COURSES & CLASSES
I passionately teach dance, movement research, choreography, design, scenic design, costume design, directing, and technical theatre. I teach in the university system and I offer independent workshops and regular open, drop-in classes. Some descriptions are below.
I am always available for PRIVATE AND SMALL GROUP SESSIONS - by appointment (sarusfestival@gmail.com)
All upcoming events and classes are listed on the CALENDAR.
All upcoming events and classes are listed on the CALENDAR.
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"WIGGLES & WAVES: SPINAL FUNCTION" WIGGLES & WAVES focuses on Spinal function and the oscillations and undulatory waves that radiate from the spine into the periphery due to the tensegritous nature of tissue connections and joint expression. This class introduces and explores the concept and physicality of the BIOTENSEGRITY of our bodies. We are not compression structures like houses. And we don't have roots. We are multi-directionally functional tension structures, within which semi-rigid compression elements are spatially delineated with a tensile web of soft tissues, such as fascia, muscle, tendon, skin, nerves, etc. in other words: our bones float in a web of soft tissues. Wiggles and bounces are particularly helpful for conditioning this soft-tissue system, training it for elasticity, resilience, and response-ability. Location and times will be announced on the event calendar. "THE POLYRHYTHMIC BODY" The polyrhythmic body is a fun cardio class for musicality, rhythmicality, and high energy expression. I propose steps and movement sequences to the group and we do call and response and other movement games. We sense the affect that music has on our bodies and we allow the beats and melodies to propose movements and play. With live percussion. SWIMMING THROUGH SPACE: BODY RESET & EFFORTLESSNESS IN MULTI-PLANAR MOVEMENT Exploring our pelagic evolutionary roots, we explore similarities and differences to movement in water as well as exploring movement with imagery and concepts of fluidity and watery-ness. This class systematically goes through all of the joints in the body, slowly re-restablishing "middle-path" range of motion to gently address the areas we forgot about during the day, or overused and abused y sitting at a computer or lifting or gardening, etc. The goal is to find fluidity and balance, a sense of effortlessness. Movements take place standing, sitting laying down and while rolling across the floor and they flow from one to the other. We might go swim, too... FLUIDITY FOR LIFE: ARTICULATION, ELASTICITY, AND RESILIENCE IN AGE We will discover some of the major principles and actions that are important for maintaining flexibility and response-ability, dexterity, reaction speed, and fluidity of movement through old age. We look at how to cultivate and maintain as sense of effortlessness, bounce, resilience, rhythm, and complex coordination. We train the elasticity of our tissues to keep that spring in our step. We have fun exploring, dancing, and exchanging experiences. This class looks at the challenges of aging and gives opportunity for discovering the vitality of our bodies in spiraling and undulating movements that feel good and reaffirm trust in our bodies. People of all ages can benefit from this class. Aging doesn't happen over night, even though it sometimes seems that way. |
"I LOVE WALKING: THE COMPLEXITY AND MAGIC BEAUTY OF THE GAIT CYCLE" Walking is the most common of movements we do every day. But is it fun, rejuvenating, and nourishing, or do we focus on 'getting from A to B'? Let's explore how to elevate a simple activity to an enriching and creatively fulfilling one. This workshop addresses intellect and spirit at once: while using walking as a tool for mindfulness we analyze human movement, both in theory and practice. We will examine walking mechanics, the gait cycle, and the three dimensional, multi directional interplay of the body's structures. We will look at anatomical models, imagery and explore walking physically. We will be slowing movements down to analyze individual components and the forces acting on our bodies. Through walking we revitalize the spiral movement patterns that are genetically embedded into our structure: A well coordinated walk allows for mobility in all joints, which reinstates the constant ebb and flow of tension and relaxation that helps us maintain a healthy and vivid dexterity into old age. Discovering the beautiful complexity in something so seemingly simple, we can then play with the transition from walking to creative walking and dancing! The first class meets at a movement studio and subsequent classes will meet at interesting outdoor or indoor locations to walk on flat and irregular surfaces. Day one: theory and basic principle exploration Day two: grassy surfaces Day three: steps and slopes Day four: beach Day five: concrete surfaces Day six: Creative walking and dancing "TOUCH: MOVEMENT, PROPRIOCEPTION, AND CONNECTION" This class explores the definitions and phenomena of touch for movement training. We touch the air, our clothes, the floor. The skin gives us important feedback about where we are and how well or poorly aligned, and how efficiently the various parts of our bodies are tensioned or stressed. We pay attention to what our skin tells us. We move on to touching another person. We explore their musculo-skeletal system, and by observing and touching them as they move, we learn about what bodies can do, how they move, and how they solve movement challenges. We tune in and attune to our movement partner. Touch gives helpful feedback where sensation is hard to obtain. For example, movement at the joints in our thoracic region is hard to perceive, and through touching the spinous processes one by one helps us become more present in our awareness of these structures, of small, tiny movements. We talk about different kinds of touch, their intent and how they can assist our movement studies/experiences. Accompanying and supportive touch are significantly different from manipulative touch. "Listening touch" offers to give proprioceptive feedback, "accompanying touch" accompanies a mover, witnesses their journey, "supportive touch" offers and is ready to share some of the weight of the masses of the body, "communicative touch" can encourage us to re-evaluate the amount of muscular effort we are putting into certain areas. "Manipulative touch" gives direction and impulses for the mover to respond to, "oppositional touch" offers more resistance and increases the muscular and emotional effort of the mover. "Overload touch" increases the movers sensations and confuses their tendency to focus on specific parts of the body, offering opportunities to let go of habitual patterns. "Isometric compressive touch" massages body parts without provoking movement, relaxing tense muscles and lowering resting tone. Very light "tingling touch" heightens the movers awareness of all the receptors in the skin. There are many more. Location and times will be announced on the event calendar. |
"ROLLING, CRAWLING, FALLING & RISING: EFFORTLESSNESS IN NEGOTIATING LEVEL CHANGES" This class focuses on horizontal locomotion as well as how to get down to the floor and back up. As babies and children we use our bodies more three-dimensionally, we tumble, slide, crawl, roll. It is rejuvenating and healthy to re-discover these movement patterns, physically and psychologically. Crawling and rolling gives us trust in our abilities to manage our bodies in creative and reliable ways. It challenges our arms, hands, and shoulder girdles to support our bodies and locomote. Crawling and rolling is wonderful for the spine and the entire fascial system, re-balancing our tensional system. The falling and rising portions investigate effortless ways to get into and out of these crawling and rolling positions. If we have fallen how do we get back up. If we are afraid of falling, how can we practice it and develop strategies for negotiating sudden and slower intentional level changes. Be prepared to gain new confidence in yourself and in your physical strength. Location and times will be announced on the event calendar. "CONTACT IMPROVISATION: RESPONSE-ABILITY" I teach a beginner/foundations of contact improvisation class for people who are totally new to this practice. We engage with concepts of touch and connection before actually touching. We discuss consent and try things out slowly and gradually. Some of the best Contact Improv sessions I have ever had were slow motion practices, so I believe in the teaching power of slowing things down which helps us feel more in control and also makes visible the moments where we tend to skip steps between our ideas of what we want to do and the actual execution of a movement. We have to remain in the present moment in this practice. Of course we also look at the biomechanical physiological reality of our bodies: How do I engage with my partner in ways that do not hurt them or myself, how much range of motion is too much, what sorts of movements can the shoulder joint execute and where do we increase our injury potential? Timing is crucial, and this leads us back to being in the moment and ensuring that support structures can be in place to keep us safe. See the calendar for upcoming classes/workshops. CONTEMPORARY PARTNERING My partnering classes explore the mechanics and response-abilities of how to lift and be lifted off the ground. Classes are designed to inspire confidence and trust. The goal is an intuitive understanding of the physics of dynamic cooperation. Touch, the connection to another human being, teaches us tremendously much about how we move as individuals. Both share the same principles. We look at the importance of timing, breath, musicality, proper alignment, listening to one self and the other for coordinated take off and landing. Everything is done in duet format, starting with the warm-up to across the floor phrases and combinations. We will build our repertoire of lifts from non-physical connections and unison work via simple weight-sharing, to complex and athletic lifts. Students gain inventiveness, originality and spontaneity with a sophisticated and intelligent approach to lifting that practices technical strength and anatomical understanding. This class includes some improvisational and creative exercises as well as the learning of repertoire. We address the psychology of touch. This class is not gender specific, everybody will be the 'lifter' and the 'lifted', as long as the weight/strength ratio is appropriate for each individual. |
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CHOREOGRAPHY & DESIGN Developing a new work is a process of love that is endlessly rewarding to me. I am enchanted by visceral and fierce kinetic expressions, by spaces that offer transformation, and by materials that resonate within the characters and the story. I love for the space/set design to leave room for the players, so that intricately interwoven relationships and strong personalities can develop and merge with the environment, the lighting, the sound and the costumes to something intimately connected and meaningful. As dancers/choreographers we have an impact on our society and I emphasize the importance that our work bears, not only on individual and private lives, but on our society. Dance is an influential tool as it facilitates a platform for intelligent, emotional and critical exchange and learning, as well as the development of complex social networks. I am a detail-oriented, investigative and philosophical director, basing my work on a search for uncovering layers of the subconscious. Intellect and instinct are at work in equal measure, an ongoing exchange between creativity and analysis. Exploring the precipices of human emotion, I am drawn to friction, confrontation and vulnerability. I do not fear beauty. I avoid illustration. I crave a deep look into the soul of a work and I need absolute honesty within each work. With that, art can change our hearts. I am interested in visceral and kinetic voices that trace the changeable electricity of thought and sensation that underlies human interaction and interpersonal relationships. My work is athletic and detail oriented and so are my classes. I teach choreography as a complex arrangement of options which are identified as located somewhere in between the visual arrangement of energetic lines created by bodies in space and the underlying motivations/expression, hence: the psychology of movement. We study body language and interpretation skills. My emphasis lies on the exploration of honest, real expression and interaction. |
CHOREOGRAPHY & DESIGN CLASSES
CHOREOGRAPHY
CHOREOGRAPHY Dance is an influential tool as it represents a channel to our innermost needs and desires. I am a detail-oriented, investigative and philosophical teacher/choreographer, basing my classes on a search for uncovering layers of the subconscious to be assembled into works that satisfy the complexity of our human experience. Intellect and instinct are at work in equal measure, and an ongoing exchange between creativity and analysis takes place in a supportive and honest group or partner setting. We will pursue the creation of works from a starting point of authenticity, a concept we will discuss and critically investigate. We direct our focus onto the channeling of visceral and kinetic voices that trace the changeable electricity of thought and sensation that underlies human interaction and interpersonal relationships. We study body language and interpretation skills. We develop thinking methods for the aspiring choreographer to find a direct connection to his or her inner motivation and to channel fragmented ideas into a coherent form that is understood by the audience on multiple levels. We analyze and apply a number of choreographic tools, such as theme and variation, improvisation, sub texting, script/character analysis, story-boarding and many others to support each participants unique needs.. Location and times will be announced on the event calendar. Fee: free/by donation SCENIC & COSTUME DESIGN
SCENIC AND COSTUME DESIGN Design classes focus on play analysis, building of models to scale, and setting each scene of the play within the model. Photos are taken to illustrate scene changes and lighting looks. Scene Design is another voice in a play/piece, an important and powerful tool. The scene sets the environment that the actors/dancers live in, it is a work of art, a metaphor, a translation, a visual and haptic expression of the play's soul. The set is not an illustration, but a psychological rendering of a state of mind. Beginning with play analysis, we move to drafting ideas and building models to scale. Lighting and costumes are part of this process. We spend a lot of time discussing the purpose and impact of each element, whether it is redundant, necessary or foreign, etc to the idea of the play, and to the particular staging of a play; so for one play we can have many interpretations and many set designs. |
MOVING WITH COMMUNITY I enjoy bringing people together to move and explore community through movement. These offerings are not classes. They are joyful, and meditative events that are open to your own expression. |
AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT
AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT is a practice of mindfulness, creative curiosity, and expression. Spend time for yourself, with yourself, in community, and with a partner. Be whoever you need to be in that moment. The session begins with a group gathering and introduction. After an easy and brief warm up, we find partners: one person will be the 'mover' and the other the 'witness'. The mover may close their eyes to begin calming down, arriving in their bodu, and listening to what their body needs: movement, stillness, playfulness, curiosity,... be yourself, whatever comes up for you is allowed to be recognized, expressed, held on to, or let go of. This is a movement meditation practice. Be curious about what kinds of movements your body-mind needs at that moment. Express yourself. Feel. Fill the space with your movement, or discover the joy of micro-movements, casual, stylized, etc.... The 'witness' supports the mover through their attention and presence. After 15 minutes of movement the mover/witness couples share their experiences with one another, if they wish. Then the roles reverse and another 15 minutes of movement take place, followed by a brief verbal sharing.
There is no music. The session concludes with a group closing circle where everyone is invited to share thoughts or experiences. For me, Authentic Movement is always insightful and grounding. I feel supported in gentle community. Currently offered at Hope Recovery Center
"CONTACT IMPROVISATION/SILENT DANCE JAM"
CONTACT IMPROVISATION/SILENT DANCE JAM
We get together to dance freely, express ourselves. There is no music influencing any emotional or rhythmic timbres. We respond to ourselves, listening to what we need, how our bodies want to move, to one another, and to the space and nature around us. This is a movement meditation. It is play, and joy of moving. For those of us who want to engage in contact improvisation we move with respect and awareness of the other person's needs and abilities. There is a short opening circle where we welcome each other and briefly explain the rules: no alcohol, no drugs, attentive listening to each other, care of one another, no sexual expressions. We create a safe space for exploring the play of supporting and being supported. Contact Improvisation arose as a practice in the 70's. Names like Steve Paxton and Nancy Stark Smith are but two of its most famous practitioners and conceptualizers. CI is an improvised dance practice that involves the exploration of one's body in relationship to others through touch, sharing weight, lifting or supporting one another and being attentive to each others kinaesthetic needs. The practice is playful, caring, and explorative. You come with your background, be it no experience or a lot of it, to a group of movers that enjoy practicing embodied support. Of course it is also ok to not engage in any partner dances and simply dance by yourself. There is still community in that! To me, this practice is about fine-tuning our listening skills, not our lifting skills. Connection can be made in a number of ways, and the most foundational goal is the recognition of what your partner is able to do or not. By this practice we learn about negotiation, consent, biomechanical realities of people's bodies, and so much more. I request everyone to enter the space with a lot of awareness and care. This is a JAM, so it is not a class and your actions are largely self guided. The closing circle gives everyone the opportunity to share experiences or ask questions. You can come and go as you please of course, but it is nice if everyone is there for opening and closing circles as they provide the sense of community and sharing that bring so many of us to these kinds of dances. Takes place Saturdays or Sundays, roughly every two weeks. For exact dates and times please visit the event calendar. Hope Recovery Center, 3403 Winston Blvd, Wilmington, NC 28403
MORNING PRACTICE
MORNING PRACTICE
We start with 30 minutes of quiet meditation (in collective solitude), followed by 30 minutes of movement (sounds are welcome, but no music yet). Then we have 30-45 minutes of free-form dancing to energizing music (provided by facilitator or live DJ). Then we slow down with a few exercises that we do all together (your own adaptations are welcome, whatever you body needs) to center, focus, and calm the body and mind and establish that sense of togetherness. There isn't a better start for the day, it's got a little bit of everything and you are invited to do your own thing and take care of your needs. Location: Hope Recovery, 3403 Winston Blvd, Wilmington, NC Thursdays weekly, 7-9am See all scheduled events here: calendar. 
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As an artist scholar I offer classes in dance, design, technical theatre, and areas related to Performance Studies. Wherever possible I integrate embodied ways of knowing and researching with theory in my courses. Over the past 6 years, while a PhD student and candidate at UC Davis, CA, I have held teacher, teaching assistant, and reader positions in
- Theatre & Dance Department (DRA - Dance Technique, Movement Research, Choreography, technical Theatre, Costume Design, Woodshop),
- Design (DES - Intro to Design, Typography, Functional Apparel Design),
- Film and Media Studies (FMS - Film Theory, Media Subcultures),
- History (HIS - Travel & The Modern World),
- Communication (COMM - Travel & The Modern World),
- African American Studies (AAS - Afro Brasilian Dance & Culture),
- Techno-Cultural Studies (TCS - Intro to Documentary Film),
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LIST OF UNIVERSITY TEACHING EXPERIENCE 2014-current:
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At the high school, college and professional level I teach movement for actors.
We explore body language and find intersections of pedestrian actions and dance. We develop this from an inner process that reflects on the character development in acting and plays with finding original movement to express ourselves non-verbally.
We explore body language and find intersections of pedestrian actions and dance. We develop this from an inner process that reflects on the character development in acting and plays with finding original movement to express ourselves non-verbally.
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UNIVERSITY COURSES
Contemporary/Post Modern Dance (DRA 40A and DRA 40B at UC Davis) A BII approach |
Class begins with addressing neural conductivity and warming up the musculo skeleptal and fascial web through oscillating motion and gentle all-directional explorations. Receptors in the surface anatomy and in the muscles are stimulated by touch, breath and movement. Fascial adhesions are gently released, focusing on introducing mobility in all joints of the body by moving through moderate range of motion and multi-directional orientation as appropriate to each joint. The dancer gains increased kinetic awareness and speed of reaction.
The mechanics of entering and leaving the ground, energy efficiency and using the fascial web for propulsion and feedback, the generation, maintenance and transmission of kinetic energy, as well as individuality, performance quality and dancing in tandem with others are some of the key elements I address in any given dance class. I use both set exercises as well as improvisation in order to deepen the understanding of movement principles. With proper attention to detail we dissect phrases into their individual components analyzing the demands, challenges and opportunities for efficient and structurally sound use of the body's components, paving the way for athletic and fast work across, as well as in and out of the floor. Tuning our listening and response tools we explore phrases that are organic, spiraling, undulating, multi-directional, and fluid, using inversions and work with a partner. The movement language is specific and chronological, fluid and powerful, which is achieved by finding organic ways to generate kinetic energy and maintaining and channeling this energy through the body's natural pathways by maintaining the greatest structural support value in the participating articular structures. |
