Masterclass: Dance

Saturday 29 – Sunday 30 March
11.00am – 4.00pm

A two-day masterclass led by Nissa Nishikawa, focusing on the physical training of the mind and body, enhancing awareness, sensitivity and concentration. A series of exercises will be introduced to embody and exchange energy, engaging the immaterial as well as observations of nature and the limits of the body in relation to its environment. The workshop focuses on heightening the senses and opening the body to new gestures. Movement and improvisation will be explored from a grounding in Eastern dance practice, including waking, breathing, body-mind awareness and responsiveness to the environment. There will be periods of working outdoors.

This new masterclass is inspired by the creative possibilities of staging and dance in Silke Otto-Knapp’s paintings, in particular the recurrent motif of Anna Halprin’s outdoor deck. It was on this legendary stage she conducted a series of workshops, 'Experiments in the Environment', which opened up new spatial relationships whereby performers were enveloped in the natural sounds and light conditions, allowing the body to respond directly to the forces of nature.

Nissa Nishikawa is an artist born in Medicine Hat, Alberta and based in London, UK. Nishikawa spent her childhood in Yamanashi, Japan and formative years in the same region training with the organisation Dance Resources on Earth. She has studied Fine Arts at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Stage Arts at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London and holds an MA in Performance from Goldsmiths College. Nishikawa's work has been shown internationally in theatres, museums, galleries, fields, forests and film.

£60 for two days, with a break for lunch each day.

No previous dance training necessary. Spaces limited to 15 attendees.