Zenon Dance School

Zenon Dance School is located on the fourth floor of the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts at 528 Hennepin Ave, on the corner of 6th & Hennepin in downtown Minneapolis. The school offers adult and youth classes across multiple styles, with a faculty of accomplished choreographers and educators.

You can take drop-in classes in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, hip-hop, barre, and other styles, with beginner through advanced options available. Youth classes serve ages 3–14 and are organized by age range. Adult classes are open to ages 15 and older; children aged 13–14 with previous dance experience may attend fundamental or beginning level adult classes. The school uses a straightforward level system: Fundamental classes are for true beginners who have never taken a dance class before; Beginning classes suit those with some limited experience; Intermediate classes move at a faster pace and assume good body awareness and basic technique knowledge; Advanced/Professional classes are for those ready for a challenge or with years of experience.

The faculty includes Ally Phillippi, who moved to Minneapolis to perform and teach and build community connections; Allison Rubin Forester, a dancer, choreographer, and teacher of both dance and mathematics who earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Illinois–Urbana in 1987 and has taught at Clara Barton Open School in Minneapolis; Anna Pinault, who moved back to the Twin Cities in summer 2022 after ten years in New York working with Dance Theatre of Harlem and other institutions; April Sellers, a choreographer and founder of the April Sellers Dance Collective (founded in 2002) who received the National Dance Project Production Grant in 2021 and the City Pages Artist of the Year award in 2017; Ariel Linnerson, who began ballet training at Minnesota Dance Theatre and holds a BFA in Contemporary Dance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and teaches pole dance, modern, ballet, pilates, barre, yoga, flexibility and mobility training, cardio dance, HIIT, and TRX; Arturo Miles, originally from Mexico City who specializes in hip-hop, house, waacking and modern dance and is a founding member of Collective Hip-Hop Dance Company; Benjamin Johnson, a professional ballet dancer for twenty years with James Sewell Ballet, Dayton Ballet, BalletMet Columbus, and others, who also holds a massage therapy license; and Danielle Robinson-Prater, Director of Zenon Dance School with 26 years dedicated to the Minnesota dance community, who holds a BFA in Dance Performance from The Ohio State University, an MBA and an MA in Nonprofit Management from Hamline University.

The school runs several program options alongside regular classes. The Xchange Program is a work-study initiative where students volunteer in exchange for dance class credit. Zone is a non-professional intensive program for students looking to deepen their dance experience. Camp Zenon offers the chance to sample a variety of styles and instructors over the course of a week. The school also hosts an annual Open House—the summer session open house is held on June 6, offering free sample classes and exclusive discounts on class passes. The studios (4A & 4B) can be rented through the Cowles Center for Dance and Performing Arts.

The school offers flexible payment options: drop-in classes at $17 each (good for 30 days), 10-class cards at $160 (valid for one year, saving $1 per class), or session enrollments at $182 (saving $2 per class, must enroll before the first class). Barre-only classes cost $8. The school accepts cash, credit card (Visa, MC, Amex, Discover), and check. Financial assistance and scholarships are available. Registration happens online through MindBody. Classes are also offered online; Zoom class links are sent approximately 10 minutes before class begins.

Arrive at least 15 minutes early to check in, change, and warm up. The studios are on the fourth floor of the Cowles Center; find the check-in desk to the right down the hall from the elevators, staffed by Xchange volunteers. Choose from Fundamental, Beginning, Intermediate, or Advanced classes depending on your experience. First-time students trying ballet may take class without shoes; otherwise, wear the appropriate footwear for your style (clean sneakers for hip-hop, tap shoes for tap, ballet slippers or socks for ballet, pointe shoes for pointe).

The faculty includes experienced professionals: Ally Phillippi, a local Iowan who began dancing at age five; Allison Rubin Forester, who studied at studios of Gus Giordano and Lou Conte (Hubbard Street Dance) and teaches technique-based jazz blended with modern influences; Anna Pinault, who has worked with Dance Theatre of Harlem and The Neighborhood Playhouse School in New York and collaborates with Alternative Motion Project in Minnesota; April Sellers, a nationally recognized choreographer who founded her dance collective in 2002 and received the National Dance Project Production Grant in 2021; Ariel Linnerson, a BFA graduate who teaches across pole, modern, ballet, pilates, barre, yoga, flexibility, cardio, HIIT, and TRX; Arturo Miles, a hip-hop and house specialist and founding member of Collective Hip-Hop Dance Company; Benjamin Johnson, a former professional ballet dancer with two decades of stage experience; and Director Danielle Robinson-Prater, who brings 26 years of Minnesota dance community leadership.

Fundamental classes are specifically designed for true beginners who have never taken a dance class before.