Practicing contact improvisation from the first moment in the dance we enter the space where everything is connected to balancing, the dynamics of going off balance and finding balance.
In this intensive we will explore balance from different points of view.
Catching the balance for a moment just to loose it again.
To feel the taste of calmness and clarity in the state of off-balance.
We will not look for "perfect balance". We will go through... Into the very action, into the play with gravity, into the movement as a process of equally interesting opportunities. The process is changeable, always new, never repeating, unpredictable, catching. In this process"to find" and "to loose" is equally valuable, where every new choiceis just a step into the next unknown, where we find balance to loose it again and again.
In the class we will explore physically different possibilities of balancing: at first through excersises and pathways to find the most safe and efficient way to move in dynamic liftings, and then we will take the basic principles and findings into open improvisation.
Some themes that we will touch upon in the intensive:
- Inertial flows (curves, circles, loops, eights, vectors)
- Freedom in travelling with shared weight
- Joint falling and going to higher levels (easiness and safety)
- Dynamic lifts
Also, we will not forget about subtle enteractions between external and internal.
Ekaterina Basalaeva
Ekaterina Basalaeva (Russia) - performer, teacher, dancer, project organizer.
Since 1991 my life has been connected with dance and movement exploration. I practiced different kinds of contemporary dance, dance theatre, performance, martial arts, psychosomatic disciplines. I got to know CI in the late 90s and I was lucky to study with amazing teachers who supported my interest to my own exploration and revising my previous experience and knowledge.
At the moment I continue to study, practice and teach CI.
In the recent years CI and performance has become for me the most interesting forms of being in dialogue with the world, opportunity to go over the borders of formal communication and live between, if not outside, social contexts. I've always been interested in how a person is making choices, manages his body, emotions, thoughts and how he interacts with the world around. Dancing CI I learn to be free and to meet other people's freedom.
July 7-10 - Workshop Contact improvisation for all levels with Itay Yatuv;
July 13th - Teachers performance;
July 14 - 21 - Main part of The Festival 8 days of dancing;
July 25 - 29 - Contact improvisation lab for teachers and advanced dancers with Yaniv Mintzer;
July 25 - 29 - Jam week in Moscow for everybody contact dancers
INTENSIVES
The longest and the most important workshops at the festival. Four teachers do their classes separately during five days. Intensives begin at 9.30.
PROJECTS AND LABS
At the festival you can participate in one of the Projects. Project is a lab that continues for 5 days. Projects are facilitated by teachers, but it is not a workshop, as teacher is only support the process of exploration, keep time and offer structure for the work. If you choose to be in a project, please participate all 5 days, so that the group can really go deep in exploration. This year we have two projects:
-Adrian Russi
-Ilya Domanov and Katya Velichko
If you want to explore your own themesorganize the process yourself and have an opportunity to take different themes every day with different people, than instead of joining a project, you can participate and organize laboratories. Laboratory is an opportunity to work with a theme that interests you with a group of interested people.
Laboratory is an opportunity to work with a theme that interests you with a group of interested people
We invite every festival participant to offer ideas and questions for labs. In the lab you can explore any aspect of CI and performance.
Themes can be various, for example: contact trio, street performance, how to land softly when moving with a partner etc. Theme can be taken from morning intensive, if you want to explore something deeper. Labs can continue for 1 or more days depending on the interest of participants.
The role of facilitator is to offer a theme and support creative exploration of the group.
We will have an information board for lab offers.
Welcome on board of exploration, curiosity, insights and creativity!!!
Some ideas on how to create a lab.
General Points:
• Be passionate about your question or theme
• Questions do not have to be answered. Question might produce more questions.
• Motivate people to explore rather than give your own answers
• Be open to let the explorations go in unexpected direction
• There is no right or wrong way to lead a lab
Practical Points
1. Introduce the question or theme – in verbal or practical way as appropriate.
2. Discuss and agree the working methods – make best use of time available. It’s often useful to dance more, to explore the theme in movement.
3. Time keeping – watch the clock
4. Give time for feedback and sharing
5. There is a possibility to share your results in various ways
- Documentation
- Performance
- Further lab
Creative Time
CREATIVE TIME
This is a special time of the day when you can concentrate on whatever is important for you.
Probably you would enjoy these options:
• Have some time alone, digest your experience, write down your thoughts…
• Talk to someone, share your feelings
• Make a small lab (e.g. work on the material of today’s intensive)…
• Give or receive bodywork…
• Make a photo shoot or video performance…
• Go on a dance date…
• Announce and facilitate a discussion on a topic that interests you – share your thoughts and find out what other people think…
• Make an unannounced performance for random audience…
• Announce place and time of your performance and perform (try out some creative ideas, collect feedback)…
• Rehearse for the evening performance…
• Connect with nature (go out for a walk or swim in the river)…
• Just have rest and sleep…
• Relax and think of something of your own…
If you want someone to join you at tomorrow’s Creative time, put an announcement on the information board in the “Creative time” section or speak up in the cafe during food break.
If you need support for your ideas feel free to ask teachers, organizers, friends and other participants.
ONE-2-ONE SESSIONS
These are 20 min long individual sessions with teachers. In the begining of the festival there will be list of teachers and time where you can write your name to reserve this time for your lesson.
