Australia – Europe
Since 2020 I am based in Australia and my teaching happens now mainly ‘on the other side’ of the planet. Over the last 15 years I developed different re-occuring formats in Germany and Europe, like Training Programmes, Festivals and longer Workshops in the summer & winter holidays. I thought that I’d continue most of these formats by coming to Europe for extended teaching tours. But 2020 was also the year when covid hit and intercontinental travels from Australia stopped … So, below you see impressions from the past, which hopefully become options in the future again :)
On my calender you can see if there are offers of mine already scheduled in Europe.
Training Programmes
DanceContact.de
This is the platform for the co-teachings of Daniel Werner and me, which we are enjoying since 2007. We share our systematic approach to CI technique in different formats in Berlin, Munich and throughout Europe. The Berlin Half Year Program consists of 6 blocks and begins after the summer. A more compact version with up to 3 blocks, we offer almost annually in spring time at varying locations in Europe.
We are continuously evaluating the technical foundation of Contact Improvisation as we understand and experience it. Developmental movement patterns have become our experiential narrative for this, including the research of anatomical structures like bones, joints, muscles, the fascia and lately also the nervous system. They offer effortless and powerful ways to move alone and together within all the weight baring situations of a CI duet.
We’ll research the most common CI specific situations, finding precision, new details & clarity, challenges and surprisingly new options in the supposedly known.
Focussed, open frames for dancing will give space to allow the technical information to become more integrated. In these spaces we can explore, what Jams need so that they can grow beyond a collection of CI duets.
Even though I am based in Australia since 2020 we try to keep our training programme in Berlin going – in slightly altert ways.
Fortbildung in Prien zusammen mit Adrian Russi
Diese Fortbildung besteht aus drei Blöcken, an denen Adrian und ich immer beide anwesend sind. Sind findet jedes zweite Jahr im Frühjahr in Prien, südlich von München, statt.
Die Neugierde aufeinander und die daraus im Unterricht entstehenden Inspirationen sind der Ausgangpunkt für diese Workshopreihe. Wir untersuchen die technischen Grundlagen der Contact Improvisation, sowie die innere Haltung der Beteiligten im Lernen, Praktizieren und Improvisieren. Es ist ein Angebot für Contact Tänzer*innen mit mindestens einem Jahr Erfahrung, die vielfältigen Facetten der CI sowohl körperlich wie auch intellektuell vertiefter zu verstehen und dadurch das Bewegen im Solo und in Kontakt noch genussreicher werden zu lassen.
Adrian und mich verbindet ein hohes Maß an Erfahrung und Hochachtung von Improvisation als Bühnenkunst – insbesondere wenn CI integriert wird – und die nie endende Frage, wie förderliche Rahmen für fokussiert-beherzte Jams gesteckt werden können.
Unsere offensichtlichen Gemeinsamkeiten liegen im Wechselspiel von körperlich gespürter Genauigkeit in der Bewegungstechnik einerseits und öffnenden Impulsen andererseits, wie sie in den Begriffen ‘Lust zum Risiko’, ‘sich zumuten’, ‘fröhlichem Scheitern’ oder ‘der Kunst des Regelverbiegens’ im Unterrichten auftauchen.
Da ich seit Anfang 2020 für mindestes zwei Jahre in Australien lebe ist nicht sicher, wann wir die nächste Fortbildung in Prien anbieten können.
Festivals and Jams
Contact-meets-Contemporary
As the artistic director I shape directions, frames and content of the annual CI Festival Contact-meets-Contemporary in Goettingen/ Germany. It is very touching for me to see how this event is slowly and steadily developing, so that it is internationally received as a festival with a strong focus on research and focussed dancing.
This festival wants to enrich the practice of Contact Improvisation by knowledge from the contemporary dance world in the areas of movement technique, somatic approaches and improvisation. Various lecture and reflection formats nourish the mind.
In order to strenghten the dance we are also feeding other needs outside the dance. Good, fresh organic food is served and nice spaces for hanging out, talking, reading and resting are growing beautifully.
Since 2008 we are organizing this Festival for around 200 people in a calm and light spirit.
Out of Berlin Jam
This Jam is a Jam and not a Festival. I am co-organizing this 4-day dance-retreat, at lake Barnin between Berlin & Hamburg for maximum 60 people.
It is working really beautifully that the inside and outside studios become spaces for focussed dancing and exploring, while all other social and recreational needs are met in the wonderful surroundings, which include a sauna, open fires & hammocks in the garden, baths in the lake, a living room to hang out…
All people live in a cosy, old farmhouse in the country side, with a big garden. Organic, vegetarian food is served. Everyone is helping here and there to make living together worthwhile.
We provide only a few simple frames and condensation points, where our individual journeys can come together and find some spices to make the next steps. In this open frame with only little guidance participants need to feel at home in the practice of contact improvisation.
At the moment it is not clear, if and when we will organize the next one…
Workshops
Summer Intensive in Berlin
For experienced Contacters
This two-week-long workshop is a highlight of my year. The length of it creates a generousity and spaciousness, that allows information to sink in and inspirations to emerge. It feels like lightness and depth find a great liason in this committed work with an advanced, steady group.
Winter Intensive in Berlin
It is the little brother of the summer-intensive – a five day workshop right after New Year just before the every-day-life kicks in again. A moment to connect to deeper layers of our own self, that keeps us moving.
Other Workshops
I get invitations to teach in different locations, for many years mainly in Germany and through out Europe, but since my move to Australia in 2020 mainly here down-under. Themes, duration and experience level are usually adjusted to the needs of the local community. Contact Improvisation is generally the main topic, but I am very curios to also teach with a stronger emphasis on solo movement technique or dance improvisation.
Other Offers and Interests
Private lessons
A private lesson offers the possibility for instant feedback that working in a group can’t provide.
There might be an initial interest or question. But also Body Work, Hands-on Work or simply dancing together can be a starting point for a private session. It will eventually lead towards crucial themes and questions, that can be explored with an open outcome.
Whenever movement patterns or behavioural preferences kick in, that limit your options, we can slow down, revers or repeat. The moment, when we could actually change something can be highlighted – ‘here and now’ and not in retrospectiv.
Lectures
I give lectures, partly in longer Workshops, but mainly in Contact- or Contemporary Dance Festivals, or in Salon formats. I’d like to do it more often and also in a wider scale of environments, like Congresses that are devoted to sports, pedagogy or therapy, where topics like movement, touch, fascia ot teaching & learning are of importance.
In my lectures I am looking for a dialogue and an atmosphere of research – not only for me but also for the people, who are listening to me. When presenting a topic I include simple exercises, that can usually be done while sitting on a chair without feeling embarrassed. I believe in moments of active reflection with a random neighbour, to get in touch with ones own curiosities, that might got triggered by my talk.
Getting Connetcted – with themes and people
(outside of the dance bubble)
I’d be happy to offer the huge and deep knowledge, which has been created in the field of Contact Improvisation, that would be highly beneficial in many other contexts, like scientific congresses, art festivals, or company developments.
How do find people their own connection to a theme that is offered and discussed? After a lot of valid information has been given, how can we create moments, where the listeners can clarify their own questions and curiosities? When does it need moments for stillness, when for a brief chat? What do people need to feel save enough to not impress the others or prove their knowledge? How can we actually feel that we are working as a group and not as competing individuals?
For being together in a group it needs a balance of phases for personal moments, partner exchanges and also the experience that we connect as a whole group, a balance of deep exchange and light informal encounters.
In my experience it doesn’t need much to bring more connectedness into groups, when we know how to set a good tone!
