Category: Workshops « Page 8

4RUDE – crime and punishment

Breaking new soil with butoh last week. I attended a one week workshop lead by Mako and Hikaro Inagawa at Tatwerk. It was an ambitious enterprise,
which worked in the end :)
Nine participants, singers, performers, a care giver and philologist, eagerly absorbed the japanese performance tools, and 4RUDE‘s approach. Trying hard to make faces like rotten cows, breaking branches, or repeating spider walk over and over. It gave us a good muscle hangover!

About two month ago I started taking butoh classes. Looking for a change in my body and different imagery to dance from. I am discovering this, but allready it’s a beautiful contrast to the airborne ballet. Not striving for the sky, but connecting with the soil, and giving topics around death for example a dancy form. Its also just fun, and maybe a return to expressionist dance.
The images we worked with are often short stories, so called Butoh-fu. A kind of vocabulary to generate creative mind states. From which than the physical expression comes. For example a room full of pollen, sneezing faces or a grave keeper calming a pack of barking dogs. Or a crayon, with a childish face, sort of asking what do I draw today?

All this to tell Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. (Only part I, part II is following in November.)
In Hikaru’s work, there is seldomly one to one illustration of the narrative. This I already liked in their last piece CELLuLOID. Having a nice level of abstraction, and despite slow motion, an ongoing, dense concentration all the way through.

So, often there is stillness on the body surface, but internally we crossed the desert without water..

4RUDE – Crime and Punishment. Photo by Frances d' Ath-Dasniya-Sommer — 4RUDE – Crime and Punishment. Photo by Frances d’ Ath

WORKSHOPS IN APRIL

staging-shibari-dasniya-sommer-april-2016

1. SHIBARI TECHNIQUE MORNING CLASSES

At: 10 -12 am
Tuesday 19 & 26 April
3, 10, 17, 24, 31 May
7 & 14 June

Costs: 20 Euro per person
10 class card 160 €

In Uferhallen Kulturwerkstatt in Wedding. Staircase b, Uferstraße 8-11, 13357 Berlin
U8 Pankstr/U9 Osloerstr
Please call when you are in the court yard, in case you don’t find it, or the door is locked:
+ 49 174 393 70 49.

PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND!

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The workshop focusses on traditional Shibari technique. Inspired by Osada Steve, Kamijoo Saki, Arisue Go, Hourai Kasumi or Lun Ario. We start with the basics and security principles. Learning initial knots and floor work patterns with a partner. When these principles are set, we approach more complex figures and suspension technique step by step.

Besides learning the knots, qualitative aspects play a great role as well. How do I guide the rope in a sensual way, how can my partner, or I, travel through blissful states of rope drunkenness?

To arrive there, it requires some training for both sides, ..softly softly catchee monkey.

Applying the three principles: the classical aesthetic, the sensual effect and a non-harming technique and philosophy, is the goal. They fuse the visual, tactile, and playful level into an adventurous ritual.

Girls girls, boys girls, non boys/girl, cis people everybody is welcome as long as you respect the group!

You don’t need to come with a partner. There always are other solo participants, or I jump in.
Please bring training-/comfortable pants. If you have own ropes, otherwise we provide them.

2. YOGA & SHIBARI

20th April, Wednesday
6 – 10 pm
Costs: 40 Euro per person (social price 30 Euro)

At Teatris/Alte Kantine or in our ‘Mini- Dojo’. Both locations are at:
Uferhallen Kulturwerkstatt in Wedding. Staircase b/c, Uferstraße 8-11, 13357 Berlin
U8 Pankstr/U9 Osloerstr
Please call when you are in the court yard, in case you don’t find it, or the door is locked:
+ 49 174 393 70 49.

PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND, THAN WE SEND YOU THE DETAILS!

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: English + GERMAN

18 – 19 h yoga warm up
19 – 19.30 pause
19.30 – 21 shibari/technical input
21- 22 h open space to play and exchange ideas or just watching.

3. STAGING SHIBARI

~~31st March, Thursday~~ Postponed to May 6th!!
7-11 pm
Costs: 40 Euro per person (social price 30 Euro)

At Teatris/Alte Kantine or in our ‘Mini- Dojo’. Both locations are at
Uferhallen Kulturwerkstatt in Wedding. Staircase b/c, Uferstraße 8-11, 13357 Berlin
U8 Pankstr/U9 Osloerstr
Please call when you are in the court yard, in case you don’t find it, or the door is locked:
+ 49 174 393 70 49.

PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND, THAN WE SEND YOU THE DETAILS.

Our performance baby ‘Shibari Express’ is growing, and we want to focus more on performance ideas as part of the workshop, than on basic rope technique. So previous knowledge is useful but not mandatory. If you prefer to watch, we will always need free hands to hold a light, fog machine or navigate a camera…

We want to invite you to brainstorm with us, ideas or dramaturgy and how to try those on a small scale. You could also bring an instrument, books or other devices, which you always have wanted to tie up or perform with.

The scenes that we create explore theatre tools and can be happening-like, installations or movement based/choreographies. It’s an experiment to involve poetic thoughts around rope work, and to have an open space situation to try Shibari for the stage. There will always be someone of our team, or other free floating participants to support you, unless you want to make a solo :)

Sounds all more challenging than it is..its about searching new forms and having fun!

Staging Shibari #2

The second round of staging shibari workshop went a step further. Mainly I was interested in working with white face colour, somewhat butoh inspired, and trying new technical equipment. We now have a little studio with light control and black backdrop.
The group was smaller, 6 people, mostly new to shibari, some bold some shy, but in general calm, concentrated vibes were coming from the table scene.

TWO SHIBARI WORKSHOPS IN March 2016

1. YOGA AND SHIBARI

23th March, Wednesday
Costs: 40 Euro per person (social price 30 Euro)

PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND, THAN WE SEND YOU THE DETAILS!

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: English + GERMAN

NEWS: Please know that costs have has changed to 40 Euro per person, thank you!
Roughly the schedule will be this:

19 – 20 h yoga warm up
20 – 20.30 pause
20.30 – 22 shibari/technical input
22- 23 h open space to play and exchange ideas or just watching.

2. STAGING SHIBARI

31st March, Thursday
7-11 pm

Costs: 40 Euro per person (social price 30 Euro)

PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND, THAN WE SEND YOU THE DETAILS.

The scenes that we create explore theatre tools and can be happening-like, installational or movement based/choreographies. Its an experiment to involve poetic thoughts around rope work, and to have an open space situation to try Shibari for the stage. There will always be someone of our team, or other free floating participants to support you, unless you want to make a solo :)

Sounds all more challenging than it is..its about searching new forms and having fun!

Staging Shibari #1

The workshop, a fun experiment on 30 square meters. Ballhaus Ost borrowed lights, Uferstudios a dimmer, I threw costumes ropes and make up in. Us 10 people figured our roles for the evening as light performance-, camera-, fog- person, singer or audience. Squeezing through my tiny dojo in Uferhallen, which currently looks more like a suspension point forrest.
We started by talking and gathering ideas, I assigned tasks to the riggers and models, we had to find a group timing, and everyone went to find small stories with their partner.
It was exciting and tricky to handle light without distance to the scene. More fog! I was hectically torn between photographing, arranging and watching, and super happy to have such great technicians in the group shibari- and stagewise.
Some hidden talents! :) There was precise as well as messy tying going on.
Within our 30 minutes sequence there were moments when things came together, when stillness took place between the three hanging bodies, and Micha started singing. Here some moments..

Two Shibari Workshops in February 2016

1. Yoga and Shibari

17th February, Wednesday
Costs: 40 Euro per person (social price 30 Euro)

PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND, THAN WE SEND YOU THE DETAILS!

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: English + GERMAN

NEWS: Please know that costs have has changed to 40 Euro per person, thank you!
Roughly the schedule will be this:

19 – 20 h yoga warm up
20 – 20.30 pause
20.30 – 22 shibari/technical input
22- 23 h open space to play and exchange ideas or just watching.

2. Staging Shibari

23rd February, Tuesday
7-11 pm

Costs: 40 Euro per person (social price 30 Euro)

PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND, THAN WE SEND YOU THE DETAILS.

Sounds all more challenging than it is..its about searching new forms and having fun!

A quick note to say I’m not teaching Yoga + Shibari classes in Berlin right now. I’ll announce upcoming classes & workshops here and on my mailing list.

Performing Shibari Express @ UNITHEA #18

Performing at UNITHEA Festival in Frankfurth Oder at Theater des Lachens yesturday. This time with Schnucki das Rennpferd.

The audience was sitting on stage, close by, in a ritualistic way. I guess the challenge of this Shibari Express episode was to present the ‘male’ as the object of lust (is this correct English?;)

Exposing and exploring him/the ‘male’ body and its feminine side. Doing that in a floor work situation was more challenging than we thought. The last two gigs with Schnucki being suspended, overwrite a lot of the sensitive moments, and silent details. Its more spectacle. ‘But this one dealt with intimicy in a very different way’, we said, when the Polish journalist asking us later, while we were still pulling the ropes of the body.

UNITHEA is a German-Polish Theatre Festival, held in Frankfurth Oder, Edition #18. So the topic was somewhat becoming adult.

The folowing three hour workshop was very. 8 students did rope work for the first time, and there was a lot of laughing and chatting while step by step learning the technique.
Here some performance moments.

Yoga Shibari Workshop Berlin June 30. 2015

Hours: 7-11 pm

Costs: 30 Euro per person (social price 20 Euro)
At Teatris/Alte Kantine or in our ‘Mini- Dojo’. Both locations are at
Uferhallen Kulturwerkstatt in Wedding. Staircase b/c, Uferstraße 8-11, 13357 Berlin
U8 Pankstr/U9 Osloerstr
Please call when you are in the court yard, in case you don’t find it, or the door is locked:
+ 49 174 393 70 49.

PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND, THAN WE SEND YOU THE DETAILS!

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: English + GERMAN

NEWS: Costs & program of the evening have has changed, please read below.
Roughly the schedule will be this:

19 – 20 h yoga
20 – 20.30 pause
20.30 – 22 shibari/technical input
22- 23 h open space to play and exchange ideas or just watching.

Plus we will go outdoors in the summer, or do experimental specials like
ropes & painting etc.

Our performance baby Shibari Express is growing, and we want to focus more on performance ideas as part of the workshop, than on basic rope technique. That means YOU – the participants who like – are invited to bring your ideas to the workshop. You could for example bring an instrument, books, pots or other devices, which you always have wanted to combine with rope work. (Sounds more challenging than it is :).

There will always be a small team or free floating people to stage/with, unless you want to make a solo :) This is an experiment to involve poetic/thatrical thoughts around rope work, and to have an open space situation to try out ideas.

Podcast: Ropes & Roles

Ebba, Tova & Gabriel host a conversation with the Berlin-based choreographers Dasniya Sommer and Frances d’Ath, that visited Nyxxx & KokoroTwo & Rökridån for a working residency the 28th of April-4th of May in 2015. When the conversation starts, we have just participated in a shibari yoga class guided by Dasniya. From this point of reference, we go on to discuss among many other things exoskeletons, religious metaphors and the invention of rope as a parallel to the invention of the wheel. Listen to the podcast here