Nomadic College

Programming category:

June 4, 2012 (All day) - July 1, 2012 (All day)

The Nomadic College (NC) is an annual gathering organized by the Axis Syllabus Research Community hosting workshops, lectures, a choreographic laboratory, jams and artist residencies. After many years traveling all across Europe, the NC is happy to return to North America in June 2012 to reside at the beautiful Earthdance. The Nomadic College is a month long event that provides a focused environment for the study and practice of the Axis Syllabus- a trans-disciplinary research and education platform concerned with the practice, study and teaching of bio-mechanics as they apply to human movement and the art of dancing. The NC thrives to be a place for movement artists to replenish, investigate old and new patterns and to acquire skills for sustaining and inspiring their paths in the moving and healing arts. Teachers include Frey Faust (EU), Baris Mihci (BE/TK), Francesca Pedulla (I), Kelly Keenan (CA), Kira Kirsch (US/EU), Ruth Douthwright(CA) among many others sharing their diverse experience and unique perspectives in dance and movement techniques, traditional and contemporary african, folk, rhythm, contact improvisation or choreography. The NC will also host weekly jams, performances, a kids program and a series of community classes. www.axissyllabus.com

Registration is open. Register for Tution through Nomadic College at http://www.axissyllabus.com/page74.php and for Room and Board through Earthdance.

Faculty

Frey Faust

After receiving primary discipline and essential experiance under the tutelage of his mother from ages 8 to 15, Frey Faust went on to accumulate an eclectic skill-set including contact improvisation, pantomime, capoiera, aikido, percussion, voice and several modalities of dancing. He traveled across the US, and then to Europe to augment his own artistic study and practice through collaborations with choreographers such as Gina Buntz, Donald Byrd, Merce Cunningham, Nita Little, Ohad Naharin, Meredith Monk, Janet Panetta, David Parsons, Randy Warshaw and Stephen Petronio, to name a few. A two-year stint as artist in residence at the Werkstaat e.V. Duesseldorf (now the TANZ HAUS NRW) allowed him to set the foundation for his pedagogical and artistic vision. Since then he has traveled the world, teaching and collaborating with like-minded artists. He is the author of the book and the originator of the Axis Syllabus; a method for teaching movement, through which he aspires to assist his students to deepen their understanding and responsable use of nature's ingenious gift, the human body.

Besides ongoing research and re-writing his book in preparation for a second edition, he continues to find contexts for collaborative art-work, most recently with Mirva Makinen in "The Balance Project", Francesca Pedulla and Richard Adossou in "Two Among Us", and "No Compromise" with Anna Claudio Pedone.

Baris Mihci

Baris, born 1976 in Wuppertal, graduated with degrees in social pedagogy, German language and as a teacher in special education sports for physically disabled children at the University of Cologne, Germany. Although always fascinated with movement, Baris did not start dancing until after finishing his degree. After completing his graduation thesis on Pina Bausch's Dancetheater he was introduced to the Axis Syllabus, immediately immersed himself in the study and acquired a teacher's certificate after 4 years.

Baris has been teaching the Axis Syllabus daily for dancers in Brussels and around Europe for almost 2 years and introduced the Axis Syllabus in İstanbul from November 06 to March 07.

Since September 2007, Baris has been teaching regular classes in Brussels, as well as leading workshops in various European countries.

Francesca Pedulla

Francesca Pedullà, dancer and choreographer, holds a masters in the History of Theatre and Drama, and has dedicated herself to culture and African dance since 1990. Fundamental in her formation was the encounter with the master Koffi Koko. In 1999 she graduated as professor of dance expression at the African Centre Artistique 6-éme Parallel - FEIDA Bordeaux. In 2001 she graduated from the Mime Theater at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa.

In 2009 she received a certificate to teach the Axis Syllabus, the motion analysis method based on the principles of physics and biomechanics consolidated by Frey Faust, American dancer and choreographer.

Every year since 1998 she has gone to Benin to deepen her understanding of this culture. In 2006 she founded the cultural association Sonagnon (Ouidah / Benin) with musician and dancer Eric Acakpo. Sonagnon provides the organisational support for enhancing art in Benin and creating opportunities for encounter and exchange between artists of different nationalities.

She currently holds regular classes and workshops in Italy and abroad, is a founding member of the genovese cultural associations CQB and CinD.
Her artistic career is marked by the encounter with the culture and art of Benin, her research concerns the perception and reproduction of traditional dances and the creation of a language that investigates the issue of dialogue between cultures.

Kelly Keenan

Kelly Keenan is a Montreal based dancer, dance-maker and teacher. Originally from Toronto Kelly graduated from LADMMI in 2001. Not long after Kelly moved to Europe for continued study with Frey Faust & obtained certification in the Axis Syllabus. Kelly has since resituated in Montreal

teaches the Axis Syllabus method locally for Studio 303, RQD, Transformation Danse, Concordia University among others. Kelly continues to work abroad at such dance centers as Earthdance, The Nomadic College, Studio Hybrid (Brussels), Compagnie Lanonima (Barcelona), Kunst-Stoff Arts (San Francisco) among many others.
Kelly’s professional training is premised on the principles of the Axis Syllabus and inspired by recent studies on ‘Material for the Spine‘ with Steve Paxton and ‘Anatomy Trains’ with Thomas Myers.

She has been seen in the work of Lynda Gaudreau, k.g. Guttman, Francesca Pedulla, Human Playgorund and is gaining visibility as a dance-maker herself. Waypoints, a solo created for dancer Johanna Bienaise, was presented at La Piscine (Montreal), Cite Danse (Grenoble) and Kinetic Studio (Halifax). Her 1st collaboration with Kira Kirsch, Species, was performed at the the OFFTA & Studio 303 (Montreal), International Tnaztheater Festival (Graz, Austria) and Dance Matters (Toronto). Kira and Kelly's second collaboration 'On Flying & Crying' was workshopped in residence with Compagnie Montreal Danse and premiered at The Dance Mission (San Francisco) Spring 2011.

Kira Kirsch

Kira Kirsch is a performer/teacher/improvisor/choreographer from Berlin/Vienna who is now based in San Francisco. Kira studied at the Conservatory of Vienna, at tanzpool and received a scholarship from the Austrian Ministry for Culture to independently work with master teacher Frey Faust who developed the theroy, analysis and method called the Axis Syllabus.

In the realm of improvisation she has had the luck to study with and be inspired by visionary women such as Sara Mann, Meg Stuart and Nita Little.

Since 2004 she gets invited to teach technique and contact improvisation internationally at festivals, schools and universities such as ODC & CounterPULSE San Francisco, SEAD-salzburg, Orff-institute, HJS-Amsterdam, Buehnenwerkstatt Graz or Schwelle7 Berlin and was co-organizing & teaching the international annual Nomadic College for 7 years. January 2010 she became resident faculty & affiliated artist at KUNST-STOFF arts, a new space for the performing arts in San Francisco.

Kira has danced with Half Machine(DK), ABCdance collective/Frey Faust and Cie. Anna Tenta(A). In San Francisco she can be seen in the works of media & performance artist David Szlasa, master - pioneer - visionary choreographer Sara Shelton Mann, multi-media improvisation Avy k. productions, DanceBrigade and in numerous collaborations.

She is creating work in collaboration with Kelly Keenan since 2010. Their first production "species" has been presented in Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco and was supported by the Canada Council. Their new work 'Useless Creatures' will premier in Montreal this October. Further Kira is producing events such as workshops and panel discussions under the umbrella of corpi liquidi. Her creative work is rooted in fascination for bodily theorization & research of form-escaping physicality, body politics and other-worldly dynamics.

Ruth Douthwright(

Ruth's first teacher was her mom, through classes and performances in world, folk and sacred dance, music and storytelling in London, Ontario Canada. She was also greatly influenced, nourished and supported by Jennifer Swan and Karen Hypes and their innovative dance programs in her formative years.

She completed her professional dance training at Les Ateliers de Danse Moderne de Montreal in 1997, following Ruth danced in productions of independant choreographers: Massimo Agostinelli, Marie-Pascale Belanger, Sara Bild, Florence Figols, Dave St. Pierre and Mariko Tanabe. She then returned to further studies in world, folk and sacred dances and music with various teachers namely, Min Tanaka (Japan), Vincent Sekwatie Mantsoe (South Africa), Sharon Wise (Canada), Jean Luc Yerles (Belgium).

This led her to Japan where she studied and performed Noh Theatre with TTT at the Kyoto Arts Center with Sensei Takabayashi, was a member of Takadora Taiko in Mie-Ken and lived and studied Butoh with Min Tanaka at his Body Weather Farm. Her own choreographic work was produced by Aichi Bunka Kaikan-Nagoya, Kyoryukan-Kyoto and Okagura Productions in Mie-Ken.

At the Canada Summer Games 2001 hosted in London, Ruth and her mother were co-artistic directors of ‘Living in Harmony’ and Ruth was the dance director for the National Artists Program.

In 2002, Ruth began studying intensively with Frey Faust and working on productions with Ardent Body Communications Dance Collective (ABCDC).

Other highlights have included working on The Patria Series with R. Murray Schafer, performance at the Canada House Gala, performing with the Nihilst Spasm Band, singing with the Belgian choir Meli Melo and creating and performance with L’Inattendue Compagnie in Belgium.

Ruth regularly choreographs and teaches dance & voice for companies, studios and schools through all dance project.

Ruth has received numerous grants from the London Arts Council, Ontario Arts and the Canada Council for the Arts for study, research and performance.

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