As TU Dance celebrates its 20th anniversary, the acclaimed Twin Cities-based dance company is honoring a legacy defined by bold artistry, cultural storytelling, and community-centered performance. With two decades of movement behind it, the company is using the moment not just to look back, but to leap forward.
Founded in 2004 by choreographers Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands, TU Dance has become a national model for how contemporary dance can fuse classical technique with African diasporic traditions and urgent, socially relevant narratives. Its anniversary celebration, set for April 25 and 26 at The O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University, brings together an all-star lineup of choreographers and works that reflect the company’s core mission and the spirit of return.
“TU Dance has always been rooted in powerful storytelling and social relevance,” said Artistic Associate Laurel Keen, a longtime company member. “This anniversary is very much about returning — returning to the artists who’ve helped shape our identity, and honoring the legacy Toni built when she started this company.”
The program features an ensemble of influential choreographers whose past collaborations with TU Dance helped define its trajectory; these include Ronald K. Brown, Camille A. Brown, Alonzo King, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, and the late Alvin Ailey.
Brown’s “Four Corners” will return to the stage with its signature themes of spiritual guardianship and global unity. “He created a work for TU Dance before the pandemic, called “Where the Light Shines Through,” and it’s been really special to welcome him back,” Keen said.
Camille A. Brown’s “New Second Line,” a joyful yet poignant response to Hurricane Katrina and the resilience of New Orleans communities, also makes a return. “It’s about how people find joy through grief,” said Keen. “It’s a beautiful and powerful work.”
Keen herself will perform “Ma,” a duet choreographed by Alonzo King. It’s a deeply personal full-circle moment for the dancer, who once performed with King’s LINES Ballet in San Francisco.
“I set this piece on TU Dance almost a decade ago,” she said. “To be performing it now feels like both a homecoming and a tribute.”
The program also features “Witness,” one of the last solos choreographed by Alvin Ailey before his death. Its inclusion is a nod to Pierce-Sands’ early career with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and reflects the foundational influence Ailey has had on TU Dance’s ethos.
“Toni had her professional career in New York with Ailey,” Keen said. “It was really important for her to have Mr. Ailey represented in this celebration.”
Yusha-Marie Sorzano, another former TU Dance and Ailey company member, will present a trio originally choreographed for New York’s “Edges of Ailey” exhibit. The piece continues the company’s tradition of elevating voices that blend technical precision with personal narrative.
While the choreographic styles vary, Keen said a thematic throughline ties the evening together. “There’s a strong emotional arc — threads of celebrating the human spirit and how we move through joy, grief and healing,” she said. “Those emotions don’t have to be separate. They often live alongside each other.”
Outside the studio, TU Dance faces another kind of balancing act. Like many nonprofit arts organizations, it operates in a shifting landscape where political and funding uncertainties threaten its stability. Executive Director Abdo Sayegh Rodríguez said TU Dance has yet to receive a $15,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant it was awarded for the anniversary production.
“We applied last year and were approved,” Rodríguez said. “But the contract hasn’t been released. The administration is reviewing them and delaying distribution.”
While the amount may appear modest, Rodríguez said the shortfall affects programming and signals a broader issue. “It won’t kill us — we can survive — but it has affected us,” he said. “We’re fortunate to have a reserve and support from private foundations, but the long-term concern is systemic.”
He pointed to growing political backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and the ripple effects it could have on foundation giving and federal grant eligibility.
“The fear in the arts community is that executive orders could influence IRS rules and restrict where foundations can allocate funds — especially to organizations doing DEI work like TU Dance or Penumbra,” Rodríguez said.
Despite the uncertainty, TU Dance remains focused on community engagement and education. The organization offers classes for students of all ages and frequently brings its work into schools and neighborhood programs.
“As executive director, my focus is sustainability,” Rodríguez said. “I want to ensure we’re resourced to continue offering performances, classes at our center, and arts education throughout our communities.”
In addition to the live performances, the 20th anniversary celebration will include a commemorative film chronicling TU Dance’s history, with archival footage, interviews, and reflections from past dancers and collaborators. A post-show community gathering will also take place in the lobby, offering space for shared stories and connection.
For Keen, the company’s next chapter will continue to center the same values that shaped its beginning — artistic excellence, cultural expression, and belonging.
“TU Dance not only celebrates dance and performance — it cultivates community,” she said. “Whether it’s a young student stepping into our studio for the first time or a professional dancer seeking meaningful, identity-rooted work, TU Dance continues to be that home.”
Founders Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands were unavailable for comment by the informed deadline.
For more information, visit www.tudance.org.
Aria Binn-Zager welcomes reader responses at abinns@spokesman-recorder.com.