Contemporary flamenco with Marco de Ana

Marco de Ana is a dancer, choreographer and dance teacher best known as the longtime artistic colleague of Israel Galván, with whom he has been collaborating since 2002. Together, they created famous performances such as El amor brujo (2019), Arena (2018), La edad de oro (2018), Dju Dju (2016), Lo Real (2012), Galvánicas (2002) and others. After studying at the Conservatorio Superior de Danza in Sevilla, the Royal Ballet School in London and under the masters José Galván and Mario Maya, he produced dozens of performances staged at important festivals in Spain and abroad, such as ImPulsTanz Vienna International Dance Festival, Flamenco Festival de Düsseldorf, Festival de Jerez de la Frontera, etc. This is his second time visiting Slovenia as a teacher and he will be the first visiting teacher of the Research Cycle organised by the NEST Platform.

TIMETABLE

“WALKING IN COMPÁS“
beginner’s/intermediate level
The primitive dance flamenco originates from the natural movement whose charm and direct communication with the environment are born of simplicity. Therefore, the primary topics of the workshop will address the seemingly simple movement which is nevertheless an incredibly important dance foundation due to its clear and direct nature. Marco de Ana will help participants become aware of the movement and its integration in their daily lives. We will learn to listen to the rhythm of our own bodies and the environment, walk, pause, control and distribute our weight, situate our body in the surrounding space and control its posture and expressiveness. The basic flamenco dance aesthetic will be assimilated through the dance sequences in Tangos style and some of its variants which will allow us to capture the essence of the primitive flamenco movement born by the body, caught in the rhythm. We will also train to communicate with the musicians and other dancers in the surrounding space. The workshop is appropriate for beginners and those flamenco dancers who wish to explore the dance foundations further and anew.

→ The workshop can be attended with or without flamenco shoes.

“THE INTENTION”
intermediate level
After studying flamenco for several years, we often focus too much on technically perfecting the dance and neglect the content and purpose of the movement and the remate. The lack of clear intentions in dance can cause a choreography hum which makes it difficult for the spectator to grasp the events taking place onstage. During the workshop, we will test a few techniques for improving the clarity of the movement’s intent without risking overdramatisation. We will learn a choreography composition in the style of Marinete, focusing on the rhythm and melody of the voice and the development of our own expressive language. With the help of rhythmic percussion exercises and short choreographic variations, we will improve our awareness of the dance musicality and develop our own internal script. The workshop is intended for dancers with several years’ experience with flamenco who have a good grasp of the basics of the rhythmics, techniques and movement aesthetics.

“FLAMENCO MEETS CONTEMPORARY DANCE”
professional and semi-professional dancers
“…and always we are left with the rhythm…” said the famous Catalan choreographer Cesc Gelabert in conversation with Israel Galván and Marco de Ana when analysing the similarities and discrepancies between contemporary dance and flamenco. Each of the dance forms is powered by a different “engine,” uses a different type of contact between the body and the floor, even the air, though such questions weren’t even the subject of the debate. The question arose from the simplest among dance foundations—the one dealing in free movement in time and space, the simplicity of transitioning from point A to point B, the filling of space with the varying energy of purpose. In the journey through various types of movement and interpretation, rhythm is a great ally of both dance forms. It is a dependable and precise companion that helps us emphasise the movement and create the dramaturgy of sequences, without abusing excessive expressiveness. In a single type of movement, rhythm creates images or perceptions in a spectator’s mind and gives rise to very specific emotions. The workshop will focus on the awareness of the support provided by the rhythmic of flamenco and the way a dancer continues to breathe, pulse and chew the rhythm even in silence or stillness. In a week’s worth of workshops, Marco de Ana will help us explore various rhythmics and their characteristics. Aside from dancers of contemporary dance, the workshop welcomes all performers wishing to learn about the motive language of flamenco and its connection to rhythm.

→ Applications for the workshop for professional and semi-professional dancers require a short CV.

“PERCUSSION FOR DANCERS WITH CARLOS RONDA”
universal level
Flamenco is one of the most exquisite musical expressions in the world. When speaking of flamenco, we are not only referring to a particular geographical space or region, but also a way of life and the perception of music. It is a completely different language, way of experimenting, exchanging and collaborating in an artistic form that is in pursuit of its own perfection through time. Compás is its rhythmic core and it enables a communicative structure where the stamps of the shoes and the clapping play a crucial role.
The instrument cajón is one of the most frequently used percussion instruments in flamenco today. Due to its characteristics, it contributed to the development of style and enriched compás. The percussion workshop is intended for dancers and other participants who wish to improve their understanding of the rhythmic characteristics of flamenco and learn the basic techniques of percussion ?.

LOCATION
Španski borci, Zaloška cesta 61, 1110 Ljubljana → Lokacija na zemljevidu

APPLICATION
Applications can be submitted via e-mail ([email protected]). You will be sent an invoice for the registration fee which will guarantee a spot on the chosen workshop.

All attendees will receive a 15% discount when applying to the following set of workshops in the Research Cycles:

• Limitless expression: Sara Šoukal, Sara Janašković and Kristýna Šajtošová, August 2–5, 2021

• FusionARS: Žigan Krajnčan, September 23–26, 2021

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