Workshops

Gaga & Creative Process

July 22-26
16,30-17,45 Gaga/dancers
17,50-20,30 Creative Process

Taught by

Nunzia Picciallo

Gaga is the movement language developed by Ohad Naharin throughout many years, parallel to his work as a choreographer and the former artistic director of Batsheva Dance Company. The classes are predicated on a deep activation of the body and physical sensations. The instructions are deployed to increase awareness of and further amplify sensation, and rather than turning from one prompt to another, information is layered, building into a multisensory, physically challenging experience. While many instructions are imbued with rich imagery, the research of Gaga is fundamentally physical, insisting on a specific process of embodiment. Inside this shared research and on top of clear forms, the improvisational nature of the exploration enables each participant’s deeply personal connection with Gaga. The class provides a framework for discovering and strengthening the body and adding flexibility, stamina, agility, and skills like coordination and efficiency while stimulating the senses and the imagination.

Gaga/dancers deepens dancers’ awareness of physical sensations, expands their palette of available movement options, enhances their ability to modulate their energy and engage their explosive power, and enriches their movement quality with a wide range of textures. The layering of familiar skills with Gaga tasks presents dancers with fresh challenges, and throughout the class, teachers prompt the dancers to visit more unfamiliar places and ways of moving as well, unlocking the endlessness of possibilities. Dancers are guided to connect their effort to pleasure and to discover the virtue of silliness.

In her creative process, for Nunzia it is fundamental to enhance individuality and embrace the distinctive traits of each participant. The time will be divided into guided research and exercises, followed by choreographic material and composition.