Organizer

Jan Boeschoten

The first viewed dance piece was „The Law of Remains“ of the deceased Reza Abdoh (1993 Kampnagel). This piece provided me a truly awakening experience – it opened the border to the audience and allowed direct body contact. Shortly after this I had the first class in contact improvisation with Ka Rustler at the Berlin Tanzfabrik.

My first intensive teacher for contact improvisation was Dieter Heitkamp 1999 in Tanzfabrik, Berlin. At that time I started to visit many international festivals for contact improvisation in Freiburg, Göttingen, Misgav (Israel) or Orvieto (Italy). In following years I professionalize my skills in workshops by Nancy Stark Smith, Daniel Lepkoff, Nita Little, Stefanie Maher, Martin Keogh, Scott Wells, Jess Curtis, Keith Hennessy, Ricardo Morrison, Felix Ruckert (Tools System), Cathy Caraker, Nien Marie Chatz, Karl Frost, Ray Chung, Howard Katz Fireheart, Andrew Harwood, and many others. Since 2006 I am also dancing Tango Argentino. Based on the variety of movements in contact improvisation and tango I lead some laboratories to integrate both dance languages into „contango“.

Other Compagnies that influenced me: Constanza Macras / Dorky Park, Felix Ruckert (Secret Sercice, United Kingdom etc.), La Fura del Baus, Palindrome / Robert Wechsler, David Rokeby’s Very Nervous System, Meg Stuart / Damaged Goods, CORE (Stefanie Maher, Stanya Kahn, Jess Curtis, Keith Hennessy), Robert Wilson, Wim Vandekeybus (Sarah Moon Howe: Nightshade).

2009-2012 I was responsible for the press work of Felix Ruckert Cie. and dance performances happening in Schwelle 7. Since 2009 I also organized workshops for dance, performance and improvisation: David Zambrano – Improvisation on Stage, Kathleen Hermesdorf – Luscious and ballistic, K.J. Holmes – The Athletics of Intimacy, Martin Keogh – Soaring Off The Mountain, Adrian Russi – CI and instant composition, Amanda Miller – Composition / Matrix, Andrew Harwood: Known – Unknown, Scott Wells Contact Ensemble, Martha Moore – Narrative Assemblage, Daniel Lepkoff – Foundations of Improvisation, Malcolm Manning – Contact Improvisational Mind, Katie Duck – Improvisation, Pipaluk Supernova – Find your inner Rockstar, Nita Little – Articulating Presence: The Geometry of Attention. Many of this workshops are culminating in a public performance where I was participating.