Home Bio Solo Duet Ensemble Freelance Research Tuition Contact

DANCEWEB IMPULSTANZ - VIENNA, AUSTRIA (2006)

On my way to Impustanz I spent 5 solo days exploring Prague, then caught the train to Vienna to meet the other 63 international DanceWEB artists!

DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB

Each DanceWEB Salon was framed by a creative assignment/presentation. The first task given by the 2006 danceWEB coaches, Mattilde Monnier and Luic Touze, was to make group visiting cards. Randomly grouped together with dance artists from Canada, Iran, Malaysia, South Africa, Japan, Belgium and Mexico, we initially did a lot of talking. Beautiful languages inspired colour rhythm and tone. We discussed censorship, protocols, describing the other, borders, migration, obscure things about our country, freedom, names, contrast, conflict and ritual. Information oozing out of all the individual danceWEBbers was fast and frenzied.

DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB

During ImpulsTanz I experienced 38 performances which accumulated as a massive input of information and mental, physical and emotional inspiration! There were several choreographic works that touched and moved me with their powerful uncompromising energy and or focus: ‘Retrospective Exhibitionist and Difficult bodies’; ‘No Change or ’freedom is a psycho-kinetic skill’’; ‘Umwelt’; ‘Delire Defait’; ‘Jours Blanc’s’. Some made a strong impression on me because of their quality, obscurity and freshness of approach to dance theatre: ‘2008 vallee – piece pour 7 chanteurs danseurs’; ‘Hell’; ‘Running Sushi’; ‘Structure Malfunctions’; ‘NO PARADERAN’; ‘Both Sitting Duet.’ Others allowed me to witness the European conceptual dance fashion; ‘The show must go on’, ‘Young People Old Voices’; ‘Pichet Klunchun and myself’. There was also works that pushed provocation towards shock and expressed the extremes of pitch control at Impulstanz; ‘Fuck all that Shit! We’ve done all our homework and it’s enough, The Company Freaks on Tour’; ‘Solo’ and ‘Gold’.

DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB

I engaged in dance research, experimentation and study during several workshops with amazing teachers; cleverly deconstructed and re-crafted universal Body Percussion and Voice with Sandy Silva and Charmain Leblanc; strong and delicate Japanese Suzuki Method training with Martin Gruber; gentle and deeply thorough Release technique with Luic Touze; wicked Hip-Hop, Popping and Locking with Storm; powerful and fragile contemporary dance technique with Inaki Azpillaga; intense and disciplined Solo Tanz technique; training and individual coaching with Susanne Linke; articulate and mindful yoga asana coaching with Sri Louise; playful extremes of capoiera training with Bruno Caverna; observant studies in creative process analysis with DD Dorvillier; and two weeks of calm and careful investigation of body systems and global shining intelligent body with Benoit Lechambre.

DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB

Vienna, Impulstanz, extravagance of the interiors of theatres and gigantic naked ladies in orange wigs suspended across the city. It was fascinating to see so many extraordinary performances and bare direct witness to the fantasy, imagination and mind of the different choreographers.

Each DanceWEB Salon presentation revealed precarious submissions of my deepest impulsive feelings. Connection shadowed disconnection and agreement echoed disagreement. I was scared and reactionary in my choices and often felt desperate to understand the higher purpose of these events. Somehow I appreciate that a lot can be said through dance in a short amount of time, however my worst fear is that I am being misinterpreted.

DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB

A contemporary dancer is a constantly changing new force of questioning body and embodiment of the decaying nature of diverse environments both natural and man-made. We embrace adaptation as a skillful reaction to quickly changing global politics and polarise paradoxes with physical use of technologies that inundate the globe with diverse virtual and real realities, every changing and always in flux.

How can I remember daily that my own feeling, thinking and desiring are part of the collective aspiration and preparing implicit in all things.

DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB

Dancing, living, doing, everything and presenting it on a stage or in a constructed 'performance' situation allows a definition of roles to inform the arrangement of the people involved. By experimenting with my notions of performance presence I am observing my understanding and translation of subjective world, with awareness of how inter-subjective reality is interdependent with others. Can I dismiss my concerns about limitations by constantly noticing how far I go into unfamiliar territory? - Marking the the distance between performer and the audience, reorganising the distribution performer and audience roles and challenging the borders between the territories of the performer and the audience.

DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB DanceWEB

I felt like an extrovert craving confidence and yet desperately trying to disappear and find myself in an invisible realm of energies and elements. I was able to acknowledge that I am on a quest to quell a deep longing to find connection. By practicing listening to find, rather than looking to seek, I have initiated fluid ways to relate, reflect and become a part of a global dance community.


Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional

Valid CSS!
Residency