Approaching humans – partnering practice
Lito Anastasopoulou & Knut Vikström Precht
21.07 – 23.07 | 16:00 – 19:00
For all workshops and masterclasses
please contact us at [email protected]
We are social creatures; made for interaction. We need each other to exist. That’s why we practice together.
Dancing is a social practice. On stage, in the studio, in the club, around the bonfire or at the bus stop. Dancing together is a way of tuning in with our peers, through non verbal communication. Sharing an experience, a story, a moment, a song. Becoming one as a group, following a rhythm, blurring the lines between bodies. It is a way of creating connections, curiosity, joy and understanding.
In this class, the practice happens through approaching our fellow practitioners and our own place among them. By our body constantly being in relation to one or many others, we access tools for further developing and cultivating coordination, sensitivity, playfulness, and different forms of awareness; bodily, social, spatial, rhythmical and personal. How to approach a human.
What we do: Alongside the physical principles comes the responsibility for oneself and others. The practice pushes us to let go of individual success, while navigating within the physical, mechanical and social framework of the group context.
What we really do: The physical content of the workshop revolves around interaction and mutual influence. It is a space to observe ourselves in relation to others, to expand our abilities and movement vocabulary in a social space.
Clearly directed tasks encourage improvisation, research and physical discovery. We aim to cultivate clever, open bodies ready to adapt to the given circumstance. Available and open to influence. Agile, but strongly rooted. By maintaining our integrity, we dance through the pull of gravity.
In pairs or larger constellations we practice.
– Falling / spiralling/ weight sharing
– Leg work, foot work, running.
– Vertical weight practice (lifting, climbing, carrying)
– Partnering manipulation and adaptation
– Improvisation / movement research
– Playful mechanics of dancing
We embrace the fact that we are physically and socially interdependent yet independent, and aim to practice our human being within that default circumstance.
Approaching Humans Manifesto 1.0 (arbitrarily ordered)
1. Explore mechanical forces.
2. Explore social forces.
3. Benefit from the loss of control when moving with other humans.
4. Benefit from the loss of control when falling.
5. Maintain structural integrity while giving in to gravity.
6. Balance between accepting gravity and avoiding it.
7. Don’t become a victim of the situation (stay on top of things!).
8. Find ways to escape when needed.
9. Be generous with yourself and others.
10. Care for each other and be independent.
11. Work in an environment of collaboration.
12. Create a place where connections are maintained.
13. Find trust in the unknown.
14. Ask: what can I do?
15. Fall together – towards and away from each other.
16. Turn. Look. Spiral.
17. Practice; build confidence and trust your capacity to handle the unexpected.
18. Enjoy your dances.
Knut is a dancer and performer currently based in Berlin. Born, raised and educated in Sweden, he has worked and performed all over Europe and toured on four continents. He joined Ultima Vez – Wim Vandekeybus 2015 – 2018 for the rehearsal and tour of In Spite of Wishing and Wanting – Revival, and has performed works of numerous other directors and choreographers such as Linda Kapetanea & Jozef Frucek/RootLessRoot (GR/SK), Luke Murphy(IRL) and Per Sundberg/Dansinitiativet (SWE). After completing his studies at the University of Dance and Circus(DOCH/UniArts) in Stockholm in 2013, he has been involved in contexts of street performance, dance films, theatre production and performance art alongside his main focus on contemporary dance performance. Since 2019 he teaches internationally together with Lito Anastasopoulou under the framework of Approaching Humans, which allows him to further explore and share his sincere joy and interest in movement, interaction and communication.
Lito Anastasopoulou was born 1990 in Athens, Greece.
In 2016 she graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp with studies in Contemporary Dance and she also has a bachelor’s degree in educational science in Early Childhood Education (University of Patras, Greece).
Since 2016 she lived in Brussels and recently she moved in Berlin. Her main focus is performance, creation, choreography, training, as well as sharing her passion for dance by giving contemporary dance workshops for adults and kids. She is working as a choreographer and performer for “Raush” by Gregory Caers for D’haus Duesseldorf, she is performing for “The Red Queen” by Luke Jessop/ Ion Tribe, “Rising Dragon, Rebird Flying” by Odos Company and “Trio Zooplahop” (kids performance). She has been working for “Spiegel im Spiegel” by SIDE-SHOW Circus Company, “Nieuw Muziektheater Braaschaat Opera, company “Eau-dela Danse” and Impro company 2017. For “Exodos” by Unites/ Nomade company she was the choreographic assistant and she took part as a performer and co-creator in the video dance projects “Before they got their names (they forgot their names)”, “Anasa” and “Genna” by Odos Productions.
For all workshops and masterclasses
please contact us at [email protected]
21 – 23 July
16:00 – 19:00
Lito Anastasopoulou & Knut Vikström Precht | Partnering workshop
