Yael Schnell / Jörg Schiebe

On relationships between performance and training.

“We become more aware of our form. We connect to the sense of the endlessness of possibilities. We explore multi-dimensional movement; we enjoy the burning sensation in our muscles, we are ready to snap, we are aware of our explosive power and sometimes we use it. We change our movement habits by finding new ones. We go beyond our familiar limits. We can be calm and alert at once.” – Ohad Naharin

The workshop will begin with a gaga class. Gaga is a movement language developed by Ohad Naharin over the course of many years and which is applied in daily practice and exercises in the Batsheva Dance Company.

In the later part of the workshop we will move into the idea of reflection and feedback. We will revisit aspects that were approached during the gaga class and improvise with them to start with.

Later we will add more aspects from gaga discovering the endlessness of possibilities by using the power of our imagination. This section of the workshop is framed by the practical task of creating short improvisations guided by clear time restrictions. Ideas from gaga (for instance “flouting”, a specific term from gaga) will be explored and each participant will have a specific length of time to improvise with those ideas.

Fundamental to this workshop (and perhaps performing arts) is the idea of observing and be observed as a tool to generate reflection and feedback. Furthermore, in this workshop beyond watching and discussing the participants will reflect on their experiences by doing, applying what knowledge the watching and discussion produced.

The excitement of involving and integrating subjective feedback is part of this workshop: Presenting improvised material for viewership and then exploring those areas that affect ourselves and/or the other participants. By adding different aspects of gaga into a series of performed/observed improvisations and reflecting on what we feel by doing and feel by watching, small changes are supported in both perception and creation of physical material.

This workshop seeks to inform in ways that improvisation is always creating performances.