Minneapolis, Apr. 27, 2016 – The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts and the McKnight Artist Fellowship Program are pleased to present SOLO 2016. SOLO will be presented at The Cowles Center on September 23 and 24 and will feature world premieres by six of the Twin Cities’ finest dancers, winners of the 2014 and 2015 McKnight Dancer Fellowships.

Each year, the McKnight Fellowship Program selects three exceptional dancers to receive a coveted honor: a McKnight Dancer Fellowship. In addition to a cash award, they receive a commission for a new solo dance from a choreographer of their choice, who creates a new work tailored expressly for them. The dance fellows awarded in 2014 and 2015 have selected an amazing and eclectic group of national and international choreographers to bring their choreographic imaginations to The Cowles Center stage. The result is an evening of six world premieres - beautiful, fascinating new works that are diverse in dance style and choreographic voice. Don't miss this watched-for event showcasing truly exceptional talent from the Twin Cities and beyond. This year’s McKnight Dancer Fellows and their commissioned choreographers are:

DANCER FELLOW COMMISSIONED CHOREOGRAPHER

Kenna-Camara Cottman (2014) Deja Stowers (MN)

Brian J. Evans (2015) Tamara Ober (MN)

Kaleena Miller (2015) Derick Grant (NY)

Alanna Morris-Van Tassel (2015) Idan Sharabi (Israel)

Sally Rousse (2014) Arthur Pita (London)

Max Wirsing (2014) Lauren Simpson (CA)

SOLO

Sept. 23 & 24 @ 8:00pm

The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts

Tickets: $25 at 612.206.3600 or thecowlescenter.org

Photos available upon request

About McKnight Fellowships

The McKnight Fellowships for Choreographers and the McKnight Fellowships for Dancers award fellowships to individual mid-career dancers and choreographers who reside in Minnesota. The McKnight Foundation funds individual artist fellowships in 10 program areas. Support for individual artists has been a cornerstone of The McKnight Foundation’s arts program since it began in 1981. The foundation recognizes that the arts cannot flourish or enhance community life without the ideas, energy, and drive of individual artists, and that artists cannot make these contributions without unfettered creative time. The Cowles Center is the administrative home for the McKnight Fellowships for Dancers and Choreographers.

About The Cowles Center

The Cowles Center for Dance & The Performing Arts is the Twin Cities’ flagship for dance in Minnesota. Centrally located in downtown Minneapolis, The Cowles Center includes the refurbished 500-seat Goodale Theater; the former Hennepin Center for the Arts, home to 20 leading dance and performing arts organizations; the state-of-the-art Target Education Studio, housing The Cowles Center’s innovative distance learning program; the Illusion Theater; the James Sewell TEK Box; and the U.S. Bank Atrium. The Cowles Center is a catalyst for the creation, presentation, education, enjoyment and celebration of dance and the performing arts in the Twin Cities.

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