The Flying Score 
WS by Scott Wells 
May 25-27, 2018

The Flying Score – Workshop by Scott Wells
Workshop in contact improvisation, flight patterns and fluid acrobatics

May 25-27, 2018 – Tanzfabrik Berlin (Kreuzberg)

Scott Wells, San Francisco
Artistic Director of Scott Wells & Dancers – contemporary dance ensemble „renown for their high-flying, gravity-defying dance“

SCHEDULE:
– Friday 25.5.:   16-20:00
– Saturday 26.5.:   10-18:00 (break 13-14:00)
(19-22:00 public Contact Jam)
– Sunday 27.5.:   11-18:00 (break 14-15:00)
(=total teaching time: 17h)

TRAILER:

COST:
Early bird: 145€ (money transfer until April 25, 2018),
thereafter: 185€

YOUR REGISTRATION:
For registration details and workshop questions please contact me by e-mail at xs4jan@gmx.de

SHARE YOUR INTEREST:
https://www.facebook.com/events/224081734805089/

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION – The Flying Score:
Starting with contact as our foundation, we’ll traject towards a space that supports freedom of flight and expression: expression that takes us into interaction and ensemble improvisation. That is: we start at zero to redefine what is contact – to ourselves, others, reality, gravity. We start at zero to connect with our bodies, our interest and spontaneity.

Some notions: We will decode momentum to ride moving support — riding momentum is about letting go without being out-of–control. We’ll track flying centers of gravity to find aerial interactions that increase the contact.
I like to inject some body systems material (BMC, Alexander Technique and bodywork). For example: Jumping ≠ Flying because jumping is a muscular action, whereas flying is in the bones and is affected greatly by emotions and attitude.

Some of the techniques that will be tought are: ‘flying patterns’ (lifts, how to spring, how to jump, how to fly), ‘fluid acrobatics’ (actobatics in movement), ‘pure contact’(contact improvisation basics). For the acrobatic and advanced patterns everyone will work at their own level and will learn best by building group safety and trust – everyone will do something new. We will learn some repertory and practice taking the aerial work into improv. I like feedback and will see what the group is up for.

We will practice flying, catching, landing, fluid acrobatics and deft maneuvers. We’ll be doing my favorite contact exercises and current curiosities–created or learned over the decades of investigation and indulgence. We use these to warm up, center and to re-enter the “beginner’s mind” of contact improvisation. We will practice integrating the flying and acrobatics into the contact flow. That is: aerial interactions that increase the contact. We will take the aerial work into improvisation FLYING SCORES.

VIDEOS:

BIO Scott Wells:
In 1981 Scott Wells discovered the pleasure of contact improvisation shortly after becoming obsessed with the struggles of modern dance. He stuck with both, received an MFA in dance from the University of Illinois (1991) and currently directs a company in San Francisco. Scott Wells & Dancers is celebrating 25 years of making dances in San Francisco. Wells has created works for skateboarders, for boxers and choreographed West Side Story for Sonoma State University. In 2010 and 2005 Scott received the Izzie (San Francisco’s most prestigious dance award) for Outstanding Choreography and was selected by Dance Magazine as “one of the 25 To Watch”. In 2016 Wells choreographed Touchy Subjects with Keith Hennessy and in 2017 choreographed On the Occasion of our 25th Anniversary (and eviction) we ask, “Was that good for you?” with Kathleen Hermesdorf. Wells has been practicing Alexander Technique for twenty five years and BMC for fifteen.
Scott’s style of contact is athletic and emphasizes freedom of movement, flying, fluid acrobatics (easy to advanced), safety, precision, pleasure and technique. What students often like best in Scott’s classes is the variance between meditative, playful, and very physical dancing. And students appreciate how the scary or advanced moves are safe, relaxed and made possible. 
http://scottwellsdance.com/performance

PRESS:
“Scott Wells…has a dizzying abundance of pure dance-making talent “ Rachel Howard, SF Examiner

„Wells has become over the last fifteen years the Paul Taylor of Contact Improv — that is, the first to make dances in this idiom that are deeply musical, somehow „normal,“ imaginative, witty, often hilarious, sometimes fierce.” Paul Parrish, Danceviewtimes

„Come for the Thrills, Stay for the Artistry.“ Allan Ulrich, Voice of Dance

„Sproing! Once you adjust to the notion that very fit people are supposed to be bouncing off walls and flying in your face, you can relax and let them (Wells and dancers) do their thing, which is an electrifying style of contact improvisation.“ SF Weekly

LOCATION:
Tanzfabrik Berlin
Möckernstrasse 68, 10965 Berlin (Kreuzberg)
Studio No.4
http://www.tanzfabrik-berlin.de/en/studios

TRAFFIC LINKS:
U6 & 7 Yorckstrasse / Mehringdamm
S1 & 2 Yorckstrasse
Bus M19 Katzbachstrasse
https://www.google.de/maps?daddr=10965+Berlin,+M%C3%B6ckernstr.+68

PHOTO CREDIT:
David Papas