Register for this workshop HERE!
In this workshop, we will explore the boundaries between what is real and what is imagined, focusing on the body's potential. We will engage with generative systems, investigate anatomical organization and sonic vibratory patterns while nurturing our curiosity about different states of being.
The class will begin with guided self-care exercises to ground us in our bodies before moving on to techniques such as folding, softening, and sliding of bones, as well as exploring expansion and compression. By using concepts of scale and architecture, we will examine both our inner and outer landscapes. Our movement practice will include working with concave and convex forms to uncover various layers of ease and effort.
We will delve into the ways our bodies interact with their surroundings, drawing inspiration from the circulatory and nervous systems. We will investigate how the flow of blood and the transmission of nerve signals create a constant dialogue between our internal states and the external environment. By blurring the lines between body and surroundings, we will explore how our movements can resonate with the space around us, heightening our awareness of connection and interdependence. This exploration will encourage us to feel the impulses of our bodies in relation to the world, fostering a deeper understanding of how our physicality is intertwined with the intricate web of our environment. Through this lens, our practice will invite the ebb and flow of energy, allowing us to become more attuned to the symbiotic relationship between ourselves and the spaces we inhabit.
Catch BLOT, created by Vanessa Goodman and Simona Deaconescu, at Fluid Fest.
Featured Artists
Vanessa Goodman · Choreographer
Vanessa Goodman respectfully acknowledges that she lives, works and creates on the ancestral and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples including the Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish), ̱Stó:lō and Səlílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xwməθkwəyəm (Musqueam) Nations. ̓
She holds a BFA from Simon Fraser University and is the artistic director of Action at a Distance Dance Society. Vanessa is attracted to art that has a weight and meaning beyond the purely aesthetic and uses her choreography as an opportunity to explore the human condition. She has received several awards and honours, including: The Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award (2013); The Yulanda M. Faris Scholarship (2017/18); The Chrystal Dance Prize (2019); The Schultz Endowment from Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (2019); and the Space to Fail program (2019/20) in New Zealand, Australia and Vancouver.
Vanessa has been artist-in-residence at Biofriction (Cultivamos Cultura), The Dance Centre, Dance Victoria, Harbourfront Centre, The Shadbolt Centre and The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, where she was also on faculty. Most recently Vanessa presented work and was a facilitator for Trinity Laban’s 2020 Co-Lab Project (London).
Vanessa’s work has been presented in Vancouver by DanceHouse, SFU Woodwards, The Belkin Gallery, The Firehall Arts Centre, The Dance Centre, The Chutzpah! Festival and The Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. Presentations further a field include the Fluid Festival (Calgary), Kinetic Studio (Halifax), The Dance Made in Canada Festival (Toronto), On the Boards (Seattle), Risk/Reward Festival (Portland), Offset Dance Fest (Brooklyn) and The Bienal Internacional de Dança Do Ceará (Brazil).