"Little Women" by Collide Theatrical Dance Company at Luminary Arts Center

Louisa May Alcott's beloved 19th Century novel Little Women has been adapted countless times on stage and screen. There are TV miniseries, multiple movies, and several stage adaptations (including by two of America's most produced playwrights, Kate Hamill, commissioned by Jungle Theater, and Lauren Gunderson, coming to the Guthrie this spring). There's even a (not very successful) musical! It seems we just can't get enough of this story of four very different but ultimately loving sisters as they forge their own paths in life. And now we have a new adaptation to add to the list - Collide Theatrical Dance Company's dance piece. Collide has been creating original dance musicals for 13 years, sometimes adaptations, sometimes original stories, always gorgeously choreographed and performed, telling a story theatrically with few words. For their Little Women adaptation, director/ creator/ choreographer Regina Peluso has chosen to give Jo all of the narration and dialogue duties, with the bulk of the story told through dance, which works remarkably well since Jo is the writer telling her family's story. This Little Women is beautiful storytelling that conveys all of the emotions of Alcott's novel. And as it turns out, even (or maybe especially) when this story is told primarily through movement and dance, it still makes me cry. Only six performances remain through this Sunday, so head to Luminary Arts Center in Minneapolis' North Loop neighborhood to spend a little time with the March sisters in a whole new way.

"Dracula" by Collide Theatrical Dance Company at Luminary Arts Center

Just in time for spooky season, Collide Theatrical Dance Company is debuting a new original dance musical based on the original Dracula novel by Bram Stoker. In 2016 they did a version of Dracula set in the modern world, but this is a wholly new production that interprets the novel through the character of Mina, best friend of one of Dracula's victims Lucy. The story is told through voiceover, in which we hear Mina's thoughts and experiences (voiced by Becca Hart), but primarily through dance. A fantastic troupe of ten dancers, performing to recorded tracks of a couple dozen perfectly chosen pop songs, make this iconic story feel new and fun and thrilling. I attended their first preview performance, but the show is already very smooth and polished. Dracula continues Thursdays through Sundays until November 9, including Halloween night, and is a great way to get into the spirit of the season.

"Romeo & Juliet" by Collide Theatrical at Luminary Arts Center

My second Romeo and Juliet of Valentine's Day Weekend (and my 17th lifetime), was a steampunk dance version. And there's no one I would trust to do a steampunk dance version of this classic tragic love story other than Collide Theatrical. They first interpreted R&J in 2014, with two actors reciting some of the dialogue interspersed with dance scenes, which didn't always work. At the time I wrote, "I would love to see them go all the way with the concept and tell the story strictly through dance with little to no dialogue." And that's what they've done here, to great effect. (They also did a version of this show in February 2020 but I missed it, I guess I was too busy in those blissful pre-pan days.) After a bit of an introduction, we're off on the dance train, with the main plot points clearly told through movement and dance (it probably helps that the story is so familiar). Collide's Romeo & Juliet plays for one more weekend at the gorgeous Luminary Arts Center. And if you're on the fence about whether or not to see this oft told story again, here are ten reasons you should.

"Bonnie and Clyde" by Collide Theatrical Dance Company at Luminary Arts Center

Collide Theatrical Dance Company begins their 11th season with a new original jazz dance musical about the notorious 1930s outlaw couple Bonnie and Clyde. Collide uses dance to tell a narrative story in a theatrical way, which gives me an excuse to watch dance (which I usually don't have time to do). As always, the dancing in this show is fantastic (it's a great week for '30s-themed dance shows, see also Some Like It Hot). And while this version of the story might be a little too sympathetic towards these criminals and killers (I don't think their guns went off "accidentally" over a dozen times), it has some interesting things to say about celebrity culture and our glamorization of violence. But mostly, it's just really great dancing. Bonnie and Clyde plays Thursdays through Sundays (plus one Wednesday matinee) until November 3 at the Luminary Arts Center.

"C.L.U.E" by Collide Theatrical Dance Company at the Southern Theater

For their 30th production, Collide Theatrical Dance Company is remounting/revising their 2015 original dance musical C.L.U., now with one letter added to be C.L.U.E. It's a parody of the classic board game (which I spent many hours playing as a kid) and the movie based on it (coincidentally, a new non-musical stage version will be at the Orpheum next week). While the mystery part may be a little thin, the dancing and performances are incredible, and the show is overall a whole lot of fun. Collide lives at the intersection of theater and dance, and as a primarily theater reviewer, it's fun to have an excuse to see some dance, especially when it tells a story in a theatrical way. Embrace the mystery and enjoy the dancing of C.L.U.E. at the Southern Theater (the best venue for dance) now through March 10.

"The Great Gatsby" by Collide Theatrical Dance Company at Luminary Arts Center

To begin their 10th anniversary season, Collide Theatrical Dance Company is not simply remounting their 2018 jazz dance musical adaptation of The Great Gatsby, they're bringing us a new updated version of this familiar story. The narrative structure is different from the previous version, and it's a little longer (about two hours including intermission). But what's the same is the incredible dancing, accompanied by a live band and singers performing well-chosen pop songs. As the name implies, Collide brings us a collision of dance, music, and theater, and conveys story, character, and emotion simply through movement. It's a beautiful thing to witness. You can see it at the gorgeous Luminary Arts Center (formerly the Lab Theater) in Minneapolis' North Loop neighborhood for the next two weekends only.

"SKOL!" by Collide Theatrical Dance Company at the Southern Theater

For their latest original jazz dance musical, Collide Theatrical Dance Company took inspiration from a recent scholarly finding that a 1878 archeological find that was believed to be the body of a Viking warrior is in fact female remains. There is other evidence to support the existence of female Viking warriors, which you can read about here and I'm sure other scholarly sources. Or you can go see SKOL!, which is less historically accurate than it is an imaging of a strong female leader in the Viking culture and its reflections in today's world. For the first time since the pandemic, Collide is returning to live music accompanying the dancing (their last few shows have used recorded music), and for the first time in their history, they're using original music written for this story instead of covers of pop songs. It's an ambitious task, and after 10 years of creating original dance pieces, they're up for it. If you're someone who things dancing warriors is silly, this might not be the show for you. But if you see dance/music/theater as a way to express heightened emotions, the kind that are very much presence in war, love, and family drama, head to the Southern Theater in the next two weeks to see this fun collision of dance, music, and theater to tell a story of female power.

"Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" by Collide Theatrical Dance Company at the Southern Theater

For eight years, Collide Theatrical Dance Company has been creating new dance musicals, either with original stories or based on classic works. Even the pandemic didn't stop them - they presented an outdoor dance cabaret last fall when all of us were starved for live entertainment; produced a Valentine's Day video dance piece; and returned to the outdoor stage this spring for a dance musical based on Alice in Wonderland. Now they're back inside the best dance venue in town, the Southern Theater, for the premiere of their dance musical based not just on the well known 19th Century novel Frankenstein, but also on the life of its lesser known author, Mary Shelley. Over 75 minutes of continuous dance, the seven-person ensemble tells these remarkable interconnected stories with great emotion and vitality.

"Wonderland" by Collide Theatrical Dance Company outside the James J. Hill House

Oh happy day - outdoor theater has returned! Kicking off a great year of outdoor performances*, Collide Theatrical Dance Company (who also did an outdoor show last year) is presenting their take on Alice in Wonderland outdoors at the James J. Hill House and Mill City Museum. Over the last eight years, Collide has created original jazz dance musicals set to a soundtrack of well-chosen pop music, and WonderLand continues that tradition. Even better, this one is performed at a gorgeous outdoor location, behind the James J. Hill House on Summit Avenue in St. Paul overlooking the Mississippi River valley (and later this month, the Mill City Museum). It's a wonderful step back into the reopening of our vital preforming arts community. Click here for more info and to purchase tickets for an outdoor performance or to watch the show virtually.

"The Cafe" by Collide Theatrical Dance Company Outdoors at Gremlin Theatre

Since 2013, Collide Theatrical Dance Company has been creating original dance musicals that really blur the line between dance, theater, and music (their name refers to a collision of art forms). Most of their shows tell a story strictly through dance and music (typically pop songs performed live), with little or no dialogue. In February they remounted their adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, which I didn't see because I had seen the original in 2014 and I was so busy with #TCTheater that I couldn't fit it in (can you even imagine?!). But in the last 6+ months my life has become the complete opposite of that, so my schedule was happily free and clear to see their new production, being performed outdoors for a limited time only. In fact only one performance remains, tonight, and can be viewed in person or virtually. I saw it in person last night and was smiling under my mask for 60 minutes! Click here for all of the details of how you can take in this delightful dance show.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Collide Theatrical Dance Company at Park Square Theatre

Now in their 6th season, Collide Theatrical Dance Company is an expert at telling stories through dance. In their newest original jazz dance musical, playwright and frequent collaborator Michael Hanna has re-imagined Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray in the modern NYC fashion world with all female characters. I'll let Regina Peluso, Collide's Artistic Director and choreographer of this show, take it from here. "This classic story, as told through a female lens, illustrates many central themes for women today including the fight against aging in our culture and in the beauty industry, social media's narcissistic influence, the depravity behind perfection, and the debate between beauty and morality." That's more words than are uttered in the entire 100-minute (including intermission) show, but all of that and more is conveyed through the expressive choreography, beautifully danced and emoted by the company, the appropriately chosen pop songs, and the sparkling look of the show. It's a fabulous and well constructed piece of dance-music-theater.