Tango Release moves to Ponderosa!

In preparation for the week in Ponderosa, Tango Release monthly events on the first sunday of the month in London are suspended until the Autumn.

1-8 July 2012

"Tango Diférente" @ Ponderosa (near BERLIN): a week of workshops and classes exploring the fusion of tango with Contact Improvisation, Feldenkrais, Yoga, Queer Tango, Meditation, Pilates, BodyMindCentering, Skinner Releasing Technique, Improvisation ... and more!

Lots of Jams, Milongas, Practicas and space to chill out.... even a lovely river for you to swim in!
Organization: Adriana Pegorer.

More info:
http://tangodiferenteponderosa.blogspot.com/ 


Ponderosa Tanzland Festival 2009 impressions photo slideshow from Ponderosa Dance on Vimeo.

Tango Release: sunday 4th of March 2012

Due to some requests.... change of topic! 

Tango and Contact Improvisation 
with Adriana Pegorer

2-4 pm
Level: All
Price: class £10
Where: Research Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios 85 St George's Rd SE1 6ER London
 
Spine. Pelvis. Ribs and Shoulders. Head. Arms. Legs....
...shared walking, leaning towards and away from the partner, legs as pendulum, walking, taking and giving the weight, more walking, balancing on one leg.... can this lead to some gentle, juicy, simple lifts? Yes, it can!!

Tango Release: Monday 13th February 2012 @ ID

Time: 6.30- 8.30 pm (you can warm up / stretch from 6 pm)
Price: £ 4.50
Level: All

Where: Roof Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios 85 St George's Rd SE1 6ER London
http://www.siobhandavies.com/studios/about/location.html

• Topic: "legs as pendulums" 

  This class develops partnering work into a playful dialogue drawing from Tango Argentino vocabulary and Contact improvisation principles.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendulum

Tango Release: sunday 5th February 2012

2-4 pm

with Michael Parmenter

BAREFOOT TANGO - using some of the principles of tango to explore a more expanded range of movement possibilities.

Level: All
Price: class £10
Where: Research Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios 85 St George's Rd SE1 6ER London

Michael Parmenter is one of New Zealand’s leading dancers and choreographers. During the 80’s he danced in New York with Erick Hawkins and Stephen Petronio and in Japan with Butoh dancer Min Tanaka.

He directed his Commotion Company from 1990 – 2008 and has choreographed numerous works for Footnote Dance Company and the Royal New Zealand Ballet. His works span the spectrum from innovative solo works to large-scale opera-house productions.

 WATCH A VDO INTERVIEW WITH MICHEAL

Over the past decades Michael has taught at Toi Whakaari/The New Zealand Drama School, the New Zealand School of Dance, and most recently at UNITEC School of Performing and Screen Arts where he is Adjunct Professor in Dance.

Michael has recently been developing the partner-improvisation forms PILOTING and TACTICS.

He is currently undertaking a doctoral research co-tutelle between the dance department of the University of Auckland, New Zealand (under Dr. Ralph Buck) and (under Prof. Renaud Barbaras) in the philosophy department of l’Université de Paris-1 (Panthéon/Sorbonne), France.

International New Year Contact Improvisation Jam London

Tango Release class: 

"Moving with/in and standing with/out" 

saturday 31st December

14.30- 16.30

Movingartsbase studio 

134 Liverpool Road 

Islington N1 1LA London

(Angel tube Station)

Directions: http://www.movingartsbase.eu/contact.html 

More info on the 

International New Year Contact Improvisation Jam London

http://www.danielmang.com/node/10 

Tango Release: sunday 6th November 2011

Tango & High Heels with Adriana Pegorer
Kindly assisted by Larry (the skeleton)
2-4 pm class

This class is open to anybody who would like to explore the mechanics of the foot in relation to the spine and pelvis and it is open for people who do not wear high heels too!
It also aims to counterbalance the effects of hours of dancing on high heels...
The class will be influenced by bio-mechanics and functional anatomy as well as release technique's principles.



HIGH HEELS ON THE NEWS: 

For the recent spring/summer collection, supermodel Gisele Bundchen refused to wear the 'absurdly arch elevating' heels, and the result was that all the models wore flat shoes for the cat walk!! 

A recent poll of about 15,000 total votes revealed that 82% consider high heel a torture for their feet and only 18% were in favour of high heels.
http://thelook.today.com/_news/2011/08/17/7398147-gisele-refuses-to-wear-high-heels?gt1=43001

 
Level: All
Price: class £10
Where: Research Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios 85 St George's Rd SE1 6ER London

Tango Release: Monday 17th of October 2011 @ ID

 In the first part of the class we will explore ideas of body's function and structure, in particular in relation to magnetism, sound and electrical energy. This research is led by my own interest in the inspiring work of Liz Koch, Tom Myers, Emilie Conrad, Mabel Todd, Gerald Cizadlo, Richard Feyman, Hans Jenny amongst others.

The second part of the class will focus on the tango and contact improvisation fusion!

Time: 6.30- 8.30 pm (you can warm up / stretch from 6 pm)
Price: £ 4.50
Level: All
Where: Roof Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios 85 St George's Rd SE1 6ER London
http://www.siobhandavies.com/studios/about/location.html

Tango Release: sunday 2nd of October 2011

Tango & SRT with Alex Crowe 

Skinner Releasing Technique (SRT) is a gentle but powerful system of movement training that encourages a deepened sensory and imaginative awareness of the body.  It teaches the fundamental movement skills and psycho-physical awareness that underlie almost any style of dance.  In this class, we touch, imagery and improvised movement to develop agility in stepping and travelling, and different ways of cultivating a sense of suspension without rigidity.  For more information about SRT, see www.skinerreleasing.com

2-4 pm class
Level: All
Price: Class £10
Where: Research Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios 85 St George's Rd SE1 6ER London
 

Alex Crowe is a performer and performance maker working mainly in movement based theatre.  He holds an MA in Performance Making from Goldsmiths College, and teaches movement, improvisation and performance in both Higher Education, independent professional and community settings.  Main influences include Skinner Releasing, Suprapto Suryodarmo, Action Theatre and clown work.  Alex co-curates the Stranger than Fiction platform for improvisation in performance at Siobhan Davies Studios.

Tango Release: sunday 4th of September 2011

Tango & Contact Improvisation with Adriana Pegorer

We will explore the complementary principles of Resisting and Releasing.

2-4 pm class
Level: All
Price: Class £10
Where: Research Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios 85 St George's Rd SE1 6ER London
http://www.siobhandavies.com/studios/about/location.html

SUMMER BREAK !

please check back in August for upcoming sessions.
Check http://www.adagioconbrio.co.uk/13.html for Adriana summer activities!

Tango Release: Monday 27th of June 2011

Tango & Contact Improvisation as part of Monday Nite Improvisation at Independent Dance programme
In this class we will explore ideas of magnetism and how we can use our bodies as carriers of small amounts of electrical energy that somehow can move two bodies closer or further apart. This research will be related to Tango and Contact Improvisation and informed by Seynman’s Fun to Imagine. 

Time: 6.30- 8.30 pm (you can warm up / stretch from 6 pm)
Price: £ 4.50
Level: All
Where: Roof Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios 85 St George's Rd SE1 6ER London
http://www.siobhandavies.com/studios/about/location.html

"So i am not going to be able to give you an answer to why magnets attract each other, except to tell you that they do.... I could tell you that the magnetic forces are related to the electrical forces very intimately...that our relationship between the gravity forces and electical forces remains unknown, and so on... but i really cannot do a good job, any job, of explaning magnetic force, in terms of something else that you are more familiar with, because i do not understand in terms of anything else that you are more familiar with" Seynman



Adriana Pegorer is an independent dance artist interested in the interweaving of forms.
http://tangorelease.blogspot.com/
www.adagioconbrio.co.uk

Tango Release: Sunday 5th of June 2011

Tango & Pilates with Adriana Pegorer

2-4 pm class 
4-5 practica

Level: All

Price: Class £10 (Independent Artists & Conc: £6) Free practica/jam if you take the class. Where: Research Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios 85 St George's Rd SE1 6ER London

Pilates is a technique that uses repetition of low impact stretching and conditioning exercises. It aims to develop an harmonious body-mind relationship and an awareness of body aligment. In this matt-based class we will work on the dynamic connection of legs and arms to the spinal axis. We will then transfer to the vertical plane to explore how we can balance the activity of the head, torso and pelvis harmoniously and functionally whilst walking and dancing in partnership.

"Physical fitness can neither be achieved through wishful thinking nor outright purchase." Joseph Pilates

Adriana Pegorer is a certified Pilates matwork instructor. When teaching Pilates her focus is on raising awareness on how gravity and orientation affects our aligment whilst exercising and in everyday life.

Tango Release: sunday 1st of May 20011

Tango & Bartenieff/Laban with Alexandra Baybutt
2-3.30 pm class
3.30 5 pm practica
Explore support for your tango dancing and learn to go beyond holding patterns and movement habits. Using movement re-patterning exercises, developmental movement, different dynamics and different spatial attentions we practically investigate movement concepts and principles from Rudolph Laban and Irmgard Bartenieff.

Bartenieff Fundamentals is an approach to movement training that deals with patterning connections in the body, according to principles of efficient functioning, within a context which encourages personal expression and full psychophysical involvement. For more information about Irmgard Bartenieff and Rudolph Laban see
http://www.limsonline.org/about-lims-irmgard-bartenieff
http://www.limsonline.org/about-lims-rudolf-laban

Alexandra Baybutt. Certified Laban/Barteneiff Movement Analyst (LSSI Canada), MA Performance and Culture (Goldsmiths London), BA Contemporary Dance Theatre (LABAN London)
Alexandra is a professional dance artist and movement coach and director, working in the UK and internationally. She works with actors, directors, musicians, dancers and other performers and non-performers to enhance and expand physical potential and communication. She takes great pleasure and care in facilitating both expressive and functional movement, collaborating closely with others to make relevant and potent new awareness and command of motion for performance and practical purposes.

Level: All

Price: Class £10 (Independent Artists & Conc: £6) Free practica/jam if you take the class. Otherwise £4/£2

Where: Research Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios 85 St George's Rd SE1 6ER London

http://www.siobhandavies.com/studios/about/location.html

Tango Release: sunday 3rd April 2011

Special Tango & 'Roles in Motion' workshop with Charlotte Rivero (Sweden)

Queer tango dancing is associated with the exchange of roles and same sex dancing but it also gives you the possibility to explore sliding roles, in such an intense connection that it is not always clear who is leading and who is following. Charlotte will introduce you to the techniques for reaching this by opening to a connection that flows both in a traditional and open embrace and by guiding you to ways of listening to the music that provides opportunities to dance in a queer way. There will also be time to discuss the concept "queer tango".

2 classes, which can be taken independently, will allow you to learn some tools to create a mutual dance, with the possibility of exchanging and sliding the dancing roles roles within a traditional embrace aiming to a more active following and more sensitive leading.

2-3.30 class 1: will focus on the music

4-5.30 class 2: will focus on dissociation and changes of directions

3.30-4 pm and 5.30-6 pm: practice and/or discussion

Level: All

Price: one class £15 (£12 concession) two classes £25 (£20 concession)

Where: Research Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios 85 St George's Rd SE1 6ER London

http://www.siobhandavies.com/studios/about/location.html

Charlotte Rivero started teaching exchange of roles, same sex tango 10 years ago ( 2000) teaching women how to lead. From this she developed the queer tango in Sweden 2005. Charlotte founded the queer tango school, Tangoverkstan - Roles in Motion, in Stockholm in 2006.  She organizes the annual Stockholm International Queer Tango Festival (this year 6 th edition 13-15 May). She presented her concept of queer tango pedagogy at the international dance research conference NOFOD, Stockholm Jan 2006.

Charlotte has also been teaching tango both in straight and queer communities in Russia, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Argentina and Germany. She was invited to teach and perform at the queer tango festivals in Hamburg, Copenhagen, San Francisco and Buenos Aires.

She regularly presents lectures on queer theory and gender studiesin various Swedish organizations including the University of Dramatic Arts and the University College of Dance. The emphasis of her teaching is based on dynamic movements, musicality & improvisation, presence in the moment, connection and communication with awareness of power relations and gender structures.
http://www.queertango.se

Tango Release:sunday 6th of March 2011

Tango & Franklin Method with Fiona Millward

2-3.30 pm class 
3.30 5 pm practica/jam 


In this session we will take time to listen and notice feedback from the body. Staying with this quiet observation, we will work with the Franklin Method Balls Work within given exercises, both alone and with a partner. Combined with suggested imagery and experiential anatomy, this work may offer alternative possibilities or experiences, with the aim of creating greater freedom and support within the body.
What is Franklin Method? http://franklinmethod.wordpress.com/



Fiona Millward has worked throughout the UK and abroad as a dancer, teacher and choreographer since 1985. She regularly teaches in the UK and abroad both independently and for the British Council. Her teaching takes place in a variety of settings, from independent classes to companies and institutions, and for a range of participants, from dance artists to actors to non-professionals. Since qualifying as a Franklin Method teacher in 2002, she has also shared this work in many different contexts, including the tango community in Oxford, Southampton and Bristol.
Her choreographic work has received a variety of awards and commissions over the years, and she has enjoyed collaborative ventures with a variety of artists. 

Level: All

Price: Class £10 (Independent Artists & Conc: £6) Free practica/jam if you take the class. Otherwise £4/£2

Where: Research Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios 85 St George's Rd SE1 6ER London

http://www.siobhandavies.com/studios/about/location.html

Tango Release: monday 14th of February 2011 @ Independent Dance

 Let's celebrate St Valentine by dancing!

Tango Release on MONDAY the 14th of February part of Monday Night Improvisation
http://www.independentdance.co.uk/what/classes/monday-improvisation.php
Teacher: Adriana Pegorer Level: All
Where: Roof Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios Time: 6.30 - 8.30 pm
Price: £4.50 More details: studio available from 6-9 for warm-up and warm-down

This class develops partnering work into a playful dialogue drawing from Tango Argentino vocabulary and Contaqct Improvisation principles. We will focus on the awareness of our own body to others and to the surroundings. Using 'flocking' we will explore the richness of 'sculpting the space in between' in solos, duets and in a group.

happy new year!

Dear Tango Release friends,
I have tried to keep the sessions running regularly on each first sunday of the month but due to space bookings, my other commitments and holidays such as xmas it has been challenging!  My apologies.... The workshop on the 24th October -below- brings together the autumn sessions in one and i thought it would be appropriate to revisit all the special guest's contributions from the spring and summer seasons (aikido, feldenkrais, butoh,  meditation and contact improvisation)

However, I feel that in the last two years things have gone pretty well!                        
thanks to all of you who participated and brought curiosity, intention and focus into the studio

The first session in 2009 started with a snow storm...
the first session in 2010 started at the New Year's Jam in Notting Hill..... 
........i am not sure yet how the 2011 will start but will let you know soon!   
my best wishes
Adriana                                                                                                                                                                               

Tango Release Autumn Workshop: Sunday 24th October

THIS WORKSHOP TAKES PLACE IN THE ROOF STUDIO!

with Adriana Pegorer     2-6 pm         £ 20/15       level: general

In this workshop we will revisit elements from the 'Responsive Yelding' spring themed sessions on how to bring influences from Aikido, Feldenkrais, Meditation and Butoh into Tango dancing and, perhaps, viceversa. Elements of previous themed sessions like 'negotiating', 'engaging' and 'harmonizing' will also be addressed...
There will be plently of time for breaks, discussions, jamming!

Here is an informative -and rather funny!- lecture by Robert Farris Thompson on the Afro Argentine legacy of Tango. Nothing to do with what will we do in the workshop! Just something i came across recently although i have been reading his excellent book. Enjoy!

Tango Release @ Independent Dance: Monday 13 September 2010

Tango Release session on MONDAY the 13th of September part of Monday Night Improvisation

http://www.independentdance.co.uk/what/classes/monday-improvisation.php

Improvised dance is about exploring the movement potential of our bodies and the creative potential of our minds. As well as enjoying the movement facility already available to you, teachers will use exercises to broaden your physical and mental range. In these classes, teachers create an atmosphere where work and play co-exist and where watching and talking support your dancing.

Teacher: Adriana Pegorer   Level: All  Where: Roof Studio at Siobhan Davies Studios
Time: 6.30 - 8.30 pm   Price: £4.50 More details: studio available from 6-9 for warm-up and warm-down

Class description
This class develops partnering work into a playful dialogue drawing from Tango Argentino vocabulary and Contact improvisation principles.
We will be: engaging the spine, the limbs the and senses; negotiating resistance, support and weight shifts; harmonizing solos with duets and group work.

Tango Release: sunday special 5th September

'Creative Partnering'
with Sebastian Garcia Ferro

2-4.30 pm WORKSHOP £15/12  workshop & jam £20/15
4.30-6.00  JAM only £5/3

Following on the intensive July workshop we will work on: sharing tools for developing repeatable Contact Improvisation sequences/scores as a base for performative work; revisiting fundamental principles of CI and bringing them into a dance; playing with material and bringing elements back into improvisation; witnessing and giving/receiving feedback.

Sebastián García Ferro is a Choreographer, Dancer, Contact Improvisation Performer and Musician from Argentina based in Barcelona (Spain). He directs his own company since 1999 and he is also one of the directors of the Barcelona International Dance Exchange (www.bide.be). Sebastian regularly teaches Contact Improvisation and Composition around Europe and South America and is the residence composer and sound designer at the Phonos Fundation at the Pompeu Fabra University-Barcelona.