil and triumph embedded in the music of pioneering alt-electronic band Radiohead. The company, like many other dance organizations at this time, focused their efforts on creating a screendance work, which was set to original jazz renditions of Radiohead tunes composed by Mike Lauer and played live by a quartet of excellent local jazz musicians, and was shot outdoors in Minnesota in January 2020 – for those that know our weather, you know that this took COMMITMENT to the craft!
| FY20 Summer – THE COHORT: FROM HOME |
August 14, 2020 via Zoom Webinars
This Covid pivot – which we consider the second Summer show in our company format at 12th overall – featured sneak previews of work by visiting choreographers Dougie Robbins and Ayo Walker, local choreographer Kayla Schiltgen and RS Artistic Director Erinn Liebhard, as well as dancers Nieya Amezquita, Rae Charles, Doug Hooker, Amy Jones, Sara Karimi, Kelli Miles, Kathleen Pender, John Surber and Crissy Tolson, and technical assistance from Luther Bell, Jillian Bell, Hannah Elias Kristine Elias, Brian J. Evans, Kristoffer Olson and Mark Ruark.
| FY19 Summer – Rhythmically Speaking presents . . . The Cohort |
August 15-17, 2019 @ The Southern Theater, Minneapolis MN
This show was the first in our company format and 11th Summer show overall, and featured work by RS Artistic Director Erinn Liebhard with local choreographer Julie Warder and visiting choreographers Rohan Bhargava/ Rovaco Dance (New York, NY) and Pat Taylor/ JazzAntiqua (Los Angeles, CA). Company of local dancers: Nora Anderson, Doug Hooker, Erik Hunder, Sara Karimi, Erinn Liebhard, Kelli Miles, Kathleen Pender, Betsy Schaefer-Roob, Cheng Xiong. Also featured was the beatboxing of Fernando Acevedo (NY), with Lighting Design and Technical Direction by Mike Grogan and Stage Management by Sarah Salisbury. Choreographer selection panel: Brian J. Evans, Erinn Liebhard and Zoe Sealy. Dancer selection panel: Ozzy Dris, Erinn Liebhard, Judith James Ries and Julie Warder. Read more about the show at this Press Log.
. . .
From our founding in 2008, our annual summer productions from 2009 – 2018 – our first ten years of programming – featured 7-9 new and revisited works by primarily local and occasionally visiting choreographers who each had their own cast of dancers. Below are listings of those productions.
| Rhythmically Speaking 10/2018 |
August 16-18, 2018 @ The Southern Theater, Minneapolis MN
Featured work by Gabriel Anderson & Laura Selle-Virtucio, Leila Awadallah, Melissa Clark, Brandi Coleman (Dallas, TX), Karla Grotting, Jolene Konkel, Erinn Liebhard (RS Artistic Director) and Emma Marlar. For more on the show, check out this Press Log.
| Rhythmically Speaking 2017 |
August 17-19, 2017 @ Illusion Theater, Minneapolis MN
Featured work by Karla Grotting, O’Calla Joslyn, Erinn Liebhard (RS Artistic Director), Kaleena Miller, Laura Osterhaus, Jeffrey Peterson (PA) and Abigail Whitmore. For more on the show, check out this Press Log.
| Rhythmically Speaking 2016 |
August 18-20, 2016 @ The Southern Theater, Minneapolis MN
Featured work by Rush Benson, Rae Charles, Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner (OR), Karla Grotting, Erinn Liebhard (RS Artistic Director), Laura Selle-Virtucio and Pat Taylor/ JazzAntiqua Dance Ensemble (CA). For more on this show, check out this Press Log.
| Rhythmically Speaking 2015 |
August 20-22, 2015 @ Bedlam Lowertown, St. Paul MN
Featured work by Rush Benson and Brian Evans, Jennifer Glaws, Sarah Jabar, Keane Sense of Rhythm, Erinn Liebhard, Emily Oleson and Kwame Opare (West Virginia/ D.C.) and Clarence Teeters Jr. (reconstructed by Karla Grotting). For more on this show, check out this Press Log.
| Rhythmically Speaking 2014 |
August 14-16, 2014 @ The Southern Theater, Minneapolis MN
Featured work by Michele Dunleavy, Karla Grotting, B-Boy J-Sun, Erinn Liebhard, Christine Maginnis, Joanne Spencer and Voice of Culture. For more on this show, visit this Press Log.
| Rhythmically Speaking 2013 |
August 15-17, 2013 @ The Southern Theater, Minneapolis MN
Featured work by Yung-Tsi Bolon & Laura Horn, Emily Broeker, Maura Garcia, Karla Grotting, RS Artistic Director Erinn Liebhard, Christine Maginnis and Darrius Strong. For more on this show, visit this Press Log.
| 2012: Rhythmically Speaking presents . . . |
August 16-18, 2012 @ The Southern Theater, Minneapolis MN
Featured work by Deborah Elias, Karla Grotting, Cythnia Gutierrez-Garner, Carrie Lande, RS Artistic Director Erinn Liebhard, Jennifer Mack, Whitney McClusky, J-Sun and Dancin’ Dave and Joanne Spencer. For more on this show, visit this Press Log and check out this KFAI Fresh Air Radio Feature.
| 2011: Rhythmically Speaking presents Groovers & Makers |
August 25-27, 2011 @ The Southern Theater, Minneapolis MN
Featured work by Emily Broeker, Jennifer Glaws, Karla Grotting, Jolene Konkel, Carrie Lande, RS Artistic Director Erinn Liebhard, Jeffrey Peterson, Julie Warder and Cathy Wind. For more on this show, visit this Press Log.
| 2010: Rhythmically Speaking presents Principles of Pulse |
August 19-21, 2010 @ Bedlam Theater, Minneapolis MN
Featured work by Jennifer Glaws, Karla Grotting, Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner, Sarah Jabar, Ellen Keane, RS Artistic Director Erinn Liebhard, Jeffrey Peterson, Kenna Sarge and Karis Sloss. For more on this show, visit this Press Log.
| 2009: Rhythmically Speaking |
August 20-22, 2009 @ Bedlam Theatre, Minneapolis MN
Featured work by Karla Grotting, Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner, Jolene Konkel, RS Co-Artistic Director Erinn Liebhard, Kaleena Miller, Karis Sloss, and RS Co-Artistic Director Heather P. Westerlund.
Rhythmically Speaking 
