Performances
Learn more about Cohesion's various dance and movement educational programs and classes in and beyond our community.
Cohesion Dance Project's presents
End of Session Performance
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Cohesion Center
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Join us for the End of Session Performance where students who attended classes during our Winter/Spring Session share what they have learned. These choreographed pieces are a demonstration of the movements, coordination and skills taught throughout the session.
2026 Guest Artist Residency
Supporting artists in the development of new work - featuring 2026 Artist-in-Residence, Nina Murphy!
Cohesion Dance Project presents Recollections, an evening-length performance by 2026 Spring Artist-in-Residence Nina Murphy.
Murphy’s residency explores repetition, pattern, and recurrence, drawing inspiration from nature, daily life, and her own choreographic process. Influenced by philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, the work considers repetition and recollection as the same movement in opposite directions - repetition as a repeating lived experience in the present, and recollection as a return to what has already occurred.
Recollections challenges the notion of repetition as monotonous, instead revealing it as a source of renewal rather than duplication. As time shapes each moment, repeated actions evolve - gaining new meaning, depth, and possibility. The performance features a varied cast of over 40 community and professional dancers from Cohesion and the broader Helena community.
Performance Times:
Friday, May 15 at 7:30pm
Saturday, May 16 at 4pm and 7:30pm
Sunday, May 17 at 2:00pm
Community Outreach
Beyond the stage, Cohesion’s Guest Artist Residency extends into the community through movement-based outreach with local schools, expanding opportunities for students to engage with and learn from professional dance artists. The residency and accompanying outreach classes are supported in part by the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation and the Montana Arts Council.
About Nina
A Helena native, Murphy spent the past four years living in the United Kingdom, where she earned her MFA from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. During her time abroad, she performed in A Single Man (2025), directed by Jonathan Watkins at the Royal Opera House; danced with Boy Blue for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee (2022); and performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Composer Programme (2024). Her performance credits also include works by José Limón, Colin Connor, Jesse Obremski, and Julynn Wildman’s dance film Body in Motion (2021). Murphy received her BFA from the University of Wyoming and began her dance training at Helena’s Creative Arts Center. She has been a guest instructor for Cohesion summer intensives and was most
recently featured as the Rat Queen in Cohesion’s 2025 rendition of Shira Greenberg’s Nutcracker on the Rocks.
Shira Greenbergs' Nutcracker On the Rocks 2025
Annually on Thanksgiving weekend, Shira Greenberg's Nutcracker on the Rocks lights up the Helena Civic Center stage. This electrifying twist on the holiday classic features legendary hits by Janis Joplin, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, and more. Showcasing an energetic fusion of dancers and dance styles—plus a roaring Harley Davidson on stage—this rock-n-roll production has become one of Helena’s most beloved holiday traditions. Guest artists join a dynamic cast of community and professional dancers of all ages and abilities in this thrilling journey through the decades.
Created and choreographed by Shira Greenberg, Nutcracker on the Rocks originated in Albuquerque, NM, and was performed there for 20 years. Helena now holds the prestigious honor of being the only location where this innovative production is staged.
The 2025 cast included nearly 60 community dancers of all ages and abilities performing alongside professional visiting artists from across the globe. Local lead dancers included Harley Hollibaugh as Marie and Jessica Partridge as Madame Drosselmeier. Visiting artists returned to the Helena stage including Patrick Higgins (who performed as Bert in Grandstreet Theater’s 2025 summer production of Mary Poppins) and Helena’s own Nina Murphy (who returned from four years performing in London).
Next year - plan ahead to take part in our:
* Exclusive Table Seating: Elevate your evening at a private table for six with premium floor seating right up front! Share the night with your favorite people while enjoying festive light bites and a complimentary drink token. Plus, table guests get early access one hour before the show for an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek before the curtain opens. It’s the ultimate way to experience the magic up close! (Tables are limited and available at both performances.)
* Online Auction: Bid on an array of one-of-a-kind packages and experiences in our brand-new online auction—the perfect way to kick off your holiday shopping while supporting the arts! Snag something special for everyone on your list!
Accelerated Contemporary Experience (ACE) Training Program
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Cohesion's Accelerated Contemporary Experience (ACE) is a comprehensive dance training program designed to further the growth and development of contemporary dancers, ages 10-adult, through enhanced training and performance opportunities, fostering creativity, imagination, collaboration and mentorship.
A performance on Saturday, March 14 features new works created by the dancers in the 2026 program along with ACE teaching staff.
Experience Helena’s 14th Annual Community Choreography Showcase on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at Cohesion Center.
For one-night only, this lively, family-friendly performance celebrates the creative voices of choreographers of all ages and experience levels, featuring original and restaged works in a wide range of styles - from Irish and Hip-Hop to Jazz, Tap, Latin, and Modern/Contemporary. The evening brings together an energetic mix of dancers and dance groups from across the Helena community, offering audiences a dynamic and inspiring snapshot of local movement-makers.
Featured contributors include Tiernan Irish Dancers, Diadra Goldes, Jeff Swingley and Julie Wotring, Nina Murphy, Jessica Partridge, Harley Hollibaugh, Cohesion Dance Project, Juliet Mahar, Tawnya Trevino-Mix, Isabella Ramos, Charley Troyer, Image Dancing, the 42nd Street tap number from Grandstreet’s 50th Anniversary Concert, and more.
