Dance classes

Classes in the School 

I have developed a variety of movement and dance classes for students across different school levels, from Year 1 to Year 11. These classes are designed to cater to the diverse environments and needs found in the various types of schools across Germany. Below, you will find some examples of these classes and the unique approaches I’ve taken to engage students in different settings.

Report from the Workshop with Year 5 at Christoph Scheiner Gymnasium

In my workshop with Year 5 at Christoph Scheiner Gymnasium, I focused on refining the students’ spatial awareness, understanding of body weight, and the weight distribution of individual body parts.

Through exploring these areas, we developed unique movement patterns, which evolved into various dance creations, both in groups and individually. These moments of improvisation within the workshop led to a new sense of group organisation and dynamics that the children had not experienced before. They had to dynamically organise themselves, divide roles, follow, lead, demonstrate, and participate actively to complete the tasks.

The hall was divided into several smaller (imaginary) spaces. Each of these imaginary spaces was assigned to a group, and each group, in turn, created their own space using their explored movements (rhythm, forms, dynamics of movement, and story).

Despite working with a group of around 30 children, the work developed very cohesively, and I believe we successfully concluded the five instructional hours. It was a pleasure to lead this workshop.

Classes for Years 3 and 4 at the Montessori School

How Much Air Is Inside Me?  

Examples of Exercises and Games:

   – Play with balloons by inflating and letting them fly.

   – Engage in ping-pong ball blowing races.

   – Make sounds with the mouth.

   – Experiment with the didgeridoo.

   – Hold feathers in the air.

   – Play with soap bubbles.

   – Discuss how air moves in and out of the body.

   – Practice speaking, singing, shouting, blowing, and holding your breath.

   – Use tools such as balloons, air pumps, syringes, plastic tubes, and bags to observe air movement.

   – Measure air volume using a balloon on a toy car.

  – Use various materials to build structures that mimic the path of air.

– Take a walk around the school grounds to observe natural air movements or analyze video clips.

   – Identify and replicate these movement patterns in the classroom using large cloths and group dynamics.

   – Explore the relationship between movement patterns like “expansion and contraction” and breathing.

– Create and perform stories using the recognized and practiced movements, such as a dragon that breathes fire, a wolf that blows down a house, or a whirlwind that transports children to another world.

Discovering democracy through the body

Yes, you can move… And, yes, you can move not. I want to create free space. First of all, having the courage to make a decision is already a big step for each of us. To develop the awareness that each of my actions, whether passive or active, whether a decision or an action, is a statement. As soon as I perceive myself as a human being, I realize that I am part of the whole. Whether it is my racional will or not. So, we make waves. ————————— Perceive it. ———————- We go with the wave ————————– We go against the wave ——————- We create new waves INITIATIVE Take your own initiative. Develop the courage to follow something. Develop the courage to deny it. But before I think about initiative. Something has to be set in motion in me to desire a change. And first I have to realize that I need a change and that I can take a different path. And to truly be able to do that, I need to get to know my needs. And to do that, I prefer to start with myself. First of all, I get to know myself. My body and its limits and vastness. My space and where and how I fill myself up. Then I can look to the side and see/recognize the space of my fellow human beings and their boundaries and vastness and perceive the body that is acting there. That means respecting at the same time. These are processes that are inherent to us humans. When we feel, perceive, observe, consciously take, we don’t need any rules, restrictions or even order created from the outside. It stands by itself through conscious action. And for me, that is democracy. People have space to come into contact with their intuition and to move and be moved by it. The exercises follow these aspects and create a new structure for the children in their interaction with each other and with their environment.

Dance Projects

Project Overview

“Per-Form!es,” a Dance-Action-Theater inclusion project, was initiated by the foundation “Jugend Fragt e.V.” in collaboration with the city of Ingolstadt. Funded and launched in October 2014, the project spanned nearly two years, concluding in July 2016. The initiative aimed to provide a continuous creative outlet for young people in and around Ingolstadt, blending creativity with social, political, and spiritual engagement.

Year One: Public Dance Interventions

In its first year, “Per-Form!es” focused on dance interventions in public spaces across Ingolstadt. The goal was to connect youth with the city’s cultural life, increase their awareness of their surroundings, and foster interaction across different social spheres. The project included site-specific performances in various locations, such as the Old Donaukurier Building, Café Tagtraum, and the Museum for Concrete Art.

Key activities included:

– Dance interventions in public spaces.

– A 4-hour site-specific performance at the Museum for Concrete Art.

– A self-defense and bodywork workshop by Gong-Fu Master Raphael Hug from Berlin.

– Visits to cultural sites, including the “Tower of Senses” Museum in Nuremberg and the “Pinakothek der Moderne” in Munich.

The year culminated in a collaborative performance with a group of seniors from AWO’s assisted living communities, set against the backdrop of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”

Year Two: Exploring Themes of Constraint and Freedom

The second phase of “Per-Form!es,” running from October 2015 to July 2016, invited participants to explore the themes of “Constraint and Freedom; Sleep and Awakening.” The program featured visits to dance performances and art galleries, as well as participation in the “Impro Without Borders” event, organized by the G’scheiterhaufen improvisation theater group.

Highlights included:

– Performances in Augsburg, Nuremberg, and Eichstätt.

– A collaborative dance-action improvisation with G’scheiterhaufen.

– A 20-minute choreographed performance showcased at the Schul.The.val Festival at Theater Ingolstadt and the Farblos Festival at Kulturbastei.

The project concluded with an invitation to open the “Youth Culture Summer”/ Jugend Kultur Sommer at Theater Ingolstadt. These intense and meaningful experiences were invaluable to both the participants and myself as the artistic director.

Acknowledgments:

Heartfelt thanks to Stiftung Jugend Fragt and all those who contributed to making “Per-Form!es” a reality.

This summary is designed for the website of the artistic director, highlighting the essence and impact of the “Per-Form!es” project.