International teachers to give master classes

Last edited: February 05, 2010

Posted by Business and Arts South Africa

This year at the FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 there will be two unique workshops in creativity and contemporary dance given by two international teachers.

The first workshop will run from March 1 - 5 and will be facilitated by teacher/dancer/choreographer Nigel Charnock, who together with Lloyd Newson created the renowned company DV8.

Charnock leads workshops for dancers and actors which blend his over twenty years teaching experience with a passionate sense of the ‘now’. He creates an open, free, yet challenging space where people are stimulated and inspired to free their body and their voice. Anything and everything can happen. The first hour is a fun, energetic warm up - very physical, loud music. This is usually followed by simple movement 'tasks' which engender physical and emotional release. When body and voice are open and released structured improvisation is used to develop a sense of freedom and fearless abandonment. Charnock has been brought to South Africa by the British Council.

The second workshop is from March 8-13 and will be facilitated by Dana Ruttenberg, an Israeli born dancer and choreographer who graduated from The Bat-Dor School of Dance and the Thelma Yelin High-school for Performing Arts. She holds a B.A. in Dance from Columbia University, Magna Cum Laude. As artistic director of her NY based dance troupe, The Red Hill Project, she has created works that showcased at various venues, including Dancenow/NYC, Joyce Soho, Mulberry Theater's Newsteps Festival, University Settlement, Minor Latham Playhouse, White Wave, and Toronto Fringe Festival, among others.

Since her return to Israel two years ago, she has been teaching, giving workshops and choreographing for the Batsheva Dance Ensemble, OtherDance Festival, IntimaDance Festival, and Dance Arena festival, to name a few. Most recently Ruttenberg created the works "Kontrapunkt" and "Please Do Not Feed The Dancers" for Hazira Theater in Jerusalem. She continues to create choreography for various theatre productions throughout Israel, and participate in festivals and competitions in Israel and abroad. She teaches and gives workshops regularly. Danna Ruttenberg has been brought to South Africa by the National Arts Council and Tararam.

Anyone interested in taking part in the workshops must please call Jennifer at 011 492 2033.

The FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 will run from 27 February to 14 March 2010 with performances at various Johannesburg theatres: the Wits Theatre complex in Braamfontein, the UJ Centre for the Arts in Auckland Park and The Dance Factory, The Market Theatre and the Barney Simon Theatre in Newtown.

The FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 has been made possible with assistance from First National Bank and the National Arts Council. Other partners include The Market Theatre; The French Institute of South Africa; the French Embassy in South Africa, Culturesfrance; Business and Arts South Africa; The Goethe-Institute of Johannesburg; The British Council; and Media partners: Citizen CitiVibe, ClassicFeel Magazine and Artslink.co.za.

Tickets for the FNB Dance Umbrella are available at the door or can be booked at Computicket - 083 915 8000 and prices range from R60 to R100. Concessions/block bookings and subscription tickets are available.

Booking opens in February 2010.

For further information contact 011 492 0709/ 2033 or click .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to send an e-mail. The FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 hot-line for updates and programme schedules is 072 703 9332. For more information please click here.