Mission, Values & Acknowledgements

Threads Dance Project was founded with the mission to examine, expose and celebrate the threads that connect us. We believe dance is the most direct means to communicate truth no matter how difficult or mundane.

Our mission is grounded in the belief that at our core, all humans want and deserve love, respect, and positive connection to others. Humans have done much harm to each other and the only way to heal is by exploring truth and reconciliation through our bodies, through our differences, through human connection, through dance.  

Threads’ mission drives our organization’s culture and programming. At our community home, Threads Dance Nexus, we have created a space where the diverse community can learn dance, experience dance, create dance and connect to dance.  We do this through our holistically based Nex/Gen-Youth Dance Project offerings and via workshops and classes for adults to connect movement to wellbeing,  joy and technical excellence.

Threads programming eradicates societal inequities by providing discounted rentals to BIPOC creators and arts organizations looking for space to move; providing need-based scholarships to youth desiring to participate in our programs, and through our Tapestries Emerging Choreographer Program.  Tapestries is a commissioning program that focuses BIPOC and female choreographers. The program’s goal is to increase the diversity of voices creating in the dance performance space both locally and nationally. 

Acknowledgement of Native & Enslaved Americans

Threads Dance Project would not be able to fulfill its mission without acknowledging that we exist on the stolen lands of the Dakota Tribes native to Mni Sota Makoce (land where the waters reflect the clouds), known today as Minnesota.  These territories were stolen from the Native people by war, starvation, removal, and relocation. Threads acknowledges and honors the Native inhabitants of this beautiful land and thank them for hundreds of years of stewardship, cultural contributions, and sacrifice.

Threads also acknowledges that we exist and thrive due to the contributions of Enslaved Africans and their descendants who were forcibly removed from their homelands, stripped of their culture and identity, contributed unpaid manual labor, and suffered physical and psychological abuses for over 400 in America.The cultural and economic contributions of Enslaved Africans and their descendants in Minnesota and the entire United States have made America one of the most economically successful nations in the world.

Threads has implemented practices and programs to move beyond acknowledgement via our Tapestries programs, discounted fees for Black & Native artists and community members, and our ongoing efforts to build partnerships with organizations led by and supportive of Native American and African American people. We ask that everyone move beyond acknowledging by choosing to support Native and Black led artists, arts organizations, and cultural organizations to become better allies and supporters.

Here is a no-exhaustive list of organizations to begin your journey of learning and education as we are doing at Thread by contributing to and participating in their programming.

All My Relations Arts
Body Prayers
Bohemian Way
Brownbody
Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center
MIGIZI

New Native Theater
Penumbra Theater
Rosy Simas Dance
Strong Movement
Threads Dance Project
TU Dance

Our Values

  • Threads is deeply committed to diversity across every area of the organization. We are intentional that the company’s artists and the art itself demonstrate this value. Our board, staff, and artists strive to exemplify diversity in harmony and welcomes all ethnicities, identities, cultures and perspective into our work and into our space.

  • Threads believes that everyone should have access to quality dance experiences. We take pride in the fact that our dance performances draw diverse audiences. We assure accessibility to our work for disabled individuals by performing in accessible venues and providing the needed resources individuals with disabilities. Threads seeks to break down the perceived elitism of concert dance by giving audience members access points to the work through the music, community events tied to the work, and through conversation to enhance how people interpret the work. Threads works to minimize the impact of socioeconomic status on access to our programming through discounted and sometimes free programming.

  • Threads provides artistically excellent programming by hiring and working with highly talented artists, educators and community members. We offer competitive wages to our company artists and create economic opportunities for collaborating artists. By creating these economic opportunities we are cultivating a more stable and sustainable organization, with more capacity to excellently deliver its mission.

  • Threads uses dance to tells stories about the human condition grounded in social justice. These stories are told via Artistic Director Karen Charles and guest artists. Threads creates stories that the audience can see and feel to encourage dialogue and introspection; and illuminate our shared humanity.

  • All of our values are demonstrated by Threads’ valuing the building of human connection.  Threads creates so the art truly becomes a teaching/learning experience. Threads uses dance to tell stories to catalyze connection and move us towards a more humane world.

    Threads is  building a new community amongst difference to demonstrate the beauty of the dance and give a glimpse of “what can be”.

“I went to the show last night as a casual observer and was absolutely floored. The show was steeped with emotion and fusion of live organic music, using only their bodies as an instrument and incredible dance inspired everything creative in me to keep pushing forward ... (I) have had the unique opportunity to see many creative dance shows, but for me, this one was my favorite show. Excellent work, Threads.”

– Eric Kramlinger, Audience Member