Landmark Center's Ballet Tuesday

Our Grandycamp site isn’t meant to be local, but we strive to do a good job with local in order to spread our wings and inspire more. If you are from outside the Twin Cities, please be sure to explore our website thoroughly, and see if you have similar programs near you! We would love to hear about them and include Grand info from other cities!

The Landmark Center was one of our Twin Cities Castle-themed Staycation destinations*, completed in 1902, and originally serving as the United States Post Office, Courthouse, and Custom House for the state of Minnesota. It was saved from the wrecking ball in 1972, restored, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places, reopening to the public in 1978. Today, Landmark Center serves as a cultural center for music, dance, theater, exhibitions, public forums, and hosts countless special events. One of our favorite programs in Ballet Tuesday, when Landmark hosts FREE lunch-hour ballet performances and demonstrations, in partnership with Saint Paul Ballet.

PROGRAM DATES

This program has grown exponentially in popularity, especially with families. Ballet Tuesdays are the second* Tuesday of the month, October – April. Beginning at 12 pm, Saint Paul Ballet performs excerpts from the company repertoire, highlighting events for their coming season.

ST. PAUL BALLET

Located in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood, The St. Paul Ballet is a nonprofit dance school for all ages with year-round instruction, drop-in classes, and summer camps that teach ballet with a focus on Musicality and the mind-body connections of dance. Camps are geared toward ages 4 and up. Year-round classes are offered for all ages, including senior citizens and former professionals. Parent and Me classes are open to ages as young as 2.5. There is a Boys Club for ages 7-11 for ballet and strength traIning.

GETTING THERE

Arrive a bit early for the Ballet Tuesday Program to get a table. We parked in the ramp next to the St. Paul Hotel, but there are several ramp options within a block. Round tables are set up in the main atrium – you can bring a lunch or grab a sandwich, soup, or salad from Anita’s Café (no pb&j in case that is all your littles will eat.) The dancers often come out to warm up. Kids can quietly sit at the edge of the staging area when the program starts.

WHAT TO EXPECT

There are introductions and explanations for each short performance. I learned a lot about épaules, using shoulder placement to tell a story! The children are then invited to join the dancers with focused instruction helped along by the performers. Lots of tutus in the mix!

Instructor Laura Greenwell explains, “Ballet has art and athleticism; it empowers children to be expressive, be their own leader; it teaches musicality, working with others in their class and following instructions from positive role models.” Grace, nearly 3, was smitten. Landmark Center, we’ll be back.

*Our other Castle-themed visits were to The American Swedish Institute, and The Cathedral of St. Paul (God’s Castle!). We did other castle-related activities including building one out of cardboard.