Susan Marshall & Company- SUMAC Workshop at Barnard College

July 22-27 | 9:30am to 6:00pm Daily

Company teachers include Susan Marshall, Kristen Hollinsworth, Luke Miller, and Darrin Wright.

 

SUMAC- Systems for Understanding Movement and Choreography is a six-day intensive investigation of Susan Marshall & Company’s work and process, and an exploration of creative tools and performance skills for dancers and choreographers to create and work together collaboratively.

The purpose of this workshop is to empower dancers and choreographers with the time, space, support, and encouragement needed to work in ways which are new to them and which diverge from the traditional, non-collaborative model of the choreographer/dancer relationship. Participants will discover and practice ways for dancers and choreographers to come together as partners in the generation of work through their collective creative efforts.

 The curriculum of this workshop includes opportunities to learn, apply, and discuss choreographic practices, as well as one-on-one conference time with Susan Marshall and company members.

 

 A typical day at SUMAC:

 9:30- Company Demonstration and discussion with Susan Marshall

 10:45- Warm up with company members

 11:30- Tool Box Session

 1:15- Lunch

 2:00- Warm Up

 2:15- Choreographic Lab 1

 4:00- Choreographic Lab 2

 5:00- Showing- Labs 1 and 2

 

Lectures- Often, the day starts with a presentation made by Susan or a guest lecturer. The presentations provide a framework of ideas and demonstrations that lead participants into the day’s work. 

Tool Box Sessions- In Tool Box sessions, no distinction is made between dancers and choreographers. This is an opportunity to experience the challenges on both sides of the choreographic process. Participants are introduced to the collaborative improvisation and composition practices that Susan Marshall & Company uses on a regular basis to generate movement material, partnering, and choreographic structures. Tool Box sessions give all participants a shared experience and shared vocabulary that they can bring into their Choreographic Work Sessions later.

Choreographic Laboratory Sessions- In these brief work sessions, choreographers are paired with groups of dancers to put concepts introduced in the Tool Box Sessions into action. Over the course of the week, each choreographer gets the chance to work with each dancer, and vice versa. Company members join in by observing the process of generating, shaping, and editing, and offer their feedback.

Showings- After the Choreographic Work Sessions, all participants come together and share what they developed that day. The entire group enters into dialogue centered around the day’s work and its challenges.

Performance Workshops- An exploration of strategies and practices that dancers can use to push beyond their comfort zone as performers and contribute to a collaborative rehearsal process.

 For more information visit www.sumac.org/sumac, or email sumac@sumac.org

The application for this year's SUMAC workshop is available at http://www.sumac.org/sumac/2013-sumac-application/