Sabine Sonnenschein & Felix Ruckert:
Contact Improvisation based on Tantra
Photo:
(c) Regina Mierzwa
Retreat / Monday to Friday, October
4 to 8, 2010 / all day,
10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
(10 a.m. - 1 p.m. / 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. / 8 p.m. - 10 p.m.)
Sabine and Felix direct this retreat together. Sabine provides the Tantric and Felix focuses on the tools for Contact Improvisation.
Contact improvisation (ci) was developed in the US in
the 1970s. As a dance practice and social event CI has a deeply sensual
aspect where bodies find each other and come together. In classical ci
classes, this aspect is basically ignored. The idea of setting aside sensuality
and with it the erotic element, created a space for CI to develop, which
is important, but nevertheless based on fiction.
In this retreat, through tantric approach und techniques, CI becomes a
tantric practice and sensual dance experience in which space for love
energy is provided within a defined form. Love energy includes sexual
energies. That means: We'll learn techniques that enable us to sense love
energy, sexual energy in the body, to direct it consciously and to open
an exchange with a partner in a subtle and delicate way. Dances find their
form nourished by love energy. We'll experience how these dances take
shape among women, among men, and in a mixed group.
A deep tantric experience requires adequate time, space, and intensity,
which is why the workshop will be held as a retreat.
Kashmir tantrism says that everything is vibration.This retreat allows
dance to become a uniting with the world, a spiritual practice. Dance
is an expansion into the space, tantra is expansion; and of course more
than just etymologically: tan (Sanskrit) = to expand, tra (Sanskrit) =
to free. Dance meditation opens our bodies, we dance as if though in water,
internally fulfilled by the sensation of streaming in your organs. Here,
it is possible to experience an internal and external tenderness. Intense
emotions take place physically but dissolve again in time, if the body
is open.
Dancing we make love with the space or with a partner or several partners
as well as the space.
We sense the space between you and me, we experience ourselves sustained
by the space. You permit the awareness to experience you, the space, and
us. CI, as a tantric practice, means experiencing an "us," which
arises from a lack of intention, from improvization, and from the moment.
Based on breathing and physical exercises as well as
a ritual of touch we sense ourselves as well as each other and dance together.
We fine-tune our perception; we refine all of our senses in order to enter
into play with one another.
Belly breathing and its observation will be the initial issue for all
meditations, dances, and movements. I find a very deep connection to my
dance partner by concentrating on his or her breathing, which leads us
into a shared dance experience with and in one another. Is the impulse
initiating a movement a common one? There are impulses that lead us deeper
into each other and open spaces inwardly, and that that allow us to move
outwardly, expanding into the space.
We use our love energy in specific ways, and also classical CI techniques
to arrive at a spiritual dance practice.The sensual fusion of bodies and
sensual dances are sheltered and sustained by the group.
This retreat provides a safe space for personal
as well as group experiences. Most work will take place in mixed groups,
but there will also be women-only and men-only times. Personal limits
will be respected. All of the dances can be stopped at any time, if it
does not feel right.
Nakedness in dancing may be explored, here, too, personal borders will
be respected.
For everbody, who loves to dance and wants to refine his /her love energy
und perception. For participation some experience in a wholesome as well
as physical training is needed, like for example Tantra, CI, dance, dance
improvisation, Yoga, Tai Chi, martial arts etc.
None of the heteronormativity of classical Tantra!
Fees: 250 EURO
Information and registration: info@felixruckert.de
http://www.schwelle7.de/SabineSonnenschein.html
Sleeping: We
can host up workshop participants basic opportunities to stay overnight.
The cost is 10 EUR a night per person.
More... http://www.schwelle7.de/GAESTE.html
Schwelle 7
Uferstraße 6 HH 1. OG
13357 Berlin/Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 173 - 6118404
http://www.schwelle7.de
E-Mail: info@felixruckert.de
Traffic Link: U8 Pankstraße, U9 Osloer Straße, U9 Nauener Platz, SB Gesundbrunnen, SB Humboldthain, Bus M27 Brunnenplatz
http://maps.google.de/maps?daddr=13357+Berlin,+Uferstr+6
Sabine Sonnenschein
Foto: Robert Peres
(1970, AT) studied theatre science, philosophy
and history of art and has been a freelance choreographer and performer
since 1992. Her work has been shown, among other places, in Vienna (Tanzquartier
Wien, ImPuls Tanz, Tanzsprache, imagetanz,...), Munich, London, NYC, Stuttgart,
Prague, Pula, Berlin, and St.Petersburg.
She has been involved with sensitizing the body since 1990, and Contact
Improvisation since 1991. She has training in tantric full body massage
(AnandaWave/Cologne) and also lomi lomi nui.She was introduced to yin
yang massage by Andro, has studied pelvic massage by K. Ruby; intensified
her tantric experience at AnandaWave and SkyDancing (Munich), and has
been introduced to Kashmir tantrism and Kashmir yoga of touch by Daniel
Odier. In Vienna she has practiced tantric body work since 2006, primarily
individual work, www.tantrischekoerperarbeit.at
She gives workshops focusing on the fusion of Tantra and Contact Improvisation.
Teacher at ImpulsTanz in Vienna 2009 and in 2010 several times at Schwelle
7 in Berlin.
Felix Ruckert
is a dancer, choreographer, and conceptor.
His experimental dance pieces and installations, his participatory work,
but also his choreographies for ballet companies earned him an international
reputation as an innovative contemporary choreographers. Since 30 years
he is interested in all sort of body techniques. He studied ballet, modern
and contemporary dance, Improvisation, Feldenkrais, Yoga, Chi Kung Tantra,
Kyudo and much more. He worked as a dancer with several renowned european
companies, before concentrating on choreography and conceptual work. Since
ten years he is also involved in a practical and theoretical investigation
of BDSM and explores connections between BDSM techniques and artistic
practices, developing an art and philosophy of sensual communication.
He directs the performance space schwelle7 in Berlin and curates and organizes
- in collaboration with Caprice Dilba - the annual festival xplore. More
at: www.felixruckert.de
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kali Dances / Shiva Dances
Workshop by Sabine Sonnenschein
July 23rd-24th, 2010,
Schwelle
7, Berlin
There will be 2 workshop blocks of 90 minutes
each.
All workshops at the festival are meant
as impulse.
Photo: (c) Sabine Sonnenschein
In this workshop, we will
become the tantric divinities Kali/Shakti and Shiva in a dance meditation.
The goddess / god in us dances, and we experience vastness, expansion
into the space, whereby everyone carries in himself/herself the female
principle (Shakti; Sanskrit: sakti = energy, power) and the male principle
(Shiva; stands for animated awareness/Chit). With the goddess Kali (Sanskrit:
Kala = time) - she is a form of the Shakti - we dance time, transience,
transformation, life, and death in infinite space. When Kali and Shiva
join sexually, they combine the space-time with animated awareness. They
are an inseparable entity.
In dance meditation, a space of time for sensual, erotic encounter and
contact opens. This intercommunion is also based on the dance form Contact
Improvisation, which was developed in the US in the 1970s. Contact Improvisation
becomes a spiritual tantric practice. Let the divine in you dance, connect
with the space, and with others. Your sexual energy nourishes this dance;
let it flow in a controlled form. Belly breathing and its awareness are
the starting point and steady anchor of practice.
For everyone who wants to refine his/her sexual
energy and sensitize his/her awareness. Required is experience with Tantra
or Contact Improvisation, dance improvisation, Yoga, Tai Chi, martial
arts, or another form of holistic body training.
Information, registration:
xplore
- das Festival zur Kunst der Lust
http://www.xplore-berlin.de
Photos above: Contact Improvisation based on
Tantra, workshop/retreat with Sabine Sonnenschein, Schwelle 7, February
2010
Photos (c): Christian Lechner, Sabine Sonnenschein
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tantric Contact
Workshop by Sabine Sonnenschein
April, 30th to May, 2nd, 2010; workshop blocks of 2 hours each day
In the frame of
Touch
& Play Festival - exploring the human chemistry in Contact Improvisation
http://touchandplay.eu
More: http://www.tantrischekoerperarbeit.at/seminareengl.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contact Improvisation
based on Tantra
Retreat with Sabine Sonnenschein
Schwelle
7, Berlin
February, 15th - 19th, 2010
Contact improvisation (ci), as a dance practice
and social event has a deeply sensual aspect where bodies find each other
and come together. In classical ci classes, this aspect is basically ignored.
The idea of setting aside sensuality and with it the erotic element, created
a space for ci to develop, which is important, but nevertheless based
on fiction.
In this retreat, through tantric techniques, ci becomes a tantric practice and sensual dance experience in which space for sexual energy is provided within a defined form. That means: We'll learn techniques that enable us to sense sexual energy in the body, to direct it consciously and to open an exchange with a partner in a subtle and delicate way. Dances find their form in that we allow ourselves to be moved by sexual energy. We'll experience how these dances take shape among women, among men, and in a mixed group.
A deep tantric experience requires
adequate time, space, and intensity, which is why the workshop will be
held as a retreat.
Kashmir tantrism says that everything is vibration.This retreat allows
dance to become a uniting with the world, a spiritual practice. Dance
is an expansion into the space, tantra is expansion; and of course more
than just etymologically: tan (Sanskrit) = to expand
Based on breathing and physical
exercises as well as a ritual of touch we sense ourselves as well as each
other and dance together. We fine-tune our perception; we refine all of
our senses in order to enter into play with one another.
Belly breathing and its observation will be the initial issue for all
meditations, dances, and movements. I find a very deep connection to my
dance partner by concentrating on his or her breathing, which leads us
into a shared dance experience with and in one another. Is the impulse
initiating a movement a common one? There are impulses that lead us deeper
into each other and open spaces inwardly, and that that allow us to move
outwardly, expanding into the space.
We use our sexual energy in a
defined and guided way, and also classical CI techniques to arrive at
a spiritual dance practice.
The sensual fusion of bodies and sensual dances are sheltered and sustained
by the group.
What aesthetic dimensions open up to us when we see such dances?
Addendum:
This retreat provides a safe space for personal as well as group experiences.
Most work will take place in mixed groups, but there will also be women-only
and men-only times. Personal limits will be respected. All of the dances
can be stopped at any time, if it does not feel right.
Nakedness in dancing may be explored, here, too, personal borders will
be respected.
The workshop is oriented on participants
with and without experience in contact improvisation and tantra.
Open for everybody! That means: none of the heteronormativity of classical
Tantra!
Schedule:
Mon to Fri from10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (that is: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 3 to 6
p.m., 8 to 10 p.m.)
At schwelle 7, Uferstraße
6, yard, 1st floor, 13357 Berlin - Wedding
www.schwelle7.de
T.: 0049-173-6118404
Fee: € 150,-
schwelle 7 - members: € 100,-
Registration: info@felixruckert.de