Nov. 26 to 30, 2018 – 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Mon.-Fri.)
$75 with the support of *Emploi-Québec (or $325, non-eligible rate)
$17 drop-ins for 3 days minimum starting Monday (unless full)
Open to artists of all disciplines / Bilingual teachers
Capacity: 25 people, priority for full week attendance
In collaboration with the Association de contact improvisation (ACI)
A training-laboratory in real-time composition, performance and physical contact
Beginning with various somatic influences (B.M.C., Alexander and release techniques, martial arts and butoh-inspired approaches) and a base in physical theatre and in contact improvisation, this training/laboratory will delve into the investigations of textures in touch, skin, muscles and bones, moving into image-making that is textural, embodied and alive.
Our research will include exploring the inner life of objects, the relationship and composition of materials in space and the relationship between bodies and objects in space. Drawing, photography, discussions and creative writing will complement our study.
Some thoughts to inspire our inquiries
“Improvising like we breathe. Crossing the thresholds of bodies and objects at play. Activating the pathways between the physical and the intangible. Imagining the impossible and savoring the presence of space. Training ourselves to ‘let-it-happen’. Giving myself permission to feel pleasure in what I am doing, especially when it’s awkward. Tasting the absence of doing. Keeping it simple is ironically quite difficult. Heating up our presence to imperceptible things. Beefing up our game. Playing lightly/seriously with our how-to-be, our know-how and our not knowing!”
Jori Snell is a physical performing-and visual artist from Holland/Denmark (1972). She was educated at Institutet för Scenkonst (93) in Italy and Nordisk Teaterskole (98) in Denmark. Since 1998 she works as a freelance dancer/performer, director and educator in Europe and South Africa, transforming her training in physical theatre, visual art, contact improvisation, martial arts and butoh-related approaches into a very personal language. Between 2008-2016, she single-handedly initiated and sustained the contact improvisation scene in Cape Town, South Africa, and taught theatre and dance in many contexts, institutions and universities (Drama & Dance Departments of Cape Town and Rhodes). Her solo-productions: ‘Very Short Stories..’, ‘Inua’ and ‘Kitchen Fables in a Cookie Jar’ have won several awards and international acclaim. In her performances and teaching she aims to bring alive an authentic expression in body, personality, object & space, moving between physical theatre and fairytales, dance and myth, poetry and the creation of magic visual pictures. Her inspiration in improvisation and contact improvisation has come from intensive work with Kirstie Simson, Bo Madvig, Lucia Walker, Nancy Stark Smith, Ray Chung and Andrew Harwood.
Andrew de Lotbinière Harwood (Montreal) is an internationally recognized pioneer and master teacher of contact improvisation (CI). He began his dance career in 1975 and for over forty years has dedicated himself to the research, education, development and dissemination of contact improvisation and real-time composition as sophisticated movement disciplines and performing art forms. He studied and performed with Steve Paxton, Nancy Stark Smith and Nita Little, the founders of contact improvisation and danced for the companies of Marie Chouinard, Jean-Pierre Perreault, Jo Lechay and Fulcrum as well as the improvisation collectives Discovery Bal, The Echo Case and the Improvisational Movement Fund. Formerly artistic director of AH HA Productions (2000-2014) his work has evolved through ongoing collaborations with many renowned dancers (Peter Bingham, Marc Boivin, Benoît Lachambre, Lin Snelling, Chris Aiken, Kirstie Simson, Julyen Hamilton, Lin Snelling, Benno Voorham, Ray Chung, Lisa Nelson, Jori Snell, etc.) and through various investigations of perception, performance, composition, spatial/set design and movement techniques. Passionate about teaching, he transforms his training in gymnastics, the Alexander Technique, Aikido, release technique, contemporary dance, yoga and various somatic practices into a personal language, which he has shared throughout the world since 1976. He is the recipient of the Canada Council’s Jacqueline-Lemieux award for the year 2000.
All workshops are for professional performing artists. Some require advanced dance training.
Registration – Please contact (514) 393-3771 or at info@studio303.ca. A non-refundable deposit of $20 is required to reserve your spot.
Payments – By check, cash, Paypal or credit card on the phone or in person ($1 to $2 fee)
Reimbursement policy– No reimbursement possible without a good reason (ex: sickness or injury).
*Emploi-Québec – With the support of Emploi-Québec. In order to get this rate, participants must be Canadian citizens or permanent resident and live in Québec. Full-time students and social assistance beneficiaries are not eligible to this rate. In case of inadmissibility, you can refer to the non-eligible rate, contact us for questions.
Studio’s accessibility – Consult this page for detailed information.