Fusion Festival Augsburg
8th to 14th of July 2024
Workshop
descriptions
(workshops will be modified for Adv./Pro. And
Pro. Track)
Indian Fusion Dance with
Colleena Shakti
Dynamic Gesture & Stylized
Expression
Our dancing bodies tell the stories
that words cannot. Drawing inspiration from Indian classical dance
aesthetics this workshop will explore how to layer our dance with a wealth of
meaning and potent symbolism.
What are the stories you want
to tell through your dance?
What are the archetypes and identities
you want to give a voice to through your art?
This workshop will balance both Indian
Fusion Dance techniques and lead the dancer into the world of expression and
storytelling. Classes will include a short warm up/awareness exercises,
Indian Fusion Bellydance movement techniques and graceful dance phrases.
Using your own familiar dance vocabulary, as well as new Indian Fusion
Bellydance phrases we will experiment with a range of expressive dynamics
through playful explorations on character/identities/archetypes and dancing
scores.
The roots run deep in Indian
dance dramaturgy. There are structures and practices that open us up to a
truly holistic vision of our body (gross & subtle), toning our every limb
for clear communication and transmission of even the most abstract ideas.
I would like to share with you a bit of what I have learned from my
decades of research and immersion in the ocean of Indian classical dance and
theater, and how I have translated its relevance to any contemporary dance
performance.
Together we will uncover new
faces of our dance persona through short discussion/lecture segments and
practical training sessions on: Nava Rasa (9 emotional
states in art), traditional Sanskrit theater techniques of toning facial
expressions: ‘Dancing with your Eyes’, Drishti – ‘Gaze as an
extension of the body’ and Hasta Mudra (hand positions and
semiotics).
Dancers will go home with
various tools and practices for developing their expression and story-telling
capacity as well as beautiful choreographed dance sequences which demonstrate
the concepts explored.
Colleena Shakti, Shakti School of
Dance: India / Greece
Kami Liddle
This class focuses on slowing down and tapping into the mind-body connection. We will move together in a creative yet nonjudgmental environment where participants will feel free to explore movement and discuss their experiences.
The session will start with exercises to help participants center themselves and become present in their bodies. A portion of the class will be given to dancers sharing their thoughts, insights, and personal experiences, but the rest of the time will be spent on movement exploration inspired by the themes and prompts, with dancers encouraged to follow their own bodies’ inclinations and ways of moving. We will then apply these experiences to the concept of performing and integrating technique.
Hybrid Choreography
Kami will share a brand new choreography that will delve into the fusion of sharp, isolated movements from belly dance with the fluidity and expressiveness of contemporary dance.
Each class will begin with a warm up initiating movement from the breath moving onto technique drills to prepare for the movement combinations. Dancers will be given concepts to find their own artistic individuality while performing the choreography. A little improvisation here, a little movement phrase there, and with time to explore expression, musical interpretation and texture. Dance shoes are recommended.
Sunday Single Day Workshop:
Antonella
Sciahina
FLUID CONTROL
& EMOTIONAL GEOMETRY PART 1
In the first
part of the intensive we will prepare our body and our mindset for this
immersive experience: be prepared to well conditioning and reset the body, to
feel your muscles burn through exercises and drills that will improve a very
precise control. Antonella will share some of her favourite technique routines
that you can add and easily adapt to your dance practice. The purpose is not to
simply work on control but to achieve a fluid control, that’s why in the second
part we will get with all our feet into fluidity learning how to “feel” this
concept through games and exercises that will help us to let go into the flow.
We will then expand this concept in the space playing with musicality and tempo
dynamics. Finally we will get into geometry exploring infinite possibilities to
create shapes and we will apply emotions to them, creating little dancing
draws; little combos in the featuring Scianto style.
FLUID CONTROL
& EMOTIONAL GEOMETRY PART 2
For the second
part of the intensive we raise the bar! Through repetition, the messages
acquired will get consolidated and we will increase resistance and speed
keeping quality and precision for our fluid control. To gain this, we will also
introduce drills taken from different techniques of various dance genres,
challenging and fun, that will let us work on specific muscle groups. After we
have trained the concepts we learned, we will apply them into a Scianto style
choreography which will be the starting point for a creative group work that
will express each participant’s voice.
Each day we
will be doing 2 hours of warm up, conditioning and drills before exploring and
training the two topics so that we can go more and more in dept, absorbing the
concepts in the body and building more awareness on how to integrate them into
our dance practice.
Zoe Jakes
The art of elegance
In this workshop we take all that beautiful technique and make it elegant! Our focus will be on lines, poses and framing, and finding the most fluid and dynamic ways to move through space. Bring what you got and be prepared to shine it up and make it glow, using clear tools and concise techniques that you can take home and use to bring your stylization to the next level. If you are looking for strong stage ready elegance using step by step methodology, this is the workshop for you.
How to make a badass combo
Wanna know how to crank out a quick combo, or bring dynamics to the ones you have already made? This is definitely your class! I will share with you my tips and tools for on demand creativity, how to turn on the tap when you are feeling stuck, and how to use more elements to get the best combos. Part of finding your own style is making a lot of work, and being able to make combinations quickly and efficiently is a great way to do this. So whether you are a teacher looking for ways to get that combo done for class, or you are working on a piece for a gala and want your combos to really pop, you will get great tools in this workshop. You will leave this class with tips and tricks for getting your creative juices flowing, and lots of new tools for your creativity toolbox!
Slow and slinky
Get to the root of your movements to unlock the softness and fluidity that is in all of us. By bringing awareness to all parts of the body while dancing, we will take the next step to truly connect to pure movement and convey it with subtlety while performing. The goal is to soften and polish that which you already have and gain a deeper awareness while dancing. Expect to work on arms, slow and fluid hip work, poses, and plenty of belly rolls as we explore the more gooey concepts of Belly dance
Fast and furious
Shimmies, locks. Layers and travelling moves! This is a fast paced class that will get you moving. We start with a warm up focusing on strength and flexibility, then get right to it. Building blocks for pops and locks, shimmies, as well as the technique behind Zoe’s articulated isolations will all be covered in this class.
Single Day Workshop
The art of improvisation (with a dash of practicality):
Tips and tools for every dancer wanting to improve their improvisational game. This workshop will present clear ways to develop your improvisational skills through musicality, phrasing, and take-home practices. The dancer will learn how to utilize phrases of different lengths to bring variety to their solo, how to create a beginning, middle, and end to improvisation, and how to bring these techniques into your practice routine to help make improvisation second nature!
Piny Orchidaceae
Footwork and groove | House dance connecting with bellydance
The workshop will be developed from the explanation of the two vocabularies, understanding through history, technique, layering, combos and improvisation how the two styles, movement and musicality can be integrated in each other.
Arms and hands focus | Vogue, Waacking and Flamenco vocabulary connecting with bellydance
Arms and hands are one of the most expressive features of movement and speech in the body. Understanding the different styles, cultures they belong and incorporating them with knowledge, power, grace and respect. We will focus on technique, combos, improvisation through fusion and layering.
The floor as a lover | Floor work development from contemporary dance, capoeira and breakdance
The low ride close to the ground is as challenging as pleasurable. It can be soft and smooth as strong and sharp, so it can be integrated as each one feels the best. We will focus a lot in different techniques coming from different styles, understanding how they can be integrated in fusion with bellydance.
Evening Lecture with Amel Tafsout
Maintaining tradition of North African Maghreb Dance in the 21st century!
Thursday evening 6:30pm –
About Amel Tafsout:
Amel Tafsout, was fascinated by traditional dancers and musicians in her culture since
childhood. Her curiosity is still prominent today as she is always expanding her knowledge and
sharing it with others. Amel wears many hats, she is a sociolinguist with anthropologist
research, a scholar, language instructor, frame drummer, poet, published author, an energy
worker, and an activist.
Tafsout has dedicated her life to raise awareness and knowledge about her dance culture and
to facilitate a dialogue between Arab-North African and Western women. The new North
African dancers look up to her.
Amel is fluent in five languages and has traveled, performed, lectured, researched, and taught
in several different countries. She has been featured in various TV programs in Europe and
North Africa. She has also published many articles related to dance and Maghreb women in
academic and popular magazines.
The knowledge, wisdom, and care she shares is something that people from all over the world
gravitate towards. When learning from Amel or watching her perform not only does she take
you on a cultural journey, but also on a spiritual journey.
In June 2018, Inanna Iraqi Dance Festival in Estonia gave Amel an Award of acknowledgment
and appreciation for her longstanding contributions in Arabic dance and its heritage.
Thursday evening 6:30pm – Free for participants!