Leland Performance Stage

This stage features a mix of dance and music produced by Larry Ash and the Loop in Motion Festival with support from all of the dance groups in this year's festival. We would cordially like to invite you to join the Loop in Motion Festival at the Leland Performance Stage for a wonderfully eclectic and diverse selection of local dance groups and music.

This year our dance selection includes cultural performance styles from Argentina; live drummers and Lion dances; North & West African Tribal Dances; eclectic balances of modern, jazz and acrobatic dances; traditional Irish dances including those popularized in mainstream America through Riverdance; hip hop, pop-and-lock, and some of the most contemporary break dances; Middle Eastern dances encompassing ethnic, folkloric and belly dance styles; contemporary and modern dance styles; new vision in dance through a fusion of modern and jazz dance styles; and much more !

And, for our featured evening performance, please join us for some of the best full-force reggae rhythmns of Murder City Players ... always a fun party !

Stage Location:
Leland, south of Delmar, between Vintage Vinyl and Commerce Bank.

Loop in Motion Performance Schedule

The Mayer School of Irish Dance provides Irish dance instruction to boys and girls from ages 4 years and up, while experiencing and preserving the Irish culture. Mayer dancers range in ability from Beginner to World Championship Level and come from all over the metropolitan St. Louis area.

The Mayer School, one of the premier Irish dance schools in the Midwest, is very well-known throughout the United States, Canada, Ireland, and England. The Mayer Irish Dancers have attained much success and recognition at local, national, and international levels, including the World Championships held in Ireland.

Wearing colorful traditional costumes, the Mayer dancers perform throughout the year at music and ethnic festivals, sporting events, corporate functions, private clubs, community events, etc. But its peak performance season is the entire month of March. Throughout the month, the dancers perform and entertain at a number of events throughout the St. Louis area, including taking part in both St. Patrick’s Day parades.

Irish dancing can be very competitive as well as entertaining. The Mayer Irish Dancers recently competed at the North American Regional Championships, which was held in Cleveland, and many Mayer dancers qualified and plan to compete at the North American National Championships this summer in San Diego, as well as the World Championships that will take place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in April.

With a Mayer show, the Mayer dancers bring the excitement of traditional Irish dance to any stage, as they perform the beautiful and intricate, yet exhilarating, dances of the Irish culture. They perform a lively exhibition of jigs, reels, and hornpipes, and their shows feature both solo and group dances.

At Arts In Motion we believe in the fine art of dance innovation, and we've also been known to say, "Dance like you feel it! Jump for joy"! At Arts In Motion you can expect a fun environment with a fine arts based, age appropriate philosophy. The program is directed by Susan Bennett, a degreed, state certified teacher, and Alicia Jonas, a degreed professional dancer.

Arts In Motion offers an excellent ensemble program called AIMDance! AIMDance is a special group of talented and committed dancers who want to make dance a priority and perform throughout the city of St. Louis. Arts In Motion also boasts strong programs focused on early childhood and school-aged kids. Intelligent and potent instruction, fun movement activities, and socialization are all a part of a balanced approach to dance as an extracurricular activity.

COCA’s Club 524 Social Dance Instructors present Argentine Tango

Argentine tango has been thrilling dancers for more than 100 years. Tango is loved by dancers and audiences for its beauty, passion, drama and excitement. Learning to dance tango socially is based on improvisational movement and respecting both your partner and the other dancers on the floor. The essence of Argentine tango is about life and, especially, about the relationship between a man and a woman. Graciela Gonzales, a leading tango instructor, calls the dance "the history of love - for three minutes."

Watch as COCA’s Social Dance Instructors provide a demonstration of Argentine Tango and then they’ll invite audience members in a participatory Tango experience !

Radhiya's Middle Eastern & North African Dance, Inc. is a performing group that performs various forms of Middle Eastern & North African dance styles. We are also known as "Nayliyat" dancers, which means "Children of Him Who Has Succeeded". Radhiya Taj currently teaches at local YMCA's & St. Anthony's.

Come and experience the excitement of it all. It does not matter what age, shape or size that you are ... this exercise is total fitness for the mind, body and soul of a women !

Ashleyliane Dance Company (ADC) is a new professional performance organization under the artistic direction of Ashley L. Tate, who also serves as the head choreographer. ADC specializes in blending modern, jazz, and contemporary training with urban street dance. The Company offers outreach activities that include choreography, performances, master class instruction, workshops, and private lessons.

Ashleyliane Dance Company currently has 15 dancers on its roster. These dancers range from nurses to computer programmers, to dance majors and everything in between. ADC dancers are natives of Missouri and Illinois who are all college graduates or currently pursuing their degree in higher education.

Ashleyliane Dance Company has been performing regularly since October of 2006. They have been featured at the JPEK Creativeworks Launch Party held in downtown St. Louis. They have also performed at the Underground, Harrah's Casino--St. Louis, and Shalom Church. Recent performances by Ashleyliane Dance Company include the 2007 National Dance Week Celebration at Union Station, Creve Coeur Days, Fair St. Louis, and the Grand Center event, "Dancing in the Street and Off the Wall". ADC successfully hosted their own Hip Hop Intensive at the Millennium Hotel--St. Louis, featuring hip hop choreographers associated with Monsters of Hip Hop and Dance 2XS and who have worked with some of the hottest performers of today.

The Company moves to electrify the creative passion of a progressive dance audience.

The Clarkson School maintains a very impressive record in competition. We are very proud of the fact that Clarkson dancers consistently do well at all levels of Irish Dance competition: local, regional, national, and international. In an Oireachtas (Midwest Championship World qualifier) in 2001 we had:

• Eight dancers place in top ten places in their age group.
• Eleven dancers qualify for North American Championships
• Seven dancers qualify for All Ireland Championships of which one became an All Ireland medal winner
• Five dancers qualify for the World Championships in Ireland with one going on to win a World's medal in 2002 !

Motion Express - Dance Force is a youth oriented company providing serious students of dance an opportunity to develop and foster a love for artistic expression through movement.

Company members will also have a chance to hone their performing skills as well as learn the meaning of cooperation and responsibility as they interact with their fellow company members and choreographers to bring to the stage well rehearsed and entertaining dance and acrobatic numbers.

MOVE is a professional dance company based in St. Louis, Missouri. Co-founded by Tanya Shea and Natasha Jansen MOVE is designed to give local dance professionals an opportunity to express themselves artistically and explore their passion for dance as a visual art form. MOVE is building a repertoire that will include an eclectic balance of modern, jazz and acrobatic dance. Artistic Director Tanya Shea and Co-Artistic Director Natasha Jansen are committed to exploring new territory with MOVE and are very excited to offer the St. Louis community and beyond an artistic and visually stimulating dance company.

Recent performances by MOVE include the 2006 National Dance Week Celebration at Union Station, and the 2006 “One River Mississippi” multi-state dance project.

MOVE is committed to the St. Louis community and has plans to embark on its first outreach program in the fall of 2006. We will be working together with a local shelter to develop a collaborative and educational program for their children.

MaTiff Dance & Entertainment Company

The MaTiff Dance and Entertainment Company assists inner city youth with achieving their potential in the performing arts, specifically with regards to dance, stage presence, professionalism and leadership.

The MaTiff dance agency has established its dance presence in the community for approximately 10 years by providing services to organizations, production companies, promoters, individual artist (national and local), community programs and events such as the recent Missouri Black Expo and the Showtime at the Apollo in New York City in 2007, and, events in 2006 such as last year's Loop in Motion Festival as well as DJ Unk 104.1 FM, Bow Wow 104.1 FM, the 1st Annual Hip-Hop Festival and for R&B soloist Samuel, and the 104.1 Tony J. Birthday Jam and the Rep the Runway Fashion Show.

Desert Moon Dance

The Desert Moon Dance Academy teaches and performs a variety of Middle Eastern dances encompassing ethnic, folkloric and belly dance styles. This Missouri based dance company has been in existence for more than a decade. Their mission is to provide professional dance instruction in a friendly and warm atmosphere, to present Middle Eastern dance performances encompassing ethnic, folkloric and belly dance styles in a manner intended to enhance the public recognition and image of these artistic and beautiful dance forms, and to promote cultural understanding, peace and friendship through dance.

Shaolin Lohan Pai Lion Dance Troupe

Thousands of years old! The lion dance is an important tradition in China and abroad. Usually the dance is part of festivities like Chinese New Year, the openings of restaurants and weddings. If well-performed, the lion dance is believed to bring luck and happiness. Lion Dance is considered a mandatory part of classical or traditional Kung Fu. Those who practice Kung Fu are usually very good at the dance because the lion dance utilizes the footwork, body movements, balance, and agility that is required in Kung Fu.

The Shaolin Lohan Pai Lion Dance Troupe has evolved throughout the past twenty-seven years and is considered to be the most experienced, respected and sought-after demonstration team within the state of Missouri. The team was formally known as the HuangSe' GeBei Xi'Tong's - Lion Dance and Demonstration Team (1997-2004 A.D.). Prior to that, it was know as the Lohan Gung Fu Demo Team (1994-1997 A.D.) and before that, it was simply known as the Lo'Han Group (1979-1994 A.D.).

As a 'Northern Kung Fu School', they specialize in the Northern Lions. They have the strength and leg speed that is necessary for 'bold' lion dances. Due to this fact, their Southern Lion Dances are powerful, acrobatic and extremely pleasurable to watch. Since the system tends to do a great deal of reaching with normal techniques, they are more capable to reach-out further with the lions. They are also the only Troupe, in the area, capable of performing the fantastic Dragon Dance properly. It is without question that the Shaolin Lohan Pai Lion Dance Troupe is the most diverse, exciting and professional Lion Dance Troupe in Missouri!

Their teams have served countless respectable organizations with their duty, tradition, skill, professionalism, punctuality and honor. Some of the Organizations that they have served, and continue to serve are the City and County of Honolulu, the City of Springfield, Missouri, the Springfield Taiwanese Women's Association, the UMR Students & Scholars Association, the City of Saint Louis, the St. Louis City Museum, the St. Louis Children's Aquarium, the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Kansas City, Harrah's Casino - St. Louis, Ameristar Casino - St. Charles, the City of Maryland Heights, the Asian American Business Association, the Worldways Children's Museum and many more. They also serve as the only demonstration team for both Oriental Martial Arts Society (OMAS), Inc. within the Continental United States and the Midwest Martial Arts Council. The Shaolin Lohan Pai Lion Dance Troupe has been recognized as one of the "TOP 10 Dragon & Lion Dance Teams in the U.S.A." !

Murder City Players

Since their formation in 1983, the Murder City Players have built a rock-solid reputation in the mid-west as one of the premier American reggae bands. This ten-piece unit, complete with horn section, has been laying down full-force reggae riddims for over ten years. Based in St. Louis, the group is fronted by vocalists Mark Condelliere, a St. Louis native and 'Prince Phillip' McKenzie, native of Montego Bay, Jamaica. The chemistry between Mark and Phillip has been key to the enduring popularity MCP has enjoyed.

This talented and versatile band can easily slip from a ska medley to a dance-hall groove with DJ-style toasting, into a Studio One medley, then cap it off with a set of their own well-crafted originals. Over years of performing, the group has continued to push the limits of their craft. Backing great Jamaican artists in concert like The Itals, The Ethiopian and Daddy U-Roy, the group has learned from some of the best.

The recent couple of years MCP has cultivated a new entity titled the STL Reggae All-Stars, which features guest vocalists from various local reggae bands and soloists as well. It has become more the norm for many of these talented artists to make appearances at many of the shows.

The group's first album, "Enter the Musical Arena," was released several years ago on their own Burning Bush label. That album, which yielded the tune "Bitta Bye," was among those selected for "Reggae USA" -- The Best of US Reggae, by Reggae Report Magazine.

"Power Struggle" is the new album by Murder City Players, produced by the group, with Kingston-based engineer Mervin Williams. The album features thirteen titles which capture the band performing a range of styles from ska to roots reggae to soul and even dance-hall styles, with dj-toasting from Prince Phillip. Engineer and co-producer Mervin Williams brings an authentic sound to the recording, drawing on his experience at Aquarius Studios, where he recorded great artists like Burning Spear, The Itals, Bunny Wailer, Jimmy Cliff, Justin Hinds and others.

Stage Location:
Leland, south of Delmar, between Vintage Vinyl and Commerce Bank.

Parking is available on municipal lots, in the garage across from the Tivoli Theatre, and on Delmar and the side streets. Loop in Motion will take place in the Loop along Delmar Boulevard in University City and the City of St. Louis. For more information, call (314) 727-8000 or email loopadm@ucityloop.com.

Click below for information on the events scheduled at the 2007 festival:

2007 Loop In Motion Festival HOME

2007 Loop in Motion Art Walk

2007 Performance Stage at the Market in The Loop (Friday)

2007 Performance Venue at Regional Arts Commission (Friday)

2007 Performance Stage at Leland (Saturday)

2007 Performance Stage at the Market in The Loop (Saturday)