How to combine Summer Course and Holiday fun: 5 Intensives nailing it
by Lucie Le May
If you take it literally, summer intensives should be all about some intense, fulfilling but also exhausting days of training: a chance to explore other opportunities, be it working with well-known dance teachers or discovering different techniques. However, for most people summer involves a time out, a moment of the year to relax, travel and refresh one’s mind.
If you don’t have much free time this summer, it might be difficult to decide which course to take. Maybe it is time to rethink summer intensives, get off the beaten path and check out alternative options. Some of these, maybe not as well-known and definitely less crowded, offer good training but are also taking place in heavenly corners of the globe, nearby beautiful beaches and historical landmarks.
Ideal to fulfill both your dancing and touristic aspirations, here is a summary of workshops opening a space for experimentation, crossing techniques, encouraging happy encounters and summer fun.
1- ”one small step festival”
“The city is a stage. Its buildings, its streets, its squares and its people perform in it”. *
With one small step festival, you get to perform in a very unique setting: the beautiful town of Corfu, Greece. North-west of the Ionian sea, the city has remains from the Venetian, British and French occupation: medieval castles, meandering streets and Venetian fortresses. Not forgetting the rest of the island and its beautiful landscapes, featuring both mountains and beaches.
The festival was established in 2010 by “free fall”, under the artistic direction of Christina Mertzani and Evangelos Poulinas: aiming to educate Corfu’s people to contemporary dance. The festival is now reaching a wider, international audience.
By taking part in the festival, you can participate in performance projects, movement research and master classes. The teachers are international pedagogues and choreographers with a background in physical theatre companies such as Batsheva dance company, Wim Vandekeybus, Hofesh Shechter to name a few. The program lasts two weeks, and you can apply for whatever project or workshop you would like to be part of, and even sign up just a day in advance. The philosophy of the event: Dance should be accessible to everyone. To support that idea, the festival includes free of charge performances but also contemporary technique workshops for both professional and non-professional dancers. Plus, a trip to Glyfada beach is organized on your day off. You can get your mind off dancing and try out outdoors activities such as diving from the cliffs, skimboarding or aerial acrobatics games.
one small step festival, 23rd of July to 4th of August 2018.
Further information: www.enamikrovima.eu
https://www.facebook.com/onesmallstepdance/
2- 17th Dance Hybrid Malta 2018
Dance Hybrid Malta is a six day intensive, consisting of masterclasses and choreographic collaboration. It ends with an informal presentation of the works created and some class demonstration. It is taking place in San Gwann, on the North-Eastern part of Malta. The island of the Mediterranean archipelago features varied and stunning landscapes; cliffs, garrigue, lush valleys; and is also often seen as a vast open-air museum for its prehistoric landmarks.
The full course includes a two hour morning class and three hours of choreographic class after lunch. It is a unique opportunity to work with Kerry Nicholls, who is widely known as one of Britain’s leading contemporary dance teacher: She is regularly invited as a guest teacher for DV8, Wayne Mcgregor, Random Dance Company. Her class uses the foundations of Limon and release based techniques. It is a fast paced, energetic and athletic class, accompanied by Nicholls’s music collaborator Christopher Benstead.
The course is taking place from the 9th to the 14th of July, and since Malta enjoys a rich cultural life during the summer, I would recommend that you check out events and festivals before going.
Further information: www.dancehybridmalta.com
www.visitmalta.com
3- Dance is in the Head Intensive week with Dunja Jocic
The Dance is in the Head Intensive Week is organized by the family business Yoga Zanshin Pula.
Dance performer and choreographer Dunja Jocic will teach repertoire work, and focus throughout the workshop on the connection between movement and thought. That’s an important thematic to her, and many of the works she created are an exploration of the human psyche.
Dunja is originally from former Yugoslavia where she started as a rhythmic gymnast. She then studied ballet and contemporary dance and worked for Hans van Manen, Emio Greco/PC, Ballet du Nord.
The program is specific to the extent that it’s all happening outdoors, in a natural park thirty meters away from the beach. It’s taking place just outside the city of Pula, which is known for its sparkling blue, green and turquoise sea. The Romans founded it as Istria’s main port back in 46BC, and the Italian and Central European influence remains in the delicious and affordable food.
Dance is in the Head Intensive Week, from 2nd to 8th of July 2018 in Pula, Croatia.
Practical Information: Yoga Zanshin Pula offers accommodation options and tips. A special price is planned for groups of five and + students.
Application and costs: http://yogazanshinpula.hr
4-Play-Fight Surfing Camp, Portugal
Play Fight Surfing Camp is arranged by FORMLESS ARTS, a collaborative space whose aim is to create bridges between all kinds of art forms. It was created by Bruno Caverna, an eclectic physical practitioner who trained since the age of eight in many disciplines such as capoeira, contact-improvisation, contemporary dance and Russian martial arts.
In keeping with the idea of combining different practices, the camp associates surf lessons and Play-Fight, an original form of training developed by Bruno Caverna himself. It is a self-empowering physical practice inspired from martial arts, while having common features with partner dance. The main focus is to learn how to preserve inner calm, following the principles of non-resistance and non-violence. The practice will take place in a beautiful outdoor space, while the daily surf lesson is happening in Ericeira, Europe’s only World Surfing Reserve. Described as a “surfing paradise”, Ericeira is located only 50 km away from Lisbon. It is a beloved destination in Portugal having a well-preserved cultural heritage blending with surfing culture. You can both walk along the charming fishing harbour and hang out in trendy bars.
Play-Fight Surfing Camp, from 10th to 17th of June 2018.
Practical Information: The camp is hosted by SURF YOGA PORTUGAL, which provides full surfing equipment, accommodation in hostels and three meals a day. Fun evenings activities are also planned. Transfers from and to Lisbon airport will be arranged twice a day.
Further information: Write to [email protected] or visit: Play-Fight Surfing Camp Portugal
5-International Dance Week BUDAPEST 2018
Last but not least, this intensive isn’t taking place by a beach, but in the vibrant Hungarian capital. Instead of lying on the sand, you can relax in one of Budapest’s multiple thermal baths after dance classes. Budapest is also a creative city, full of history and culture and famous for its nightlife and eccentric ruin bars.
Most importantly, this summer, from 25th of June to 6th of July, Budapest is hosting the International Dance Week. This young project aims to provide a creative platform, a place to share experiences and learn in a new way. It is organized by SUB.LAB collective, a dancetheater group whose members are artists from all over Europe.
The program includes six classes a day, but also performances and lectures. Classes are very diverse, which makes the intensive a good option for people who want to try a bit of everything : Natalia Iwaniec will be leading Gaga sessions, Eszter Gal will work on waking up your attention, Gyula Cserepes will focus on rhythm… Each class is focusing on a specific point that you were maybe not exposed to yet in your dance training.
And to finish the week in the best way, a gulash dinner will be taking place in the garden of the building as a farewell party.
Further information: idwbudapest.com
World traveller, deep thinker, writer. Interested in philosophy and social sciences.