Kudos

General Critical Acclaim

“Zenon Dance Company has legs, in every sense of the word. Like a classic film, the troupe has weathered the dips and swells of changing artistic and popular taste with its integrity intact. The troupe’s diverse repertory of jazz, post-modern and experimental works — commissioned from some of the world’s most intriguing choreographers — has only grown more satisfyingly complex over time: richer, spicier, ever-surprising and with an impeccable finish.” Metro Magazine

"No one else attempts this sort of modern-jazz reach and it’s to Zenon’s credit that each work takes on its own distinct style.” Star Tribune

“Linda Andrews, Zenon's Artistic Director, has imported some of the most unique and talented choreographers on the contemporary scene.” City Pages

“Zenon Dance Company is a regional treasure.  Elegant and assured...immensely versatile but inherently comic...intelligent and true.” City Pages

“Immensely versatile but inherently comic…intelligent and true.” City Pages

“Over the past two decades, audiences have learned to expect a great deal from Zenon Dance Company: tremendous versatility in content, technical virtuosity and a flexible sensibility that embraces the spectrum of contemporary dance.” Star Tribune

“Zenon’s spring concert demonstrates – with unflagging fortitude, artistic virtuosity and technical clarity – why this repertory troupe has retained its vitality for two decades. In short, this is a dance company that can do it all.” Star Tribune

“fearlessly versatile dancers…with the skill and focus of champion athletes” St. Paul Pioneer Press

“infused with electrifying physicality….The dancers often seem like shape-shifters wending their way through a volatile emotional labyrinth.” St. Paul Pioneer Press

“With its masterful command of an array of dance styles, which each Zenon dancer infuses with emotional integrity and technical nuance, the company continues to earn accolades here and abroad.” Dance Magazine

“Zenon’s breadth of repertory is a rarity in dance today.” Austin360.com

“You can count on Zenon Dance Company to deliver a lot of bang for the buck.” Twin Cities Revue

“An evening of extraordinarily daring acts of physicality and artistry.” Performance Art Examiner

MplsStPaul Magazine Best of 2007 "Best Dance Company"

School Acclaim

City Pages Best of 2008 “Best Place to Learn to Dance”: “Seasoned teachers, focused workshops, a non-intimidating atmosphere, and a host of classes. No wonder the bright studios are filled with a cross section of Twin Citians…The faculty includes some of the area’s top movers.”

City Pages Best of 2007 “Best Place to Learn to Dance”: “If you go to local hip-hop shows, you might have noticed something new in recent months: an influx of younger b-girls. Ask these confident beginners where they learned to pop, lock, and body rock, and they'll invariably tell you: ‘Zenon.’”

Testimonials from Residencies

“Your love for and belief in the power of dance was so evident in the transformation of our anxious and somewhat reluctant students to excited, creative and focused dancers.” — Jill Buckingham, Clinical Director, Family Centered Youth Services

“Zenon's commitment and dedication to working with diverse public school students is apparent in their professional approach to teaching dance, as well as by the skilled personal manner in which they interact with students…The success of the Zenon Dance Residency is a tribute to the artistry of the Zenon dancers and their mission to spread the joy of dance.” —9th Grade Teachers, Minneapolis Southwest High School

“Not only did we experience the thrill of creative movement and dance based on our own ideas, we were able to observe, firsthand, professionals working in an art they obviously love...We are already looking forward to working with you again next year!” —Mary Dybvig, Principal, K-12 Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Program, Como Park Elementary

“I woke up excited to go to school all week.” —Minneapolis Public Junior High Student

“I felt that it was like poetry.” “It was one of the most coolest shows. I thought it was so cool that I would watch it again.” "I learned don’t be afraid.” —Students, Downtown Open School and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School

“The best part of the residency [with Zenon Dance Company] was how every idea was somehow incorporated into a dance. Each dancer was made to feel important and each of us had our moment in the spotlight.”
“...everyone can be talented at it. There are so many options and so much freedom to do whatever you are inspired to do.” —Minneapolis Public School Junior High Students

Awards

McKnight Excellence in the Arts Award
Twin Cities Mayors' Public Arts Award