2-day-research ZEN ACROBATICS with Tom Weksler at b12

TOM WEKSLER

when: 10th and 11th July 2017 / 5:45pm – 9:45pm

where: Berlin, Germany

ZEN ACROBATICS
each day of workshop will consist of 2 parts:

part 1 – warm-up

tom’s concept of warm-up is based on the mover’s need to tune into a clear and subtle quality before their practice and execution. the routine tom follows and teaches is inspired by concepts of chaya (shadow) yoga and particularly the “balakarma” series (stepping into strength), and other forms of soft martial arts. the warm-up routine emphasizes the opening of the darkest parts of our bodies – our legs, which are also the most distant from our eyes.

demanding postures alongside gentle flow with circular motions and spirals will be introduced in order to provide better awareness of the lower parts. the second principle tom wishes to unfold is preparations (or introduction) to low movement, while maintaining the gentle functions of the wrists and neck as tools for balance, sensing the space and organically digesting physical information – internal and external.

“the right art is purposeless, aimless. the more obstinately you try to learn how to shoot the arrow for the sake of hitting the goal, the less you will succeed in the one and the further the other will recede. what stands in your way is that you have a much too willful will. you think that what you do not do yourself does not happen.” – eugen herrigel-

part 2 – zen acrobatics

tom’s approach for acrobatics training has developed from the urge to look for freedom in movement. the main goal is to find a movement quality that supports simple actions like walking and running, as well as acrobatic feats without a difference in effort or muscular usage. in order to do this, tom searches for high levels of awareness and precision so the body can react quickly to the changes in skeletal stress, and to maintain flow without unnecessary tension.

in classical acrobatic disciplines – preparation, climax and landing are being treated as completely different aspects, while usually one is more important than the other. in “zen acrobatics” the practitioner aspires to transform all 3 stages into one motion that can ultimately connect to any other type of movement. sounds of take-offs and landings, placement of eye-focus and optimal breath for each element are all being covered aside from the anatomical instructions and basic conditioning.

the acrobatic training allows the mover to tune into a “mind-quality”, which is usually present only in extreme sports or full-contact sports. the mover becomes animalistic and functional, and while attempting complicated feats, he turns on “survival instincts”, which allow him to reflect on his movement from an entirely different point of view.

BIOGRAPHY
tom has been practicing martial arts and different forms of acrobatic disciplines from a young age. tom graduated in 2009 from “the workshop for dancers and choreographers in haifa”. since 2010, tom has been dancing with “inbal pinto and avshallom pollak dance company” and has performed with the company’s productions in many theaters and festivals around the world. in 2014, tom joined rootlessroot (jozef frucek and linda kapetnea) for the creation of the piece, “collective loss of memory” (produced by “dot504”) and still performs and tours with the piece in europe.

in 2014, tom created the duet “saru’ (with dancer and choreographer mayumu minakawa) at aurillac center for choreography and dance, which has been performed in japan and israel. tom’s movement workshops have taken place in dance schools, circus schools, dojos and professional companies in tel aviv, amsterdam, dublin, london, copenhagen, berlin, bratislava, milan, antwerp, boston, san francisco, new york, toronto, montreal, guadelajara, kyoto, tokyo and more.

for more information and further workshops please visit: www.b12.space

in order to apply send us an email at researchordie[at]b12.space with the workshops you would like to take and a short bio. you can also provide us with a video link and a short paragraph about your motivation for each workshop. no must. once received, we’ll follow up with a personalized email confirmation.

tags: europe, germany