FAQ
Festival Location:
Lake Harriet Rose Garden
Lyndale Park Gardens address:
4124 Roseway Road, Minneapolis 55409.
Yelp 5 Star ***** Review by Jessica S:
"A perfect (FREE) outdoor outing on a beautiful summer night. This dance festival is located at Lyndale Rose Garden, a gorgeous and well-maintained floral, grassy park right next to Lake Harriet. I am far from an enthusiast of dance (or any arts for that matter), but the performances (a series of about 10, 5 minutes each) were lively and diverse and held my interest. It was fun to relax, sprawled on a blanket in the park (others brought lawn chairs and picnics), and see the different types of dance, many modern forms but some more traditional. I would definitely recommend." Link to Yelp review:
Location Map:
Lyndale Park Gardens
Southwest Journal Article by Jim Walsh:
Publish Date: July 17, 2014
"LUCKY US"
There, flitting upon the July grass amidst the rose bushes, bunnies, and birds, were modern dancers telling the story of the human condition with precise, passionate movement. I stopped, stared, and held my breath. The dancers of all ages and styles were accompanied by live and recorded jazz, classical, rock, and hip-hop, and their sunset-kissed bodies melded with the earth easily, naturally, magnificently.
I later learned they were part of the Christopher Watson Dance Company’s 13th annual Dances at the Lakes Festival, which featured professional and student dancers from Minnesota and California, culled from modern dance companies such as Anda Flamenco, Ballet Arts Youth Ensemble, Young Dance, Youth Dance Ensemble, Ballare Teatro Performing Arts Center, Brownbody, and Kinetic Evolutions.
As I stood there, eyewitness to a display of timeless human grace straight out of ancient Greece or Stonehenge, I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful moment or a more perfect setting, and I had one thought wash over me:
How did we get so lucky?
....those dancers and musicians rekindled something in me that not even silence or a spiritual practice can, and I plan to carry its grace with me always.
Dances at the
Lake
Festival
History:
The Lake Harriet Rose Garden is stunning in summer and the perfect place for the Dances at the Lake Festival. This festival is modeled after a sister dance festival held annually on the Duluth LakeWalk. These Festivals each feature more than a dozen dance companies and individual artists, including youth ensembles, performing two nights in various forms of dance.
Founded by the Christopher Watson Dance Company, this festival is now produced by the Ray Terrill Dance Group and funded by the Raymond D. Terrill Charitable Fund. 2022 will be our 20th season, after 2 years of pandemic suspension. Dancers hail from Minnesota, nearby states and occasionally international, to perform for the greater Twin Cities audience. This FREE outdoor event is a great way to introduce anyone to contemporary and other forms of dance.
Arrive early, bring a blanket or portable lawn chair and picnic baskets welcome!