ARENA Dancers. Photo by Erik Saulitis.

The Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts opens the weekend of Sept. 9-11 with a sold-out big-ticket gala on Friday and a nearly sold-out $150-a-ticket repeat of the same program on Saturday (call 612-206-3621 for more info).

Sunday, Sept. 11, is designated the Cowles Center Community Day. Sponsored by Target, it is a free day of activities from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

The festivities will include a building-wide scavenger hunt as well as performances in the Goodale Theater, participatory workshops in the Target Education Studio and open studios and workshops in the Hennepin Center for the Arts.

Here is the schedule for the Goodale Theater:

11:10 Green T Productions presents Pinocchio-chan 11:45 Christopher Yaeger presents Dance Hall Days 12:00 Mathew Janczewski's ARENA DANCES 12:20 Aliyah Sahar presents Classic Egyptian Orientale Dance (Raks Sharqi) 12:30 Poetry In Motion presents The Ascent 12:45 Christian Adeti & Kenna-Camara Cottman 1:00 James Sewell Ballet presents Body Mind Wellness 1:25 Live Action Set presents The Lord of the Rings Trilogy in 8 Minutes 1:45 Gretchen Larson and Friends present Tango Inside Out 2:00 MN PerformDance Starettes presents an excerpt from All Wrapped Up 2:10 Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre 2:25 Black Label Movement 2:40 Illusion Theater presents songs from Always and Forever 3:00 Shapiro & Smith Dance Company presents Bolero 3:20 Chris Schlichting 3:40 Buckets and Tap Shoes 4:00 TU Dance 4:15 B-Boy J-Sun 4:30 Winners of The Cowles Center Groundbreaker Battle -Warriors -Looney Tunes -Optimistic The Cowles also will be offering 40-minute classes in its Target Education Studio: 11:15 Middle Eastern Dance with Aliyah Sahar 12:00 Trip Around the World with Christopher Yaeger 1:00 African Dance with Christian Adeti 2:00 Creative Movement with A.T. Moffet 3:00 Hip Hop with Jason Noer 4:00 Tap/Percussive Dance with Rick Ausland The Cowles Center encompasses the Hennepin Center for the Arts, where residents will host open houses and classes: 3rd Floor: Sandra K. Horner Performance Studio Sandra K. Horner, acting coach and teacher, is holding an open house all day in her Studio in Suite 300. 4th Floor: Zenon Dance Company In Studio 4A, join Zenon's talented teachers as they demonstrate different styles of dance, from hip hop to modern to jazz, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Observe how the pros do it, or try it out yourself – no experience necessary! End the day with a restorative yoga class at 4:00 p.m. Studio 4B will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with staff on hand to answer questions about upcoming classes. 5th Floor: Mathew Janczewski's ARENA DANCES Join ARENA DANCES for a class at 11:00 a.m. in Studio 5B. Matthew Janczewski will have you spinning, twisting and leaping through the air with his unique style of modern dance. Students will leave with an understanding of what modern dance is, and how to look at different styles within the genre. 5th Floor: Arquette & Associates Talent Agency Aspiring models are welcome to come to Suite 503 between 12:00 and 4:00 p.m. for an open call model search. Arquette Agency is a full service agency handling print, runway, on-camera, dance and much more. Aspiring Models do not need to bring photos, but please dress casually and naturally. Arquette Agency is currently searching for their next fresh face for a reality TV show airing this January on the CW Network. 5th Floor: Italian Cultural Center The Italian Cultural Center will be showcasing what it has to offer in Suites 500-502. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the space and library, participate in activities such as the "How Italian Are You?" game, take sample Italian classes for adults (11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.) and children (2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.) and learn about membership benefits. Those who sign up to become members on September 11 will be entered into a raffle to win one free Italian class session (10 classes) of your choice, a value of $310. 6th Floor: Minnesota Dance Theatre & the Dance Institute Join MDT for an open house from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Learn about the upcoming season and classes in the Dance Institute. Enjoy demonstrations, meet the dancers and tour the Dance Institute faculty. 6th Floor: Green T Productions Visit Suite 600 to learn about Green T Productions. Inspired by the world's theatrical traditions, Green T Productions seeks to produce plays that explore culture, history and philosophy through theater, dance and music. Green T Productions is on stage in the Goodale Theater at 11:10 with their interactive production of Pinocchio-chan. Set in a fantastical Japanese village, the play uses traditional Japanese dance and music to tell the tale of the puppet that wanted to become a real boy. Pinocchio-chan includes music, dance, jokes and audience participation to appeal to audiences from three years old and up. Join them in Studio 5B from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. for a Kabuki Theater workshop. 6th Floor: MN Dance Medicine The Minnesota Dance Medicine Foundation is a non-profit organization of dance medicine professionals conducting research and education for the dance community. Members will be on hand all day to discuss the organization and answer questions about dance injuries and prevention strategies. 7th Floor: Gopher Toastmasters The Gopher Toastmasters club, 70 years young in 2011, proudly calls The Cowles Center home. It's a perfect home for this club, since public speaking, like every performing art, requires practice, an education plan, and a supportive environment. You'll find all that in Toastmasters and the Gopher club. Stop by their open house in room 701 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Learn about the Toastmasters experience, and join them in the celebration of the club's 70th anniversary! 8th Floor: Illusion Theater Illusion Theater, the resident theater company in the Hennepin Center for the Arts, presents excerpts from their upcoming season from 3:30 to 3:45 p.m. on the Illusion Theater stage on the 8th Floor. The Cowles Center is at 528 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. 612.206.3600