Guest Workshops
Unfortunately SDC have no upcoming Guest Workshops. However keep checking back with us for future opportunities.
PAST WORKSHOPS
Somatics Workshop with Becky Dyer
Date: Monday 18th July 6pm-8pm
Venue: Mitchell Arts Centre, Broad Street City Centre, Stoke on Trent.
Cost: £2(sdc members) / £3
Becky Dyer is a dance professor,
somatics practitioner and educator, and choreographer from Arizona
State University of the Western United States. Her social somatics
approach to teaching dance technique, choreography and somatics is
shaped by the Bartenieff Fundamentals and Body-Mind Centering, as well
as other frames for learning such as Laban Movement Analysis,
Release-based techniques, various modern dance styles, Ideokinesis (use
of imagery), Authentic Movement, Experiential Anatomy, Contact
Improvisation, and Dance Therapy approaches.
Becky
has presented her work and taught workshops at many national and
international dance and somatics conferences, dance festivals,
universities within the United States, and more recently in Europe at
the Theatre Academy of Finland in Helsinki. This summer, in addition to
sharing her work at the Dance and Somatics Conference in Coventry, she
will be teaching at the Open Look International Contemporary Dance
Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, Frankfurt University of Music and
Performing Arts in Frankfurt, Germany, Aalto University School of Art
and Design in Helsinki, Finland, Liverpool John Moore's University
within the Somatic Movement Educator Programme in Liverpool, UK, and the
Independent Dance Centre in London. Becky has published a number of
somatics and dance pedagogy articles in professional journals and books
including: Somatics Magazine-Journal; Dance: Current Selected Research
Volume 7 (a book); the Journal of Aesthetic Education; Research in Dance
Education; and the Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices.
About the Workshop
Participants
in Becky’s workshop will explore a variety of somatic ideas and
approaches from the Bartenieff Fundamentals and Body-Mind Centering that
aim to facilitate individuals in finding more efficiency, ease,
coordination, authenticity and expression in their movement. The
relationships of functional and expressive facets of movement as well as
inner and outer realms of movement experience will be investigated with
the goal of enhancing movement potential, meaning, and
self-understanding. Through “hands-on” approaches, participants will be
facilitated in their investigations of various somatic concepts related
to the Bartenieff Fundamentals Patterns of Total Body Connectivity that
might enhance their dance technique, performance and choreography--for
example, total body integration, breath and organ support for increased
movement functioning and released-based contemporary dance techniques,
and movement sequencing, patterning, initiation, phrasing and dynamics.
The learning process will lead participants to an increased awareness of
their movement patterning tendencies, breath patterning, and “patterns
of holding,” with the goal of helping participants conceive of and
explore new movement possibilities and alternative kinetic pathways.
6 Week Course With Julia Griffin
Dates: 28th February - 4th April 2011
Mondays 5.30-7
Venue: Dance studio, Stoke-on-Trent College (Burslem College)
Cost: £25
Julia Griffin is a freelance dance artist operating in the UK and Europe
with extensive knowledge and experience in teaching, performing and
choreographing contemporary dance and dance video/film works. She has worked
with professional dance artists and companies, along with established artists
from diverse disciplines.
In a career
spanning over 20 years, she has investigated, explored and experimented with
dance. This journey of ongoing collaborations between dance and choreographic
practice and film/video medium in a contemporary context, challenges the
symbiotic relationship that exists between dance, camera, body and site,
performer and viewer. It is through various cross art form collaborative
projects, sited dance works, short video works, installation and multimedia
events that define her as an artist working with movement. She is passionate
about unlocking the potential to create new ways of moving through artistic
collaboration, devising new methodologies for creating original and thought
provoking works that encourage participation and cross fertilization of art
forms.
Class Description: The primary goal of this class is to emphasize the joy of dancing and
allow participants to find pleasure in movement. The work comes from an
anatomical perspective and looks at the articulation of the skeletal frame in
order to generate momentum from bone weight, rather than through muscular
tension.
The classes aim to help participants develop a strong individual
presence and provide an opportunity for playful experimentation as well as hard
work. The main focal points are use of the breathe and its connection to
action, the use of anatomical improvisation to generate heat within the body,
the isolation of individual bone structures within the frame and the
establishment of multiple connections to the floor, and directions of energy through,
around and in the body.
This course is suitable for dance artists, teachers, recent graduates or third year dance students. To book your place on this contact Clare on admin@staffsdancecollective.co.uk (places are limited).
Workshop with Bettina Strickler
When: Sunday 14th November 2010 1pm-4pm
Where: Ingestre Hall Arts Centre, Stafford, Staffordshire
ST18 0RF
Cost: £7/£5 concession
Bettina studied dance and choreography at Laban. She
was co-artistic director of dance theatre company Protein Dance from 1997-2005,
winning a Bonnie Bird Award in 1999 and a Jerwood Award for Choreography in
2000. During her time with Protein Dance, she was commissioned to make work for
CandoCo, Transitions, Welsh Independent Dance and the Wapping Project, amongst
others. She was Choreographer in Residence at The Place (jointly with Luca
Silvestrini) from 2001-2003.
Bettina
has been a freelance choreographer for the past five years. Her recent work
includes commissions for From Here To Maturity Dance Company, East London
Dance, Fireraisers Theatre Company, London Metropolitan University and the
Watermill Theatre, Newbury. Bettina was artistic director of the National Youth
Dance Festival 2006, 2007 and 2010 and was a semi-finalist of the Place Prize
2008.
Workshop Content
We
will start by asking: "What is choreography?" and will try to find some
answers (or more questions..?) by examining very simple, basic
choreographic principles, such as bodies in space, simple movement
patterns and unison movement. This exploration will be very playful,
involving lots of improvisation, group discussion and playing of
physical games. The participants will get a chance to choreograph short
sequences and show them to each other. Hopefully, by the end of the
session, we will know a little bit more about what 'works' for us in
choreography, what some of the options are and how we might want to
develop them in the future.
SDC is hosted a three-day Residency with Anna Macdonald from Forecast Dance.
When: 30th, 31st August & 1st September 2010, 10am-4pm
Where: SHOP, Stoke Town, Stoke-on-Trent
(www.shop-stoke.co.uk)
Window works
A person is invited to come to a window in a particular
building at a particular time. There they find a place to sit and something to
drink. At some point a woman will come into their view from the window and
write something on a piece of paper – she holds it up and they read 'this is
for you'...then she starts to dance.
Based in
a disused shop in a busy area of Stoke Town the residency will begin to explore
and develop material for a site-specific dance designed to be seen from a
window. Participants will look at ways of working with site, playing with the
peculiar romance involved in trying to communicate across a distance. The work
will be fun and accessible encouraging people to work to their own strengths.
The residency will culminate in an informal sharing of the work in progress on
the final day.
Background - www.forecastdance.org
Anna
Macdonald has been artistic director of Forecast dance since 2002. Their work
has been described as creating 'an inspired and interesting link between
live art, experimental dance and accessible, entertaining performance.’ (Vincent Cacalano, Magpie
Dance, Amsterdam). Forecast have received significant Arts council funding for
producing and touring several full length works. Members of the collective have
collaborated with artists such as; Andrea Buckley, Heidi Rustgaarde (H2 Dance),
Thomas Lehman, Piano Circus and Motion House. Alongside their UK touring they
have been selected for LEAP international festival of dance, Short cuts festival,
Preston, VideoDanzaBA International Video dance festival, Argentina and
recently won a commission to create a site specific work for this Autumn's 'Up
the Wall' festival in Chester.
Helen Parlor
Sunday 23rd September 2007 1pm-4pm
Helen's classes are very physical working the whole body in a grounded and powerful manner. The class will explore floor based work leading through the spirals of jumps and turns. Helen's vocabulary enjoys keeping a musicality at a challenging pace. The class will be followed by a contact and character workshop with skills of how to create movement for yourself and others,
especially when you feel you have run out of ideas!
Helen has worked with choreographers Scott Ambler, Yael Flexor, Jonathon Lunn, Nikky Smedley and Mark Bruce. In 1999 she joined Motionhouse and stayed with them to tour 'Atomic','Fearless', 'Volatile' and 'Perfect'. During this time Helen co-choreographed site specifics in Witley Court, 'The Big House' and Polesworth Abbey and became dance captain and rehearsal director. Helen also works as a choreographer and regularly choreographs on youth companies.
Helen was artistic director for the all male dance company "Full Force" run
through Hampshire Dance. In 2006 Helen went to Oslo to join 'Panta Rei' and toured Norway, Sweden and India with work made by Anne Ekenes and Jamie Watton. Helen currently works as a freelancer working with many different organisations as a performer, facilitator and choreographer.
Kompany Malakhi - Kwesi Johnson
Sunday 7th October 2007, 1pm-4pm
Kwesi Johnson, Artistic Director of Kompany Malakhi and self-styled ‘Griographer’, is part of a new generation of artists who are bringing their eclectic experiences to dance. A graduate of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, he has performed with some of the most prolific international companies and choreographers from Phoenix Dance Company, Lloyd Newson, Black Mime Theatre, Company Duroure, CandoCo Dance Company, Hittite Empire and IRIE! dance theatre. Since creating Kompany Malakhi in 1994, Johnson has grown from strength to strength by pushing creative boundaries and developing fresh and sophisticated ideas.
New Art Club - Tom Roden
Sunday 21st October 2007 1pm-4pm
"New Art Club was formed in 2001 by Tom Roden and Pete Shenton. The duo's inimitable combination of dance, theatre and comedy has been experienced by many through their repertoire of comedy dance shows. New Art Club believe that choreography is an easy, accessible artistic discipline that can be practised by all. They create a safe, supportive environment for artists to work in and with an inclusive and demystifying approach to skills-based sessions, their work aims to have a memorable and important effect on the creative and physical development of artists." Filip Van Huffel, Retina Dance Company
Thanks for a great workshop on 13th May 2007! Filip Van Huffel, choreographer and Artistic Director of the Anglo/Belgian Retina Dance, will start the workshop with a technique class that focuses on the process of movement, exploring the flow of energy through the body, emphasising efficiency and freedom. Fast paced and quirky, his class uses continuous flow, weight and breath to energise movement through the space and body.
The choreographic workshop will incorporate taught material, improvisation and an opportunity for the participants to work with choreographic devices Filip uses within his own work. Incorporating solo and partner work, the content will focus on the process of movement rather than shape, and the internal motivation of movement to produce physically vibrant movement material.
Julia Griffin
Thanks to Julia who delivered a workshop in February
Working from an anatomical base, participants engage the interior landscape of the body through visual imagery and anatomical information and progress from deep breathing phrases to more complex movement sequences that develop the body's natural weight moving through space. The class is structured to allow the participant to engage in a deep sense of release of tension through articulation of the body's skeletal framework. Class consists of standing, floor and travelling phrases.