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Gaga/dancers + Choreographic Practice

Shamel Pitts

Gaga classes are predicated on a deep listening to the body and to physical sensations. The instructions are deployed to increase awareness of and further amplify sensation, and rather than turning from one prompt to another, information is layered, building into a multisensory, physically challenging experience.

Gaga/dancers deepens dancers’ awareness of physical sensations, expands their palette of available movement options, enhances their ability to modulate their energy and engage their explosive power, and enriches their movement quality with a wide range of textures. The classes are built on the same principles as Gaga/people classes but also employ the specific vocabulary and skills that are part and parcel of a dancer’s knowledge. The layering of familiar skills with Gaga tasks presents dancers with fresh challenges, and throughout the class, teachers prompt the dancers to visit more unfamiliar places and ways of moving as well, unlocking the endlessness of possibilities. Dancers are guided to connect their effort to pleasure and to discover the virtue of silliness.”

Following the 75 minutes Gaga/dancers class, The In Practice session will focus on developing physical proficiency, expressive range, and stylistic clarity based on choreographic prompts. We will physically examine choreographic concepts such as embodied movement sources, aliveness within stillness, dynamics, range of speed & rhythm, emphasizing efficiency in motion while incorporating the power of visualization to discover qualities of movement that construct the form and expression of dance. 

Photo by Delaney Greengerg

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