Intensives
Note: To participate to the festival you don’t have to be dancers or artists since the festival is aimed at people who want to experiment with art and movement regardless of whether they have prior experience.
The goal is to explore different skills and capabilities that exist within us study with great teachers and enjoy!
Here you will find in the first part the curriculum and description of the workshops of the festival.
In the second part the descriptions of the post festival event.
Matan Levkowich (IS/AT)
Matan's journey into the world of movement began with basketball, a passion he pursued for 12 years during his formative years. Transitioning to dance, he commenced his education at 'The Group' school in Tel Aviv in 2005-6, followed by the Jerusalem Academy for Music and Dance in 2007-8. Upon relocating to Austria, Matan honed his dance skills at SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance) from 2008 to 2010.
In addition to dance, Matan's interests extend to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, where he proudly holds a purple belt. He's delved into various somatic methods, exploring the intricate connections between mind and body.
Matan's journey has also led him to delve into meditation techniques, and in recent years, he's explored the realm of psychedelic substances, expanding his understanding of consciousness and perception.
Matan's learning journey has been enriched by encounters with esteemed teachers who have left a lasting impact on his path. He drew great inspiration from studying under the guidance of Nita Little, Itay Yatuv, Zuna Kozanek, Martin Nachbar and Philipp Dietl. Moreover, he was profoundly influenced by the teaching legacy of Steve Paxton, Moshe Feldenkrais, Thomas Kurz, Hélio Gracie, John Danaher, S. N. Goenka, and numerous others whose wisdom has shaped his perspective and practice.
Movement Intelligence approach
Movement Intelligence (MI) weaves together theory and physical exploration. MI challenges traditional notion of ’technique' and focuses on finding a balance between general principles and personal expression. The practice examines the gap between how we move to how we experience movement, while considering the cultural ideas that shape how we think about our bodies and minds.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
In the MI workshop, we'll share knowledge from different types of movement like dance, contact improvisation, somatic practices, and martial arts. It's a safe space to explore new ideas both physically and mentally. Through physical communication and adaptation, we'll work on connecting our bodies and minds, imagination and reality, intuition and analysis, individual experiences with group experiences. We will explore solo, partner, and group materials.
Katarzyna Brzezinska (PL), born in Poland; based in Berlin; working, teaching and collaborating internationally. Choreographer – performer, interdisciplinary artist,improvisation and movement teacher, clown-doctor (@brzezinska_nearspaces);
Alternative and holistic therapist and coach (@ilm_backtobody_berlin).
This multifaceted individual has dedicated around20 years to her exploration of the body, movement, and creativity, and she generously shares her expertise through teaching movement, contact improvisation, somatic performance research, instant composition & embodied choreography. In 2019 she has become also a certified Ilan Lev Method Practitioner and ILM Movement Teacher and since then she offers ILM movement courses and treatments for movement amateurs, practitioners and professionals, as well as integrate an ILM language & movement research approach into her teaching.
Her own work and artistic research includes: poetry and imagination in relationship to tangible and scientific facts of reality, physics and anatomical structures; layers of human identity; "perfect imperfection", as well as artistic presence.
More about:
https://www.brzezinska.space/
Title of the workshop: "Gravitational Forces"
Dynamics, Restful Flow, Contact Improvisation, Image
During these classes based on the Ilan Lev Method, we will explore the fundamentals of the unique language of ILM movement, which offers a rich and refreshing "shot" for the functional and motor capabilities of the entire body.
ILM invites the body to release and strengthen by focusing on effortlessness and efficiency in movement through the main dialogue with 
gravity and playful functional exploration. This practice refreshes, relaxes, while activating imagination, joy, physical creativity and flow of energy. It thereby prepares the body and mind for greater potential, directionality, performance and expression in movement.
During the "Gravitational Forces" series of classes, we will focus on exploring solo as well as in contact, layers of physical structures, forces, tensions, internal and spatial connections as well as always “moving-living-flowing-changing” body relationships.
Integrating tactile sensations through touch and exploration of physical aspect of an image, we will unlock a treasure trove of novel movement forms, compositional possibilities and profound physical dialogues.
As we seamlessly weave somatic practices into the fabric of our exploration, we will uncover the myriad ways in which the Ilan Lev Method facilitates diverse passages of movement, dance research and techniques of improvisation.
Konstantinos Gerardos is a dancer teacher, choreographer and the artistic director of VIS MOTRIX DANCE COMPANY, which is based in Thessaloniki/Greece. He runs VIS MOTRIX PERFORMANCE STUDIO, a space for contemporary dance, performance and theatre in Thessaloniki and he is the creator and educational director of ReDance, an educational program in contemporary dance and performance for actors and dancers.
He started dancing at the National School of Dance in Athens when he was 11 years old. He continued his studies at the Morianova Professional Dance School and graduated from the Professional Dance School of Stavroupoli in Thessaloniki.
Between 1989 and 2004 he danced for the Thessaloniki Dance Theatre (National Theatre of Northern Greece). In 2001 he won the 1st prize at the National Awards for Dance for his interpretation as ‘Bluebeard’ at the performance of the same name, directed by K. Rigos. In 2012 he was invited by the ‘Machinenoisy Dance Company’ based in Vancouver, Canada to dance at the performance ‘Romantic Old Horses’ directed by Peter Bingham. His career as a dancer has continued until today.
In 2001, he founded his own company, ‘VIS MOTRIX DANCE COMPANY’ based at the Vis Motrix Performance Studio in Thessaloniki and has been creating and directing its performances (In Dreams, Safety Distance, Pessoas, In Between, Nocturne, Void, Dark Matter(s) and others) in Greece and abroad (Great Britain, Germany, Spain). In May 2015 Konstantinos Gerardos directed the performance ‘TAN’ for the Thessaloniki Dance Theater (National Theatre of Northern Greece). He has also worked as an actor for the ‘Nees Morfes’ Theatre Company and as a choreographer for theatre and opera and has been subsidized for his work by the Greek Ministry of Culture.
During his work as a dancer and choreographer for the past 30 years, Konstantinos Gerardos has also developed a great teaching experience in classical and contemporary dance, improvisation and Contact Improvisation, Partnering, Ensemble Improvisation, composition, choreography and performance in professional dance schools and acting schools. He has taught improvisation and choreography at the Dance and Performance course at the University of Lincoln in England and workshops in contemporary dance and contact improvisation in Spain, Germany, Israel and Canada. He has collaborated with Chris Aiken, Angie Houser Kirstie Simpson, Nita Little, Ray Chung, Eckhard Muller, Gregor Weber, Thomas Mettler, Yaniv Mintzer and many others.
LEANING TO THE UNKNOWN
KEY WORDS: CI – SKILLS - IMPROVISATION
There many reasons to improvise: warming up, creating specific movement for choreography, bonding groups of people together, exploring new movement qualities, achieving a particular somatic state, creating a performance. In this intensive, we will attend to the use of improvisation as material to enrich our contact improvisation skills and improve the quality of touch and movement in contact with another dancer.
During our work together, we will zoom into the tangible body and its physiology, skin, soft tissue, muscles and bones to inspire our dance. Working solo and in contact we will clarify their role in our personal way of moving and in contact improvisation. Isometric positions will clarify the use of our muscles and playing with the soft tissue of our bodies solo and in contact will enrich the sensitivity of our perception through the skin. We will study the architecture, function and movement qualities of specific body parts like the spine, the hip joints, the torso, the pelvis or the extremities to improve our skills when we are in contact with our partner. Exploring different ways of rolling, sliding, on or off the floor and using the floor as well as a partner to support our travelling through space will bring light and clarify our relationship with space, time and gravity.
Starting from the known we will find the tracks to the unknown, starting from the familiar and the reliable we will travel to the unanticipated and the unpredictable. Starting from our own bodies (solo) we will investigate the elements of improvisation that will help us to improve our improvisational awareness, the ability of listening, not only to our own body but also our partner's body and to experience a dance that is born from our mutual surrendering to each other using improvisation as a tool.
Ippokratis Veneris, teacher, dancer, choreographer, deepen and studies dance and other arts for more than 20 years. In his lessons of contact inserts elements from the various disciplines that has studied extensively over the years as: floorwork, release technique, experiential anatomy, applied anatomy, dupuy technique, acrobalance, martial arts, afro dance, ballet, alexander technic, chi kung, dance theatre and much more.
– In the past collaborated with the UNIVERSITY OF ROME “Roma 3”, department of “Philosophy of Education” giving lectures about “Pedagogy, C.I. and personal researches on teaching”.
- for two years he received an open scholarship in Brussels (PARTS-ROSAS Dance Company) and in Rome by the region of Lazio to proceed with his research on dance theater projects. His original works (“Buongiorno Amore”, “Afroditi”, presented at Olympic theatre and Theatre Greco) combine together elements of theatre and dance.
– Is professor in the theatre school “il Cantiere Teatrale”.
- 2018 award: His work as choreography director for the Pina Bausch "The Nelken line in Rome". An international project of 25 dancers of 11 different countries. Receives the second award of Lazio Film Festival Commission.
– In March of 2014 he was a guest together with Giulio Tremonti (former Italian Minister of Economy), Romano Prodi (the former Italian prime minister and former president of the European community), Ermanno Olmi (film director) in the TV peogram “the wind whistles” of Gad Lerner for Repubblica television and for the art channel Effe tv.
– Has collaborated -teaching and making shows of improvisation- with the Italian National Organization of Theater.
– Teaches regularly twice a week Contact Improvisation developing his own method.
– Teaches in different places around Europe.
– Has collaborated with Roberto Castello-Aldes for “Narrate” premium UBU as the best dance theatre production of the year in Italy and many others.
– In 2011 decided to stop making shows and concentrate his energies on the research about the human nature and the wisdom of our bodies.
– Co-founder of CORE an association of choreographers of central Italy to promote the rights of the live performing arts
– Co-founder of RomaContact a collective of dancers who promote and give shows of improvisation and Contact Improvisation.
– Organized the last 10 years many events of art and workshops inviting teachers from all Europe.
– Lives in Rome where graduate at school “l’officina” where study release technique, Dupuy technique, contact improvisation, instant improvisation and composition.
– As a choreographer, dancer and improviser has organized and participated at different events, in the last ten years.
– Has studied with many choreographers and participating at numerous workshops of physical-theatre, contemporary dance, choreographic composition and contact improvisation.
Theme of the lab: Yin & Yang
In this workshop we will work on some technical tools of Contact Impro and on the connection of Contact Impro and Yin & Yang approach.
Receive and give, the receiver that becomes a giver, mind and body e-motions, masculine and femminine,
"Can we be both Yin?", "Can we be both Yang?". What can come out?
What about left and right side brain function?
Fantasy and concreteness, how and where they meet? Where can bring this approach?
Embrace (us and others), surrender, been transformed through the dance, through the meeting with ourselves and others, ready to flow and get into the energetic flow
of the present moment.
There is something unic been in the momenum, fugacioous and eternal in the same time. It smells like real life to me.
Let's explore all those ideas in these meetings
Priscilla Pizziol (IT)
Theme of the lab: Generously flesh, alive
A proposal to investigate the relationship between a somatic approach to movement and the evocative capacity of dance. A creative journey in which, through listening and observation, we will invite the body to access a state of perceptual openness, nurturing curiosity and awakening creativity and spontaneity.
An invitation to recognize and celebrate the manifestation of our bodies in their full poetic and conscious essence.
"I am moved by the geometry of your lying body as you pour out your content in an attempt to trace a tender groove to cross. You are a landscape, housing subtle images that settle on your skin, grow heavy and trickle down through your tissues until they land slowly in your bones. With your breath, you fill time, stop it, suspend it, break it to shreds, and plunge into it, generously flesh, alive. "
numerous festivals with a site-specific version, including: Conformazioni, Performare Festival, InCastro Festival, Rassegna Logos, Caffeine.