6 sessions (for Graham current or future teachers)
Key objectives include:
Content
Session 1 - with Christine Dakin
Learning lost sequences
Tuesday July 8, 14h-16h
Participants are invited to embody sequences from the Graham work that are rarely incorporated into current practice. Here we will have the chance to reflect and question whether this ‘lost’ vocabulary can and should be revived within the canon.
Session 2 - with Christopher Dolder
KINESIOLOGY 1 / OPPOSITION
Wednesday July 9, 14h-16h
The opposition of Graham is not just an aesthetic, it is an intrinsic way of using your opposing muscle groups for powerful action and stability.
Session 3 - with Christopher Dolder
KINESIOLOGY 2 / ROTATION
Friday July 11, 14h-16h
Truly understanding the muscle groups that create spiral/rotation.
Session 4 - with Christopher Dolder
KINESIOLOGY 3 / ILIOPSOAS
Saturday July 12 , 14h-16h
The iliopsoas muscle group is undereducated in most dancers and yet it is the key the majority of Graham’s vocabulary.
Session 5 - with Tamar Mielnik
Practice + Discussion: Artistry and Emotional Approach
Tuesday July 15 , 14h-16h
Tamara emphasizes artistic expression and an emotional approach in the Graham technique, transcending pure technicality. Her teaching integrates the use of imagery and encourages movement to emerge from the center, from an emotional core. She has been deeply influenced by her mentor, Bill Louther.
Bill Louther was a renowned dancer with the Martha Graham Company and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In 1969, he moved to London, where he became a founding member of the London Contemporary Dance Theatre (LCDT), performing as a principal dancer and also teaching Graham technique at The Place, the company’s home. Additionally, he served as Artistic Director of the Batsheva Dance Company in Israel from 1972 to 1974.
Session 6 - with Tamara Mielnik
Practice + Discussion: Enhancing Organic Movement and Adapting to Students’ Profiles
Wednesday July 16 , 14h-16h
Tamara emphasizes the importance of elongating with the contraction, rather than shortening the movement. She incorporates the Alexander Technique to improve the use of muscles in a more elastic and efficient way.
Tamara believes in teaching as a guiding process, not an imposition. She draws inspiration from European pedagogues such as Piaget, Decroly, Pestalozzi, and Montessori (18th Century to early 20th).
Tamara avoids a purist mindset, believing each technique is grounded in fundamental principles. However, these rules or laws are not prisons; they should provide a framework for freedom.