Corinne Skaff, Lebanon
Lebanese dance artist and pedagogue. Co-founder and ex-artistic director of Yaraqa dance initiative and co-founder of the Beirut CI sessions.
In making Dance, Corinne has a particular interest in Music and Movement Improvisation in performance.
She likes to embark on choreographic ventures with her students and fellow artists from various artistic backgrounds. Her CI practice and teaching are informed by contemporary dance techniques, physical theatre and Somatic practice principles. She approaches and proposes CI as a resourceful practice of self embodiment.
Weather teaching contemporary dance technique, Contact Improvisation or creative movement, her main interest as a pedagogue is to facilitating a holistic experience of learning, one that engages the learner physically, intellectually and spiritually.
She currently hosts the first weekly CI jam in Beirut where she teaches on a weekly basis.
Creative Movement for Actors
This workshop combines physical explorations from Contact Improvisation (CI) practice and the main elements of Dance. We will examine how abstract movement and spontaneous Physical conversations could turn into possible starting points for devising solo or ensemble scene work. We will start off with individual warm ups and games exploring concepts like Body shape and base, Rhythm, Speed, Duration, Inner and external Space, Effort and Quality of movement. We will then bring these explorations into a contact situation where we apply them in relation to (a) partner(s). Slowly easing the way to Partnering exercises where we will practice moving in contact with shared weight.
Falling and rolling together, giving and receiving Weight, spontaneous lifting. While working with CI allows attunement to the partner and the development of valuable physically embodied skills like trust, listening and creative problem solving; developing awareness in the use of one’s Body, Energy, Time and Space allows for wider personal vocabulary and kinetic responsiveness within a physical encounter. It is within these honest spontaneous physical dialogues, that we will start looking for genuine connections, relationships, and stories that emerges from the dance.
Participants are to bring comfortable movement clothes and knee pads.