Dance Massive Masterclass Series

"Discovering the Moment" with Tom Pritchard

Masterclass level: Open to all

Working in both movement and voice, Tom will guide participants through playful, energetic explorations of their body in motion, concentrating on the skeleton as a source of structure and the eyes as a source of intrigue. Ideal for all levels, this workshop will open up ways to approach our own creativity as an artful, necessary part of life. For performers specifically, this work offers routes to presence and accuracy in using voice and movement, a finding of ourselves as unique beings worthy of the stage.

Biography:

Tom is a multidisciplinary practitioner most recently based in Glasgow. He works primarily with movement, text and improvisation. He graduated from LABAN and achieved an MA from LCDS in 2011. Since 2010 Tom has led the performance research and education project On The Stage Of The Present and in 2013 set up the improvisation organisation @TheGlasgowJam alongside Australian dancer, Penny Chivas. He has performed his own work and taught internationally, including spells in New York, Sri Lanka and across Europe as well as working with international companies such as Scottish Dance Theatre, Company Of Wolves and CoisCeim Dance Theatre. In 2014 Tom was a mentored playwright with the Playwrights’ Studio Scotland and will return to Scotland in 2015 to premiere his new work “it”. For more information on Tom’s work please do visit: www.onthestageofthepresent.com

Masterclass with Larissa McGowan

Masterclass level: Intermediate to professional

This workshop will consist of a contemporary dance class that incorporates techniques of working in and out of floor, based on her years of experience with Australian Dance Theatre. As well as learning repertoire from her recent works Skeleton and Fanatic, it will include task experience in the way these methods of choreography are approached.

Biography:

Born in Brisbane, Larissa began her dance training at the Queensland Dance School of Excellence (QDSE), where she won the Queensland Ballet Scholarship to the Victorian College of the Arts(VCA), as well as the prize for ‘Most Outstanding Dancer’. In her graduating year at VCA, Larissa won the award for ‘Most Outstanding Talent’. Her work, Zero-sum, made its world premiere at WOMADelaide 2009. Her work Slack, performed by ADT, was part of the Sydney Opera House’s New Breed season & in 2012 Link Dance Company toured this work to France & Holland. Her full length work Skeleton premiered in the 2013 Adelaide Festival and as part of Dance Massive 2013. It also toured to the Dublin Dance Festival the same year. Larissa won the 2003 Green Room Award for Best Female Dancer, and multiple awards in 2004, including Best Female Dancer in a Ballet or Dance Work at the Helpmann Awards and the Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer.

"HowittMoves Technique" with Andy Howitt

Masterclass level: Open to all

The class with focus on how the body can move with fluidity, energy and a connexion with the space and other dancers, based on Laban principles of movement which is a method and language for describing, visualizing, interpreting and documenting all varieties of human movement. It uses a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating contributions from anatomy, kinesiology, psychology.

Biography:

Scottish-born Andy Howitt moved to Australia in 2013 to take on the role of Director and CEO of Ausdance Victoria, the state branch of Australia’s peak national dance body. In 2014 he curated I could Have Danced All Night for White Night. Andy has worked as a director, artistic director, dance director, producer, professional dancer, dance teacher, and choreographer. Andy was born in Fife, and danced with Fife Youth Dance Company before going to the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London. He went on dance to with a number of dance companies including: Transitions Dance Company, National Dance Company of Wales, Scottish Opera and Scottish Dance Theatre. He was Dance director with TAG Theatre Company; during his time with Tag he presented A Scots Quair and Lanark at the Edinburgh International Festival. He was also Artistic Director of YDance (formerly Scottish Youth Dance) and City Moves Dance Agency.

“Dramatic Intention of Movement" with Dr. Elizabeth Cameron Dalman OAM

Masterclass level: Intermediate to professional

This class will focus on the dramatic intention of movement and techniques that give depth and colour to performance. A structured warm-up with concentration on pelvic and torso awareness will lead into some movement tasks where attention will be given to the use of breath in movement phrases, focus and projection and experimentation with various tensions and energy qualities.

"Contemporary technique and repertoire workshop" with Daniel Jaber

*** This Class will be held at Chunky Move Studios***

Masterclass level: Advanced/professional

Daniel’s contemporary technique, is informed by his mixed love of classical ballet and contemporary dance. His career working between classical and contemporary companies has given him a unique contemporary class that mixes classical ballet, contemporary dance, lyrical, and hip hop. The workshop progresses through a series of technical exercises to ensure technique is firing and warm the dancers up, it ends with the learning of a contemporary ballet routine.

Masterclass/choreographic lab with Bernadette Walong-Sene

Masterclass level: Intermediate to professional

Physical imprints, memories…totemic embodiment…Water Snake and Stingray, the Anthill and Broken branch.

Gekko and WaterSnake Series

This series is a movement/training format utilised to teach Bernadette Walong-Sene’s brand of floor work and standard contemporary forms. To embody organic locomotion and the authentic physical body-mind (intent), it commences with floor work evolving into standing and, an explosive dynamic use of space that emphasises the skeletal system, pockets of air [joints] and a fluid spine as drivers of movement.

Caving – a tool for structuring partnering work in relation to ‘Space’ and thereby from this premise, relationship.

The 5 Diamonds – For dancers and actors, and in education contexts – Sensory/visualisation exercises based on the body devised as, and localised in five energy points.

Special requirements: loose fitting clothing, preferably long length and covering ankles (floor work), barefoot

Biography:

Bernadette has 30 years experience as a performer, choreographer and, educator in Australia, Europe, UK, Israel, USA, South America, Asia, the Pacific & recently West Africa. She’s made works for major companies including the Australian Ballet, Australian Dance Theatre, Dance North, Snuff Puppets Co and the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, and is a founding choreographer and former assistant director of the acclaimed Bangarra Dance Theatre where she co-created the seminal work, Ochres creating a milestone in Australian Dance. With an eclectic background that’s taken her around the world from Asia-Pacific, India, to West-Africa, the EU, USA, Israel and Cuba, and as one of Australia’s outstanding performers and creatives, her choreography has won her many awards. In 2011, her path led her to form a new company/think-tank, BWSENE !NMOTION AUSTRALIA established to foster innovation and rigour in experimental world indigenous dance, choreography, performance research and mentoring. Bernadette is currently in research for a dance and architecture project.