DANCE as the Art of Walking

Among living beings, humans stand out as bipeds with their special gait pattern. Long evolutionary processes have resulted in a body that has perfected the upright gait. Step by step, the individual limbs balance in the vertical rotation axis. Movement in any direction is effortless.

This series of workshops teaches an analytical approach to movement that aims to release the body's own potential. We derive movement hypotheses from the biomechanical observation of our anatomy and explore new possibilities with ease.

Muscles, tendons, connective tissue, bones and joints suggest movement through their constitution. If we begin to follow the body's own suggestions, a light and elegant gait develops that integrates the entire body. By playing with dynamics, tone, rhythm and expression, this specifically human gait pattern becomes dance. Step by step in the individual workshops, we derive an aesthetic that not only looks good, but also feels good, through an appreciative exploration of our body's own prerequisites. A deeper exploration of this approach reveals well-known dance and acrobatic forms and makes them accessible in a new way. Movements that you were previously only able to imitate through effort and risk are now revealed and can be traced back to their components.

Each workshop has a theme and focuses on one region of the body. We present anatomical knowledge vividly and use experiential exercises to embody the knowledge. We use individual phrases of a choreography not as an end in themselves, but to explore movement through them. To support this, we occasionally use partner exercises to gain new insights. The material is inspired by The Axis Syllabus, Feldenkrais, Contact Improvisation, Softacrobatics and Contemporary Dance Technique.