TSEH: moscow dance agency

Moscow Contemporary Dance Summer School TSEH took place in Moscow from 21.07 to 03.08 2002. The school was supported by The Ford Foundation, the French Embassy in Moscow, French Cultural Centre in Moscow, AFAA, The Embassy of Netherlands in Moscow, Theatre Institute Netherlands, The Showcase Foundation(USA), The Trust for Mutual Understanding Foundation (USA).

Marion Ballester - technique, "Compagnie Marion BALLESTER", France

"The Class will begin with the floor work aiming to make perceptions more acute and to get rid of useless tension. The final target is to enhance the awareness of inner physical connexions in relationship to the outer world. Then, vertically, we will try to build the body by refining notions such as support, weight, movement intentions and the places to initiate it. We will try to make this dance movements clearer, larger, more powerful and musical: The proposed series deal with linking the technical work with emotional pleasure. Thus to experience movement as hints left by intensiveness and sensitivity through space."

Maxime Rigobert - technique, le Conservatoire de Lyon, France

"After graduation from the National Superior Conservatory in Brussel, I worked two years in Italy with Micha Van Hoecke (Balleto Theatro L'Ensemble). After that I worked with Dominique Bagouet for one year, with Daniel Larrieu at the National Choreografic Center in Tours for three years and with the "Carnets Bagouet" for five. Afetrwards I danced with DCA the compagny of Philippe Decoufle. Now, I continue my work with Daniel Larrieu.

In the same time I've choreographied three pieces for my self: - "A ceux ..." - "Similis" - "Mue"

I have been teaching in the company DCA of Philippe Decoufle, the Nationale Superior Conservatory of Lyon in France, the National Conservatory of Dance of Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam..."

"In my classes you can feel the influence of different movement techniques such as kinesiologie, feldenkraďs, and nearly contact. The relation between the body weight in the vertical position and the floor is very important in my classes. Usually, I start with the preparation on the floor warming up the breath, the deep muscles and articulations. After that, in the vertical, I work on the contrast between tension and release. For the last part we work on choreographical phrases using all we have been doing before. It's tonic. From the beginnig to the end of the classe we are all the time in dance."

Miguel Gutierrez - technique and composition, New-York, USA

Technique class:

"Class is an ever-shifting practice to prepare the mind and body for contemporary dance work. Current influences are principles derived from Body/Mind Centering and Alexander Technique. We warm up using a variety of approaches such as developmental patterns, image-based improvisations, and simple standing exercises. This allows us to focus on dynamic alignment, weight, space, integration, energy and space. Challenging dance phrases encourage intelligent dancing that is technically grounded and physically daring."

The Performance of Improvisation

"I will lead a group of people through questions and ideas about the particular challenges of the performance of improvisation. These are some of the points of exploration in the workshop:

the practice of presence

sophisticated choices

solo form, group forms

scores that are pre-determined, scores that emerge

what happens when the people look at you

mysterious physical languages

intention/action

desire"

Miguel Gutierrez is a dance artist based in Brooklyn. He recently presented his first evening length piece, enter the seen, at Aqui the Bushwick in Brooklyn. His work has been presented in New York at the Kitchen, P.S.122 and in various smaller theaters and alternative performance spaces throughout the country. This year he has been a choreographer in residence at EST's Lexington Center for the Arts, George Washington University, and Goucher College. He worked with San Francisco's Joe Goode Performance Group from 1993 to 1996. From 1997 to 2001 he was a member of John Jasperse Company. He has also performed with Jennifer Lacey, Sarah Michelson, Jennifer Monson, and Mark Morris. He has taught techniqe and improvisation at American Dance Festival, at the Tel Aviv Dance Center in Israel, Hollins University, Aqui the Bushwick, and at Dance Space Center in New York. He played for four years in the band Princess, and now performs sporadically with My Robot Friend.

Michael Jahoda - technique and repertoir, "Anouk van Dijk DC', Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Michael Jahoda has been dancing with New York based choreographer Jennifer Muller for seven years. He now teaches her technique all over the world.

The MULLER TECHNIQUE emphasizes breath, coordination, energy, fluidity and control. Students will be challenged to explore musicality and movement phrasing and will be given the opportunity to use their creative imagination as a means of increasing body awareness. One of the primary beliefs in the muller technique is that a positive environment will greatly augment the learning process. The technique was developed by Jennifer Muller, Artistic Director of Jennifer Muller/ The Works (NYC), which is internationally acclaimed for its "intense impact", "kinestetic artistry", and "breathtaking high risk work".

By applying the principals of polarity to movement , alternating between deep release and total energizing, highly technical and virtuosi movement can be executed with ease and comfort. The complete release becomes a tool for generating energy to serve the following suspense. By using the breath and abdomen as the initiating source for movement, energy is allowed to flow through the body, in a clear and directed way.

The class is divided in three parts.

The first part of class is done standing, working in parallel position. Simple breathing exercises that gradually grow more complicated and demanding are done in a clear, holistic way. This enables the dancer to focus on correct placement, subsequently ridding the body of unnecessary tension for fullness and speed in movement.

The second part of class is a well-structured barre. Emphasis is put on strong and clear legwork and elements of the first exercises are incorporated as codas. The barre exercises are created to further prepare the dancers physically and mentally for the final segment of class. Various speeds and tempos are used to build momentum and aid the instrument to a thorough warm up.

The final stage begins again in a simple way, with balances and moves on to dynamic, fluid and technically challenging class phrases moving through space.

The repertoire class

I will combine the work I have done with Jennifer Muller and with Anouk van Dijk. I spent seven years dancing with Jennifer Muller in New York and I am now dancing seven years with Anouk van Dijk in Amsterdam.

The workshop will consist of learning and exploring two very different solos (made on me and for me) by two different choreographers; Jennifer Muller and Anouk van Dijk. Ms. Muller and Ms. Van Dijk come from different generations, movement traditions and countries but share a love and passion for the joy of dance. These choreographers create movement that is full bodied and requires the dancer to participate on a personal level.

The dancers will learn the two solos and explore what they have in common, what makes them different, and how to make these solos their own. It will give a view of how two people create on the same body, how two choreographers can use different points of initiation and will also show two historically important developments in modern dance.

Ellis Wood - technique and composition, Wood Dance, New-York, USA;

"What is exciting to me about teaching is riding the fine line between control and freedom. Reaching for pure physical abandon combined with extreme technical prowess, I strive to create classes that will drive the dancers toward a generous emotional portrait of themselves. I make phrases and class work from my gut in the hope that the students will take a ride with me into a passionate moment in space and time that could be their own. My goal is to both physically and emotionally inspire the students to attack the space with an unabashed sense of strength and vulnerability. I encourage the students, through release technique and the exploration of dramatic content, to fearlessly fly into the less comfortable world of the unknown, exploding with the passion of movement, and moving with the intensity of people powerfully revealed.

Technique class

Technique class consists of a release, floor-based warm up followed by a standing technical series of exercises that lead into a full-bodied, flying release phrase. The technical work is complimented by a search for the dramatic content lying beneath the extreme physicality. The demand for both physical and mental concentration is high and the dynamics of the phrase work range from peaceful stillness to flowing release work to a high-energy powerful edge.

Composition class

Composition class consists of a group of exercises that guide the students through an exploration of their relationship to movement and themselves. By guiding the students through structured yet flexible improvisations and choreographic projects, my hope is that they become so immersed in the process of creation; they are amazed to see the excerpts of choreography that they develop along the way. Phrase work, text, partnering, structure, and finding a unique voice are some of the themes explored throughout the class.

Stretch - hip-hop, "Rokafella and Quickstep" company, Bronx, USA;

Stretch is a well known choreographer and instructor. his resume includes work with Mariah Carey for years as her exclusive choreographer.. and worked with Michael Jackson and with Wil Smith. He also was on the first hip-hop tour back in the early eighties so he has a lot of experience and knowledge for students to absorb.

"As for my class, I teach an intermediate level class, not too easy, not too hard. If you're able to follow a drum rhythm, you'll be fine in my class. I teach the foundations of hip hop dance, which are locking, popping, and top rocking. I also teach the art of freestyle hip hop, which is a combination of all the above, and house-jacking, which is the newest dance style in the U.S."

Olga Pona - technique, Chelyabinsk contemporary dance theatre, Chelyabinsk, Russia

Olga Pona's contemporary dance class is based on the combination of tesion and realise and dance phrases from Olga Pona's performances. The classes are considered mostly for choreographers.

As a teacher, choreographer and dancer Olga Pona is working with the Chelyabinsk Theater of Contemporary Dance, founded in 1992 and directed by Vladimir Pona. Her work has been performed in many festivals throughout Eastern Europe.

In 1999 Olga Pona was invited as a guest-artist at the European Dance Development Center (EDDC) in Arnhem, The Netherlands. After performing in the festivals of Volgograd and Ekaterinenburg during the Fall of 1999, the originality and spontaneity of her work has also been recognized by several Western organizers and programmers. In March 2000, "Do I have you, or don't I ?" was nominated for the Russian theater award the "Golden Mask". In 2001 "Sketches from Nature" was awarded the Golden Mask for best contemporary choreography.

In 2001 and 2002, Tanzhaus NRW in Dusseldorf / Germany has given Olga Pona and her dancers the opportunity to create "One More Bird" (2001) and "Waiting' (2002).

Tatiana Baganova - power yoga, "Provincial Dances", Ekaterinburg, Russia

Natalya Kasparova - jazz and Pilates based technic, Kannon Dance Company, Sent-Petersburg, Russia

Alexandra Konnikova - "Flying Low, not low and in contact", PO.V.S.TANZE, Moscow, Russia

We are teaching the technique trasnformed and interpreted in our daily dance practice from David Zambrano's "Flying Low". The technique is essential in making contact with the floor, building up connections between the centre and peripheries and enreaching dynamics by using the principles of natural movement and release. The class exercises include falls and slidings, flying over the floor and acrobatic elements, which will be eventually formed in phrases.

Darya Buzovkina - release based technique, Kinetic, Moscow, Russia

The technique is based on the deep exploration of the internal processes and reflections, which facilitate the freedom of movement in any dance style.

Daria Buzovkina is a dancer, choreographer and teacher based in Moscow. Daria started her dance career at the age of 6 in "the Pioneers Palace" in Moscow. She studied dance at the dance studio of the house of Culture ZIL, at Sretenka dance school and at Moscow Ballet Academy (1993-1998). Being the student of the ballet academyl Daria performed in the play "More Van Gogh" in Moscow Tabakov theater. After graduation she worked in the State Kremlin Ballet for 6 months. She joined the project "Kinetic" in 1999. Since then Daria has participated in all the perfomances and festivals. Her own original works were used in the perfomances "One Second Hand","The list of illusion", "Qu'est qu'une ulve?", "Not There", "There, where jasmin never stops blossoming". She participated in the project of young independent choreografers and worked with the company "P.O.V.S.TANZE" in Moscow (2000) She has been teaching contamporary dance since 2000. Her own works include a solo projet "Just..." (premiere-05/05/01), a trio-project "Thirdly" for Chamber Moscow ballet (premiere-18/03/02) and a duo "Consisting of them" with dancer Taras Burnashev from "P.O.V.S.TANZE" (premiere-05/05/01).

Alexander Pepelyaev - composition, Kinetic, Moscow, Russia

The subject and the content.

The workshop consists of an analysis of a structure and dramaturgy of a dance performance and deals with the specific for contemporary dance theatre ways of developing a theme. The workshop practice will let students identify the interior logic of combining choreographic elements with psychophysical action.

The course models a real creating process, including improvisation, sketch, working on the material and making compositional fragments.

The main purpose of the seminar is to encourage students to create, to increase their individual potential and enrich their vocabulary, and to experience and use practically the great variety of expressive means for revealing an idea of a performance.

A. Pepelyaev is a choreographer and a producer. He graduated from GITIS, the faculty of drama production, the course of A. Vasyliev, and worked as a choreographer in different theatres and dance companies throughout Russia and abroad.

He is the founder and the director of the project "Kinetic". In the projects' works he combines contemporary choreography and text. Since 1994 around 16 original pieces have been made and performed in numerous festivals in Russia and abroad. Some of them were awarded at Rusisan and international festivals and competitions..

He teaches a lot and makes productions in different dance centres: - Yekaterinburgh Centre of Modern Art; - European Dance Developing Centre (Arnhem, the Netherlands); - Unior Dance Company (Copenghagen); - Theatrical Academy (Helsinky); - "Aurinkoballetti" (Tuyrky); - "Dasstashonen" (Malmo); - theatre "Fon Kraly" (Tallinn); - ADF (the USA); - summer courses in Estonia.

Anna Braslavskaya - jazz, Moscow, Russia

The technical perfection doesn't exist - the dancer's energy, artistry, ability and willingness to express his own inner world, that's what really strikes and amazes. In my class, first of all, I expect my students to concentrate on their individual approach towards every movement, every step. The class challenges, goes in a fast pace and consists of a warming up, exersises developping flexibility,stretching and stamina, and some dance phrases and combinations at the end.

Valentina Ustinova - Argentinian tango, Moscow, Russia