HELENA — Cohesion Dance Project is kicking off its 10-year anniversary celebration Friday evening with a gala event.
Cohesion Dance Project was officially formed in 2012. They created the project in order to showcase Nutcracker on the Rocks, a rock-n-roll rendition of the regular Nutcracker. And since then, the group has blossomed into so much more. The group works to be an inclusive space providing classes for all ages, all abilities, and all levels. They host guest artists and have shows throughout the year.
“Really we believe that anybody and everybody has the capacity to move and to dance in whatever way they can. And that should be celebrated, and opportunities should be offered and welcoming to those, anybody,” says Artistic Director at Cohesion Dance Project, Tanya Call.
Julynn Wildman, a dancer and instructor at Cohesion Dance Project, moved to Helena in 2015 and says she found community at the dance studio.
“It was a really welcoming environment. It made dance really accessible. It was really great to get moving again. And I just really got pulled into the programming of being able to work with people across the community – people of a lot of different ages, a lot of different abilities. And I think it really spoke to the things that I love about dance which is I love the opportunity to move and to express. And I think it should be available to anybody who wants to. And I feel like Cohesion's philosophy really aligns with that,” says Wildman.
Friday night’s gala event is free and open to all. They will be featuring video and live performances and featuring previews of classes and Nutcracker on the Rocks. Ukrainian artist Svitlana Prouty’s art will also be on display. Friday evening begins the celebration of their 10-year anniversary; which will conclude with a summer show that will feature favorite pieces from throughout the years.
Going forward the group hopes to enhance its school outreach program and expand its in-studio programming for advanced training.
