The Performance Jam 
WS by Scott Wells 
February 26-28, 2016

Workshop in Contact Improvisation & Performance Research
by Scott Wells

Tanzfabrik Berlin
February 26-28, 2016
– Friday: 4-8pm
– Saturday: 10am-6pm (break 1-2pm) …than public Contact Jam: 7-10pm
– Sunday: 11am-6pm (break 2-3pm)

DESCRIPTION
Scott: „My main work is as a choreographer and I rigorously investigate partnering and acrobatic movement ideas. This allows me to bring unique movement vocabulary and training to my workshops.“

We will also work with ensemble dancing. Dancing, contacting with connection and awareness of the group.

„I’d like to create an atmosphere that has more intention and group focus than a jam, but less stringent than a formal performance. We’ll develop our ensemble work and gain performance skills and resources. Contact Improvisation will be an element of our practice, an element to mix with soloing, ensemble and compositional work.“

We will take single elements (e.g. a flying skill) into scores. We will use this progression:

1) Connecting with yourself, using body sensations or images as they come up or the stories in your head. Noticing impulses to move, being able to feel your impulses, and pick which ones to follow.

2) Connecting with others (ensemble), awareness of others in the group. For example, if your working with levels, can you track the others’ levels as you move. Mirroring or copying others is one of our skills for this.

3) What is interesting to watch? Connecting with the watchers (audience). Do you sense what is interesting for them to see? Do you sense what place onstage will be psychologically dynamic OR make the picture of what is happening see-able. This is composition.

Scott Wells will support this score through teaching contemporary dance technique, improvisation, contact and partnering.

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 the meditative, listening, slow and sensual dancing and the fun, playful, very physical dancing. And students appreciate how the scary or advanced moves are safe, relaxed and made possible.

BIO Scott Wells
Scott Wells discovered the pleasure of Contact Improvisation in 1981 shortly after becoming obsessed with the struggles of modern dance. He received his M.F.A. in Dance (the highest academic degree for dance) from the University of Illinois in 1991. During his university training Wells received the Creative and Performing Arts Fellowship, (University of Illinois), Martha Hill Award form the American Dance Festival and Bates Dance Festival Emerging Choreographer Commission. Scott Wells, Artistic Director of Scott Wells & Dancers, has created new works in San Francisco every year since 1992 and is known for his inventive and “electrifying” partnering. In 2010 and 2005 he received the Izzie, The Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Choreography (San Francisco’s most prestigious dance award). Scott has been selected by Dance Magazine as “one of the 25 To Watch”, received a GOLDIE (with Kathleen Hermesdorf) and the Lester Horton Award for Choreography (Los Angeles, 1995). He has taught at A.C.T, the San Francisco Conservatory for Dance and UC Berkeley and was an artist in residence at ODC Theater.

Wells has been practicing Alexander Technique for twenty five years and BMC for fifteen. He recently completed his certification in Radical Counseling. Scott has created works for skateboarders, for boxers and choreographed West Side Story for Sonoma State University.
http://scottwellsdance.com/performance

VIDEOS of Scott Wells & Dancers:

COST
Early bird 150€ (money transfer until January 15, 2016)
Thereafter 170€

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

FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/events/839951566118693/

LOCATION
Tanzfabrik Berlin
Möckernstr.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