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workshops

Workshops are intended primarily for dance professionals, advanced dance students, and actors with a solid background in movement.  The workshop schedule varies according to demand from one day to three weeks, or can be spread out over the space of several months in the form of an ongoing instruction schedule of 3 to 6 hours per week.  The classes are given by Marie-Claude Rodrigue, they can be in French, English or Spanish. Studio Fragments Libres also offers classes on a regular basis – please consult the Schedules and Rates page for more information.

Workshops offered are:

Contemporary dance class
Memory of Breath
GyroTao
Partner work
Ritual creation
Choreographic workshop

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Technical Class (duration : 2 hours) Dance training is in constant evolution and the different techniques developed over the last decades approach differently the dividing up of the body and the mind.   The approach adopted here draws therefore on a mix of different influences and philosophies based around simple concepts but always in the process of being redefined. First is the role of the breath as the inner engine of dance.  We look at how to transform the breath, this accidental action, into an inexhaustible energy source and to attune it to the expectations required of it for a given choreography.

Next is the sensation of groundedness of both the body and the spirit, allowing an opening up and out.  This theory has been hackneyed over the years but nonetheless remains vital.  The roots of the dancer are also, and this most importantly, his or her liberty as a performer.  We look at how to ground the mind in the body center and allow the quiet power that will ensue to inspire an eruption of the creative force. 
All of the above takes place in a class structure that includes floorwork, a deep warmup reaching into the center and sequences challenging the dancers to make artistic choices concerning musicality, physical intentions, and interpretation - the building blocks of stage work.

In an atmosphere of personal accomplishment but also self-empathy, the artists are encouraged to discover their limits and to transform them into a springboard from which to dive back into themselves, to work at becoming who they really are and to let their inspiration flow through an uninhibited, fluid and attuned body/spirit.

The Technical Classes provide a climate both rigourous and playful, engaged yet unrestrained, the simple love of movement underneath it all.

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The Memory of Breath (Taoist energy work) The « Memory of Breath » is an approach aimed at integrating into our sphere of daily activities some fundamental principles of Chinese traditional medicine (cycle of the 5 elements), of Qi Gong (conscious breathing/movement), of Tai Chi (channeling of the chi), of Tao Yin (stretching of the meridians), of meditation (internal alchemy) and of Taoist philosophy. Its creator, Marie-Claude Rodrigue, has developed over the past ten years a teaching method based on action through letting go, offering concrete, subtle and powerful tools to restore freedom and harmony to the body and the spirit.

illus. Kha

The « Memory of Breath » is a holistic approach for harmonizing the inner forces that will lead us to an intimate relationship with our physical, energetic, emotional and spiritual bodies, in order to cultivate the art of self healing.

The practices are carefully chosen among various teachings and come from Masters Mantak Chia (Universal Tao System) and Yves Requena (Institut Européen de Qi Gong), among others. The Memory of Breath includes the following practices :Iron Shirt Chi Kung, Tai Chi Chi Kung, Meditation (six healing sounds, microcosmic orbit…), Tao Yin (Taoist yoga),Self massage, Stretching of the meridians, Wu Dang Qi Gong.

The exercises bring about relaxation, vitality and concentration.  They help reduce stress, reinforce the immune system and balance the functions of the organs and glands.

The spiralling, undulating and twisting motions of the spine are made in synchronisation with breathing patterns in order to improve the efficiency of the nervous and cardio-vascular systems. The slow, fluid and conscious movements induc an opening of the joints and the strengthening of tendons and ligaments.

The work with breathing opens up new fields of perception.  It sharpens our sensory acuity and gradually leads to the release of chronic physical, emotional and mental tensions which prevent the free circulation of vital energy (chi).

The breathing, sounds, meditations along with explanatory reading prepare the body and spirit to receive the energy of each season.  This allows us to better tune ourselves to the rhythms and cycles of Nature in accordance with the laws of the cosmos. Emphasis is put on the alignment of the bone and organ structure around the centre of gravity (Tan Tien) to recover a natural verticality that promotes the free circulation of the telluric, cosmic and universal energies within. When intent and breath are poised along the sky-earth axis, the heart opens, the spirit stills and wisdom emerges.

In the midst of this constant search for equilibrium arises the interior ‘letting go’ that grants space to the breath and gradually frees us from grief, from old physical and psychic patterns of reactivity, from postures and attitudes of escapism caused by inner struggles. By fully assuming this new awakened state of alert stillness, the quality of our presence improves, our vibrational frequencies increase, our power for self healing grows and our spiritual potential becomes rooted in the present moment.

The Memory of Breath takes us along a gentle process of purification that promotes balance between Yin and Yang and supports the Self through the successive transformations that are intrinsic to any expansion of consciousness.

It is by being profoundly rooted in the body that we are ready for complete openness, receptive to all energies.

It is through a direct sensation of the inner energy field that a profound and durable transformation can happen.

To find inner silence, to land, to breathe, to feel, to become centered and transformed.
           
The Memory of Breath includes the following practices :
Iron Shirt Chi Kung
Tai Chi Chi Kung
Meditation (six healing sounds, microcosmic orbit…)
Tao Yin (Taoist yoga)
Self massage
Stretching of the meridians
Wu Dang Qi Gong

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GyroTao GyroTao is a method of training and neuromuscular reeducation based on the fundamental principles of Qi Gong and Gyrokinesis™. (www.universal-tao.com, www.gyrotonic.com) Its creator, Marie-Claude Rodrigue, has devoted herself since 2001 to the elaboration of a series of subtle yet powerful exercises aimed at restoring freedom, integrity and harmony in the physical and energetic bodies. GyroTao is designed to make muscles, tendons and ligaments stronger and more supple.

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Emphasis is put on the opening of the joints and the alignment of the bone structure, allowing movements to be deployed more gracefully in all dimensions from a firm and open centre. The work with breathing unravels tensions that impair the free flow of energies and brings consciousness to new sensory spaces.
The essence of GyroTao is the fluidity of movement.  The postures follow harmoniously from one to the other, like a dance set to the rhythm of one’s breathing.

The spiralling, undulating and twisting motions of the spine are made in synchronisation with breathing patterns in order to revitalize the nervous and cardio-vascular systems.

The method also includes the stretching of the meridians, healing sounds corresponding to each organ, breathing work to anchor the spirit in the body, and self-massage.

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Partner Work (duration : 2 hours) Dance for two necessarily implies an encounter with the Other, a collision of bodies and ideas, the shock of finding yourself no longer alone.  Partner work is one of constant harmonization of who you are with who you have in front of you.   This workshop leads dancers toward the giving and receiving of weight, toward letting go (without losing themselves), and toward an opening up (without being invaded) - to dance together.

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Through exercises that favour exchange and communication, partner work is also developed by way of improvisation, lifting techniques and choreographic sequences drawing on concepts of coordination, breathing, and groundedness.
Dance for two is a metaphor of human relationships and our deep-seated desire to be touched, to attain the Other, and for the space of a heartbeat, to experience a symbiosis. 

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Improvisation and ritual creation workshop Duration : 2 hours Location : inside the installation for the show « Territoires Féminins, Women’s Territories » The workshop is directed to women of all ages. The workshop will explore the process for creating rituals through movement improvisation. It will take place within the installation created onstage for the show « Territoires Féminins ». We will work with the themes proposed in « Territoires Féminins » and use the props handled by the artist during the performance.

photo Catherine Valois

In an atmosphere of free exchange, the textual content of the piece will be explored, focusing on the subject of the feminine universe.

Participants will be introduced to energy work by experiencing first hand some simple Qi Gong exercises and sacred dance movements.  In turn, they will be invited to create their own danced ritual.

We will begin and end the session with a council typical of Native cultures.

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Choreographic workshop in the creative process The aim of the workshop is the exploration of the creative process in dance through improvisation, partner work and the use of texts.  We will also work with certain body movements that will serve as a starting point for transformation or adaptation by the participants/dancers.  The focus will be put on groundedness, connection with the center of gravity (tan tien), and the utilization of breathing.  Exercises will be aimed at developing skills in listening, group work and spontaneous creation.

photo Roline Laporte

Workshops usually happen in the presence of a musician who interacts both physically and musically in the creative process.  The creative exploration reaches its final climax in the form of a public exercise presented at the end of the training placement. 

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Studio Fragments Libres also offers classes on a regular basis – please consult the Schedules and Rates page for more information.