Berlin Contemporary Dance - Circus SCHATZINSEL

Iliana's workshops are emphasizing on Contemporary Dance technique buildup and Improvisation. The focus is on floor work practice, organic movement, fluidity and awareness. Technique is approached as a guide to efficiency in the movement of the human body. The internal structure of the class is made to gradually deepen in the technique and develop through it. The main elements studied are: -Floor Work: How it works. Developing our relation to the floor through all movement levels, using multiple floor-work patterns and phrases. Using levers and clear pathways, building up a vocabulary that can be used in further understanding the mechanics of movement. From basic floor- patterns to advanced, complicated ones, floor acrobatics, handstands, coordinations. -Dynamics of movement. Flow and organic movement. Study and use of weight, momentum, impulse, swing and flow of movement, developing the body's kinetic intelligence. How grounding works, how to stay connected to the floor through the study of body structure (bones and joints), of weight and use of breath. Organic movement and its impact to the body, use of own body structure in the most efficient way. -Connectivity practice. Spacial and body awareness. Connectivity is studied both in terms of a fully connected moving body and of a mover in a state of full connection with his/her environment. How the body moves in its full awareness, connecting and interacting with its environment - the other people, the space, the floor- and its own inner state at the same time. Spatial and body awareness, together with connectivity practice, helps to develop a unified physical and mental consciousness, thus a moving body in its full consciousness expressing itself in space and time. Throughout the class fixed phrases and exercises are given, practicing the aforementioned elements. The material is highly physical and classes often end up on a longer phrase practice, built from the accumulation of smaller exercises, working also on physical strength, stamina and memory.