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Master Class: Christina Mertzani OBS! Atalante
12 September, 2023 kl. 12:00 – 13:30

Partnering: It is exciting to dance with other people. In this workshop we will explore ways to improve our corporeal awareness in connection with a partner. The workshop starts with a good warm up of all the joints and the muscles of our body and with exercises to get familiar with our dance partner. Getting familiar with the body of our partner is essential in order to be able later to trust our weight, ourselves in the hands of another person. Strengthening is essential for partnering. The class progresses with simple exercises of receiving weight and moving as a couple or small groups to more complex acrobatic exercises that lead gradually to the final partnering combination of the class. At the same time, with proposals on sensations, feelings, images and movement qualities you will be invited to discover and augment your personal way of movement. With the findings of your research we will set structured phrases, which will encourage your unique way of dancing.
https://christinamertzani.com/partnering/
Bio: A choreographer, dancer and teacher, Christina Mertzani graduated from Athens State School of Dance in Greece, in 2004, and holds a degree in Homeopathy by Akadimia of Ancient Greek and Traditional Chinese Medicine. As a performer, Christina has worked with Johannes Wieland (Germany), Stella Zannou (Greece), Peter Vosperton (New Zealand), Kostandin Mixos (Greece), Helder Seabra (Belgium), Kat Valastur (Germany), Apostolia Papadamaki (Greece) and among others, as well as performed choreographies by Wim Vandekeybus, Mark Morris and Martha Graham. Christina has presented her creations Metamorfosis, Inside, Athenian house, Mix-up, Cube, Alternative Bodies, Stheno, Run Away, Minotaur, Beyond Illusion and video dance works Entanglement, Reborn Temptation and 60 Pulses in more than 30 countries around the world.
In the past 19 years, she has been teaching and choreographing around the world for different companies, universities, state theaters, festivals and studios for professional dancers. Some of the places she has collaborated are Sasha Waltz & Guests, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Beijing Dance Academy, Tainan University of Technology, b12 festival, one small step festival, Cie.Toula Limnaios, Marameo, Staatstheater Osnabrück, Landesbühnen Sachsen, Staatstheater Kassel, Staatstheater Heidelberg, Tanzbüro Basel, Staatstheater St. Gallen, Staatstheater Bern, Nachschub, HJS Profitraining Amsterdam, SOZO visions in motion, Landestheater Linz, Anton Bruckner University, Staatstheater Bielefeld, Staatstheater Braunschweig, AKBANK Sanat Istanbul and many more. She served as a faculty member of Anton Bruckner University in Linz, Austria for two years (2017-2018). Christina co-directed with Evangelos Poulinas for 9 years (2010-2018) the International Contemporary Dance Festival in Corfu, Greece, One Small Step.
Photo: Nynke Bradsma