Benjamin R. Jarrett

Novi Sad Workshop | May 14 - 15

2011-05-01T23:36:00.000+02:00

Culture of Movement

Grounding techniques for freer movement inside and out

All experiences welcome!

May 14 – 15 | 10:00 – 15:00

Novi Sad

This workshop provides an atmosphere of discovery for Any BodyMind interested in training towards fuller creative expression and a subtler sense of the environment of which we are.
We employ a variety of techniques to facilitate each person’s development, tailoring each session to the unique needs of each participant and the group as a whole.

Approaches:

- Mind informing the body:
guided relaxation and stretching - playful but strenuous repetitive exercises

- Body informing the mind: movement explorations and études

- Integration:
discussion - drawing - writing

Facilitated by Benjamin Jarrett (brjarrett.blogspot.com)

Location: KUD (Culural Artisic Society) Svetozar Marković – Šumadijska 6.
Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia

Cost: 1000 din.

Contact:
- Duško Stamenić duskostamenic@yahoo.com phone: 064 24 11 178
- Benjamin Jarrett jarrett.benjamin@gmail.com

Partner organization:
Kamerno pozorište muzike OGLEDALO
KUD (Culural Artisic Society) Svetozar Marković

PRAGUE WORKSHOP SPRING 2011

2011-04-12T16:25:00.001+02:00

Cancelled!

TOUCHING THE SPACE

DANCE | ARCHITECTURE | LANDSCAPE

A collaborative dance event facilitated by Pedro Prazeres and Benjamin Jarrett

In honor of, and in the spirit and tradition of the decades of fruitful collaboration between legendary landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and avant garde dance pioneer Anna Halprin

Hosted by the Czech Technical University in Prague: Faculty of Architecture

May 5-6 and 7-8, 2011

Thursday 10:00 to 15:00
Friday 9:30 to 17:30

Saturday 9:30 to 17:30
Sunday 10:00 to 15:00

Both workshops will be unique but complimentary, and may be taken separately, or as a complete four-day experience.

* Instruction will be in English with available translation into Czech, Portuguese, Spanish, Hungarian and Croatian – Serbian

This workshop will have two parts:

- Theoretical discussions led by Pedro introducing subjects on Landscape, including an approach to what Landscape is, ecologically and culturally, it's complexity, it's movement, Landscape Evolution and the role of Man in Landscape.
- Utilizing the resources gathered from Pedro’s discussions, Benjamin will facilitate dance explorations in the studio and in the environment, focusing on sensory work, developing imagery in the body, blind work, and partner and group stretching, and developing individual and community dance in the environment.

Location:

Czech Technical University in Prague: Faculty of Architecture (FA CVUT)
Thákurova 9, Prague 6 – Dejvice (New Building atrium)
- Studio, surrounding open spaces of CVUT, and natural environments

Registration:
- 1000Kc (40€) Weekday or weekend workshop
- 1750Kc (70€) Combined workshops
–> Save 250Kc (10€)

* Limited to 30 participants

To register contact:
- Pedro Prazeres (Portugal/Czech Rep.) prazeres_pedro@yahoo.co.uk
+ 420 7761 835 92
- Benjamin Jarrett (USA/Serbia) jarrett.benjamin@gmail.com
+ 381 63 11 76 786

What to bring:
- Comfortable clothing to move in (indoors and out-of-doors), and as needed, an extra change of training clothes
– Also be prepared for variety of weather (i.e.: sweats and hat) and terrain (i.e.: shoes) as we will be working outside
- Notepad and pen for writing
- Water and light but nutritious food for lunch (nuts, fresh fruit, etc.)

Description:

This indoor/outdoor workshop will occur at multiple locations inside and outside of the New Building of the Czech Technical University in Prague: Faculty of Architecture (FA CVUT), including the Vltava river, and Divoká Šárka natural reservation, where we will explore, through dance, our place within the landscape and the environment, ecologically and culturally, in their complexity and changeability.

Creative body movement awakens the senses and enables us to more vividly perceive our surroundings. We become sensitive to fluctuation – change – not only within our own bodies, but within and between others’ – whether human, animal, tree, water, rock, cement, or steel. This sensitivity enables a broader experience of space and its contents, and by that a more accurate expression of the identity of a specific place, a specific locus. We can then begin to interact in more meaningful and satisfying ways with our environment, whether as architects, builders, dancers, workers or whoever.

These events will be conducted in an atmosphere of collective exchange and creativity. We will share our experiences and view points during the workshop, both in theoretical discussions led by Pedro, and in direct bodily communication, i.e.: dance, led by Benjamin.

Inspiration:

The themes explored in this workshop are nothing new. Lawrence and Anna Halprin began experimenting with environment and community in the 1950s, giving rise on Anna’s side to a whole new perspective and practice of dance and performance, as well as healing through expressive arts. On Larry’s side, his work with dancers gave him a keener sense for creating landscapes wherein people would feel invited to move about and interact; so that his works became living choreographies.

Our aim is to provide an approach to Architecture, to Landscape, and to Space in general, not just through the eyes and thinking brain, but through all the senses.

Participants:

Students and professionals of Dance, Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and anyone interested in deepening their relationship with the environment.

All experiences welcome!

Facilitators:

Benjamin Jarrett (Culture of Movement) has been a student of Anna Halprin since 2005, working and performing as a member of her Sea Ranch Collective, and assisting during bi-weekly classes in Northern California. In his workshops, Ben utilizes Halprin’s methods as well as that of Body Weather Laboratory, which he’s studied under Sherwood Chen since 2004, and lessons learned from Butoh dancer Tadashi Endo. Since moving to Serbia in 2008, Ben has taught numerous workshops in Subotica, Novi Sad and Budapest for professionals and non-professionals alike, young and old. For more information go to: brjarrett.blogspot.com

Pedro Prazeres is interested in exploring the Dancing Landscape and the Dancing Body. How they relate, in which levels, under which principles, are the questions motivating him through is life. He studied Landscape Architecture at Lisbon Technical University and Helsinki university of Technology and Contemporary Dance at the Scottish school of Contemporary Dance and the Duncan Centre Conservatory. Through workshops he is exploring other fields of dance like Butoh (Sumako Koseki), Voice and Body (Viliam Docolomanský), Body Mind Centering (Mariko Tanabe), Body Weather (Frank Van der Ven and Oguri), Gaga Technique (Caroline Boussard), Improvisation and composition (Davide Sportelli and Martha Moore) He is now an independent artist creating Landscapes and creating Dance. For more information go to: homelesskingdom.blogspot.com

Workshop Description

2011-01-22T22:12:00.002+01:00

The uniqueness of my workshops lies in my approach, which I see as my greatest strength. I utilize a combination of careful preparation and keen vigilance in maintaining a creative atmosphere for my students, in order that they may feel safe enough to experiment. The methodologies I utilize come primarily from five different people. Each one of these artists have taught me something special about how they use their bodies to communicate with their environment, and I have then taken what I could and filtered it through myself in order to come to my own approach and understanding.

- Anna Halprin, a master facilitator who taught me to be sensitive to each person’s needs, to facilitate group work, and who also taught me to always remain aware of and relate to the environment around me.

- Sherwood Chen, who taught me volumes about sensitivity and clarity, as well as providing me with the basic workshop format which I follow.

- Min Tanaka, Oguri, and Tadashi Endo have each given me gems of wisdom from their long years of teaching and performing.

For close to 20 years I have taught movement in one form or another, to kids and adults alike – in the pool teaching swimming lessons, coaching teams and leading water aerobics, outdoors teaching Japanese martial arts, in the studio teaching ballet and modern dance, and finally, structured improvisation in the studio, forest or out on the street. I have a natural aptitude for teaching kinaesthetically – a gift. If the energy wanes, I bring it up. If it waxes strong, I know I can take a bigger risk. Closely observing each participant as well as the group as a whole, I use my experience and intuition to make sure everyone is well-served. My ultimate goal in teaching is to offer every participant tools they can use in their daily lives, and my greatest satisfaction comes from seeing the smiles on people’s faces as they leave.

There is always a two-part structure

1st part: Mind informing body …
We give explicit instructions to our bodies – very useful for technical training, yoga, sports.
• line training (playful but strenuous repetitive exercises)
• guided relaxation and stretching
• explanation of scores
• discussions

2nd part: Body informing mind …
We let the body, along with its own intelligence and sensitivity, lead our movement in exploration, and give our cognitive mind the role of witness, rather than leader. In this way we find movement range and other possibilities otherwise unimaginable.
• explorations: we set limitations over an improvisation in terms of timing, space, people and activities;
• études: more advanced sorts of explorations;
• improvisation: (to do anything, with anyone or no one, at any time and with any timing, anywhere, for as long as you wish)

Simple example of the above-two parts:

a. Group meets.

b. We do some simple, often silly game-like activities to loosen everyone up and break the ice.

c. Then everyone comes to one side of the room to begin line-training. This is similar to a typical dance technique class, but; instead of focusing on aesthetics, we focus on movement range and brain-teasers – patterns which challenge one’s concentration and control over multiple parts of the body moving at the same time.
i. Depending on the length of the workshop, this might last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more. It also depends on who is participating. I try to pay close attention to the mood of the group and organize (and reorganize) accordingly.

d. After line-training comes more quiet and focused work. The basic premise here is that once the body has become tired through focused, ‘mind-informing-body’ dancing, then the mind more willingly gives up the driver’s seat, and enables a deeper exploration to occur.

e. Examples of ‘quiet’ work:
i. ‘Image walk’ – To walk from one end of the room to the other with an image or set of images which are then taken into the body (e.g.: smoke body)
ii. To explore the relationship between tailbone and head through movement.
iii. ‘Foot-awareness raising’ – To follow a line of very thin thread, with the soles of the feet, while blindfolded.
iv. In pairs, mirroring each other’s movement.
v. etc.

f. After a score is finished, there will very often be time given for discussion between the partners or groups.

g. At this point, I try to either extend the previous score so that participants can deepen their experience, or I introduce a new score which is intimately linked with the last one and which will organically follow.

h. At the end I like to have études if it’s appropriate, so that everyone gets the chance to perform as well as to watch the others’ interpretation of the same score. * For many it is like seeing a fresh new dance piece.

Thank you.

Curriculum Vitae

2011-01-22T21:57:00.000+01:00

Home(s): Csantavér, Vojvodina, Serbia & Berkeley, California, USA

Born 1979 in Tucson, Arizona, USA

Languages:
Mother tongue - English
Upper-intermediate understanding of Hungarian

Teaching

2011
"Culture of Movement"

Ongoing weekly sessions for students of the Kosztolányi Dezső (Gimnázium) Philological Grammar School
Szabadka/Subotica, Vojvodina, Serbia

2010

"Culture of Movement"

From September: weekly sessions for students of the Kosztolányi Dezső (Gimnázium) Philological Grammar School
Szabadka/Subotica, Vojvodina, Serbia

Mozdulatművészeti Stúdió
November 13-14
Budapest, Hungary

"Sensitivity and Atmosphere"
Mozdulatművészeti Stúdió
August 23-26
Budapest, Hungary

Indoor Environment
Kunst-Stoff arts
San Francisco, California
August 14-15

Outdoor environment
Inverness, California
August 7-8

"Sensitivity and Atmosphere"
Mozdulatművészeti Stúdió
Budapest, Hungary
February 27-28

"Sensitivity and Atmosphere"
Mozdulatművészeti Stúdió
in conjunction with the Szóló Duó International Dance Festival
Budapest, Hungary
January 8-10

2009

Workshops for children of mixed ethnicity, co-taught by Visnja Obradović
Novi Sad, Serbia
October 31 and December 12

Dance Improvisation and Exploration
Mozdulatművészeti Stúdió
Budapest, Hungary
March 20-22

2008

October
One-day workshop for the Hungarian students of the acting department at the Novi Sad Academy of Arts
Novi Sad, Serbia

September
Three-day workshop for the actors of the Kosztolányi Dezső Színház
Szabadka, Serbia

2006 to 2008

Assistant to and apprentice under Anna Halprin during her bi-weekly classes
Mountain Home Studio
Kentfield, California

Autumn 2005

Guest Teacher - teaching creative movement, ballet and contemporary dance
The Royal Academy of Ballet
Napa, California

Training (not including performance projects)
(Chronological order within fields of influence)

Anna Halprin and the Sea Ranch Collective:
-Certified instructor of Movement Ritual (2008)
-Three-time invitation to work and collaborate at The Sea Ranch
The Sea Ranch, Mendocino County, California, August 2005/2006 and September 2007
-Regular bi-weekly classes at the Mountain Home Studio
Kentfield, CA - 2005 to 2008
-annahalprin.org

Body Weather Laboratory:
-"Dance on Land" : one week workshop in the environment of California's northern coast with Dana and Shinichi Iova-Koga and Sherwood Chen in Petrolia, CA - August 2009
-inkboat.com
-Regular workshops with Sherwood Chen in San Francisco, CA, 2004 to 2008
-sherwoodchen.com
-Oguri (Body Weather Laboratory USA) in Venice, CA (since 2006, whenever in LA)
- lightningshadow.com
-One week workshop with Min Tanaka and Shiho Ishihara in Horgos, Serbia, June 2006
- min-tanaka.com

Paratheatrical Research
-Alchemy Lab with Antero Alli
March 12th through June 15th, 2006. Berkeley California and beyond
- paratheatrical.com

Butoh
-Four training events with Midoh Ohmura in a living room in Göttingen, Germany, learning his unique merging of Yoshito Ohno's butoh and his own method acting training, Spring 2009
- midohohmura
-Workshop with Tadashi Endo, Göttingen, Germany, December 2008
- tadashi-endo.de
-Workshop with Ryuzo Fukuhara, San Francisco, CA February 2006
-One week workshop with Shinichi Iova-Koga (aka: Momo Io)
Montana, August 2005

Movement research
-Barbara Mahler (Klein/Mahler Technique)
One week workshop in SF, 2003 plus visitations in NYC, NY - 2004
-Sara Shelton Mann
½ year of rehearsals for a performance that never happened, SF, CA - 2006

Modern Dance
-Martha Graham-based technique taught by Chris Dolder and Marni Thomas Wood
UC Berkeley, CA - 2003-2005
-Received a scholarship to attend the Winter intensive at the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance
New York - January 2004
-José Limón Summer Intensives with Sara Stackhouse
Oakland, CA - 2003 and 2005
-Daily classes with Liz Burritt at UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA - Summer 2005
-Weekend workshop with Miguel Gutierrez
San Francisco, CA - Summer 2005
-Danced and performed for modern dance group Triada under the direction of Janet Welsh
Oakland, CA - 2002-2003

Classical Ballet
-Beth Hoge and Danspace
Oakland, CA - 2001 to 2006
-Ernesta Corvino
New York, NY - January 2004
-Andra and Ernesta Corvino
Annual two-week summer workshops at Danspace
Oakland, CA - June 2001-2006

Martial Arts
-Judo
2010 to present - Csantavér/Čantavir, Serbia
-Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu
1997 to 2000 - Tucson, AZ - Yamaneko (no longer affiliated)
Solo training since 2000 with brief teaching exploits and visits to Warrior Wind Dojo and the SF Bujinkan Dojo (Dale Seago)
-Shodan awarded 2001 in Tucson, awarded by Todd Luethjohann

Massage
-24 hours training fundamentals with Steve Coleman
San Francisco, CA – 2005

Somatic Bodywork
-Intrinsic Synergy ~ Sensory-based integration for body and soul
Under Rei McColly (founder)
Personal apprenticeship since 2006

Performances

2010

I.nter S.ex
Tour of Germany
January 23 – February 21

2009

I.nter S.ex
Choreography: Tadashi Endo
Concept: Harald Wolff
Premiere: September 26 - Junges Theatre, Göttingen, Germany

Admeto, re di Tessaglia (Admetus, King of Thessaly; HVW 22)
-an Opera in three Acts by George Frideric Handel
Direction: Doris Dörrie
Conductor: Nicholas McGegan
Choreographer: Tadashi Endo
Göttingen International Handel Festival and the International Festival Edinburgh
Premiere: May 26 – Deutsches Theater, Göttingen, Germany
Scotland premiere: August 28 - Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland

2008

May
- "thirty seven isolated events"
Choreography: paige starling sorvillo / blindsight, co-presented by CounterPULSE as part of the San Francisco International Arts Festival
Media-artist: Lucy HG (LA, California)
Composers: Susan Hawkins (AUS/UK) and Liz Allbee (Oakland, California)
Premier: May 22 – CounterPulse, San Francisco, CA

2007

September
- Bare Bones Butoh VIII
One night, one piece in San Francisco
Choreography: Benjamin Jarrett
Solo - recycled beach score from Sea Ranch 2007, using J.S. Bach: Partita In E Major, "Loure," played on the cimbalom by Aladár Rácz
“utter failure”

August
- Dijalog I
Solo improvisation with musicians Ivana Grahovac (Cello) and Rastko Lazić (Electronics)
OЗONE Gallery in Belgrade, Serbia

July
- Bare Bones Butoh VII
Two nights, two pieces in San Francisco:
1. Improvisational duet, "Dialogue #2" with musician Phillip Gelb playing shakuhachi
2. Recycle of "In My Solitude..." from Sept. 2006, music: Igor Stravinsky's "Russian Maiden's Song."

June
- The Flower of the Season, “Magnolia”
Solo performance at the Electric Lounge in Venice, California.
Facilitated by Body Weather Laboratory USA (Oguri and Roxanne Steinberg)
Music: Arnie Saiki and Robert Scott

May
- Seasons: Part III "Awaken"
Performance with the Sea Ranch Collective in Kentfield, California under the direction of Anna Halprin

2006

September
- "In my solitude ..."
Solo performance at the Lotus Studio in Mt. Shasta City on the 1st as the product of a week's residency at the Round the Mountain yurt owned by Alexander Zendzian and Ray Pettengell.

January
- "Parades and Changes," "Intensive Care," and "En Route"
Performance with Anna Halprin and her Sea Ranch Collective at the SFJCC
Music by Morton Subotnick and lighting by Nick Cave