Class Descriptions

A Contemporary Classic /M. Gorboulev- Ballet helps to develop and maintain posture, beautifully shaped muscles and lines, coordination, stamina, and musicality - all of which are essential for the Contemporary (Modern) dancer.  Every contemporary and modern choreography involves ballet steps - plié before any jump, a la seconde, saute, pirouette and many others.
This class will be taught as a foundation to efficient execution of contemporary dance vocabulary and will be divided into three parts, barre (45min.), center (25-30 min.) and jumps (15-20 min.) The combinations will be simple to enable repeating to become comfortable with them.  The class will focus a good deal on crossing the leg front and back through out the class, being on the toes of the supporting foot, softening elbows and hands, stretching knees, and of course pointing feet. Although musical execution of the steps is very important in my combinations, we will rarely mark with music. I make an effort to address each student particular needs in the class and although an imperfectly performed combination is not the end of the world, it is important to work seriously on the given steps.

Master Class with Donald Byrd

Mr. Byrd's aesthetics emphasize a relaxed, strong, and flexible torso with sharp and highly articulated feet and legs. The technique portion of the workshop is designed to enhance this usage of the body, as well as increase rhythmic and spatial exactness. With this focus on accuracy, the dancer becomes more efficient and effective in the management of energy and more able to control the visual, emotional, and physical impact of their body moving. A characteristic of Donald Byrd's choreography is its speed and abundance of movement information. The repertory session is structured to allow the dancer, by learning existing works or through compositional process, to gain skills and experience managing these demanding elements.

Contact meets Contemporary: Partnering with all parts / C.Khambatta - This workshop, which Mr. Khambatta will teach throughout Europe this summer, will integrate Contact Improvisation (CI) with elements of traditional partnering to create new and underutilized pathways in the body-to-body dialogue that are still intuitive and instinctual. In the CI realm, the workshop will focus on decentralized use of anatomic structural elements of the body to create more highly articulated, subtle and expanded surface awareness and multi-sensorial tracking. In the contemporary dance lexicon, we will address more traditional dance aspects by emphasizing recognition of inner emotive sensations as we explore extension, line, awareness of body shape, weight support patterns and inter-body architecture. And finally we will source from both to examine a palette of different ways of creating, crafting and experiencing a movement dialogue with a partner.

East to West / M. Misumi - This class will introduce students to Ms. Misumi's contemporary dance technique, which explores alternative characterizations of line, rhythm, and movement on stage through traditional and modern Japanese dance elements as well as ballet fundamentals.  After beginning with a contemporary warmup, the class will cover Butoh-inspired floorwork, the "Nanba" method of walking, and "taking MA" - developing on-stage  rhythm based on moments of tension between dynamism and stillness.   Students will work with contrast between Western and Eastern body aesthetics and ways organizing movement, developing unique expressions of the fundamental techniques of both.

Mapping Out Dance Experiences / J. Morand/E.Meyer - The class combines diverse dance and body techniques, such as release, floor work, pilates, improvisation and contact. Exploring the different focus and resonance of these disciplines, we can discover unexpected and interactive link between all techniques. We will consider the space in the back, above, below and in front - both external and internal experiences of it, as a way to facilitate an agile and playful approach to the many choices we encounter in our dancing. A better relation between motion and emotion can be established, helping us to find a more organic working awareness and understanding of our body’s abilities. First we will start with a floor warm up, stretches and breathing exercises, move through more traditional structures (pliés, dégagés, leg swing, etc.) giving time to experience new movement qualities and work a choreographic sequence and cool down.

Pilobolus-style Partnering Technique / D. Thomas is a course that provides the fundamental skills for intermediate through advanced level partnering work.  Taught by veteran Pilobolus dance and teacher Darryl Thomas, students will develop skills to facilitate duet, trio and quartet partnering interactions by utilizing non-traditional partnering vocabulary and sequences.

Biographies

Oleg Gorboulev - Russia
Mr. Gorboulevreceived his ballet training from the National Ballet School of Uzbekistan. He was offered a job with Moscow Classical Ballet in Russia, touring with the company throughout Europe, the USA, and Asia. Curious to perform ballets of Western choreographers, Oleg came to the USA in 1995, to dance with Indianapolis Ballet Theatre. Later, he was invited to join Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) in Seattle, WA, where he reached soloist rank. While dancing with PNB, Mr. Gorboulev was featured in works of American choreographers such as George Balanchine, Kent Stowell, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Val Caniparoli, Eugene Loring, Glen Tetley, Paul Taylor, Nicolo Fonte, as well as in works by European choreographers such as Rudi van Dantzig, Hans van Manen, and Ronald Hynd.. and was chosen to participate in the Hayden Seattle Project of the George Balanchine Foundation in 2000.

Cyrus Khambatta - USA (Seattle)
Artistic Director - Khambatta Dance (formerly Phffft! Dance Company) He studied at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts before creating his own international touring company. His works have been presented in twelve US states, throughout Europe, Russia and Latin America. In 2003, his choreographic work received California’s Daman New Choreography Award and in 2004 he was chosen for The National Dance Project/New England Foundation for the Arts Regional Dance Development Initiative. He is also the Director of Beyond the Threshold Seattle International Dance Festival.

Maika Misumi - Japan
Early training in contemporary ballet under Hiroshi Ono and Kyoko Wainai, and in classical ballet under Chieko Kishi in Tokyo. Studied classical ballet in Tokyo, and during a subsequent year abroad in Moscow with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. In 1997, studied in New York at the Joffrey Ballet School and presented her own work at Dance Theater Workshop. She founded maika misumi movement troupe in 2005 and is currently the artist in residence at the Kyoto Arts Center in Japan. She was the guest artist alongside the percussion/taiko group GANNA for a 3-city Japanese tour and works with CTB Studio in Kyoto to bring American artists to Japan for yearly performances.In 2009, began choreographing for the Japanese musician Salyu, and joined Megumi Nakamura's (formerly of Netherlands Dans Theater) company, Dance Sanga. Currently teaching contemporary dance and developing choreography.

Jasmine Morand - Swit zerland
Choreographer & Artistic Director, Prototype Status Co. Jasmine studied at the Ballet School of Genevieve Chaussat in Geneva and the Academy Princess Grace of Monaco. In 2000, she received a two-year grant from the Pierino Ambrosoli Foundation to develop her own choreographic work. In 2003, she established her company, Prototype Status, in Vevey, Switzerland. Her work has been presented in Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Denmark.

Elina Müller Meyer - Switzerland
She received her dance education at the Schweizerische Ballettberufsschule Zürich, the Ballettschule der Hamburgischen Staatsoper (J. Neumeier) in Germany,
and at the Rotterdam Dance Academy in the Netherlands.

Since 1997 as a freelance artist, she has worked with companies such as Kompanie Mafald (Switzerland), Pablo Ventura (Switzerland), Déja Donné (Italy) and others.
She has also been a full member of The Meekers (the Netherlands), the Deutsche Tanzkompanie (Germany), and the Lucerne Theater (Switzerland – under the direction of Verena Weiss).

Elina has been a regular work partner of Jasmine Morand’s Cie Protoype Status since 2008, and has featured in the company’s works “Aquarium,” “Frozen,“ and “Caso & Caos”. The Swiss regional government has awarded her several prizes, both for her own career and contributions and for her work with video artist Irene Weingartner.

Darryl Thomas - USA (Eugene, OR)
Associate Professor of Dance, Western Oregon University Darryl was a former dancer and artistic collaborator in the world renowned Pilobolus Dance Theatre has performed and choreographed in a multitude of nations including England, Japan, Korea, and the United States. He received his Masters of Fine Arts in performance and choreography from the University of Hawaii, where he received the Hawaii State Dance Council Award for choreography in 1993.