"Time Piece" by Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre and the Flying Foot Forum Featuring Katha Dance Theatre at Park Square Theatre

I caught the first preview of the new dance show Time Piece at Park Square Theatre last night, and it was the most magical experience. I was there to see Flying Foot Forum, a favorite since the early days of this blog for their infectious and exciting percussive dance style. But I was blown away by the artistry of all three companies and the way that they worked together and intermingled their seemingly different styles, representing traditional dance forms from around the world. Dance is one of the universal languages that unites us all, and is one of the oldest forms of storytelling. This collection of pieces definitely tells stories, evokes emotions, and is just mesmerizing to watch. Time Piece officially opens Saturday and runs through next weekend only on Park Square's Andy Boss Stage (with the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Between Riverside and Crazy opening in their main theater next week), so head to St. Paul soon to experience the joy and beauty of these three dance companies.

"French Twist" by Flying Foot Forum at Hanifl Performing Arts Center

Flying Foot Forum is taking their charming original dance musical French Twist on the road! They've performed it several times throughout their history, including at Park Square Theatre last year for their 25th anniversary, at which time I wrote: "A series of thrilling and entertaining dances loosely tell the story (with very little dialogue) of a group of friends in a cafe called "Chez Jojo" (the proprietor played by Joe Chvala, natch). With vibrant costumes, a detailed and eclectic set design, a mix of live and recorded music (and film!), the wonderful ensemble of dancers/singers/musicians brings this dream of Paris to vivid life." They've brought back that cast (mostly), and shortened it to just over an hour, with perhaps a few other small tweaks. It's a delightfully fun and quirky show. I caught it at Hanifl Performing Arts Center, the beautiful new home of Lakeshore Players Theatre. Here's where you can see it over the next few months:

Fairmont - Sept 28, 2019, https://fairmontoperahouse.org/shows-and-tickets/
St Olaf College - Oct 26, 2019, https://wp.stolaf.edu/dance/eventsperformances/
Grand Rapids - Jan 11, 2020, https://www.reifcenter.org/event/flying-foot-forum/
Mankato - April 25, 2020, https://www.mnsu.edu/theatre/season/tickets/
Wykoff - May 30, 2020, http://dreamacresfarm.org/events

"French Twist" by Flying Foot Forum at Park Square Theatre

To celebrate their 25th anniversary, Joe Chvala's percussive dance troupe Flying Foot Forum* has brought back their original dance musical French Twist. Now playing on Park Square Theatre's Andy Boss stage in the basement of the Historic Hamm Building in downtown St. Paul, it feels like a weird and magical dream of a barely remembered night in Paris. A series of thrilling and entertaining dances loosely tell the story (with very little dialogue) of a group of friends in a cafe called "Chez Jojo" (the proprietor played by Joe Chvala, natch). With vibrant costumes, a detailed and eclectic set design, a mix of live and recorded music (and film!), the wonderful ensemble of dancers/singers/musicians brings this dream of Paris to vivid life in what would be a perfect 90-minutes-no-intermission (if not for the early and unnecessary intermission). Escape the hot and steamy streets of St. Paul to the cool and fun world of French Twist (through July 15).