October 11/13: Manuela Tessi
Accompanied by Ben Brown
Photo: Celine Pinget
Cover Photo: Laurin Gutwin
Class Description:
In these classes the focus is on refining the relationship between movement and musicality, while warming up the body and gaining availability for a wide range of movement possibilities. I share movement research drawn from my practice of making dance material, with a background in contemporary dance techniques. I like to think of movement in terms of what it would sound like if it were music, and I’m interested in how a ‘dance can be heard’ and how we can ‘listen’ to the musicality of our movement. I will focus on tone (how different body tone can change movement quality), weight (and its relationship to rhythm), articulation (quality of pause, attack, and accent).
The classes will be accompanied by Ben Brown. Ben and Manuela met in the experimental music and dance community of Berlin and Amsterdam and have been collaborating since 2015 in various settings, including MusicDance project in Cape Town.
They share a passion for a deep investigation into sound and movement, and how the two art forms are integral to each other. We will explore different tones in physicality/sound qualities, work with silence, resonance and expectations.
Manuela Lucia Tessi is a dance artist that has dedicated the last 20 years developing dance performance in close collaboration with musicians and composers. She completed her dance studies at the AHK in Amsterdam and has continued to deepen the research on movement and composition with Katie Duck, a.o. Her motivation to create movement is in relationship to the sonic and she perceives movement to be listened to, sound to be seen. Her work is often process oriented, with also much care for the product. In movement research, she looks for sensuousness and embodiment, how is the movement being read not solely with the eyes and intellect, but how can touch on a visceral level.
Manuela teaches movement research and improvisation in various settings. She has taught at institutions such as AHK Amsterdam, Fontys Dansacademie Tilburg, professional training studios Dock 11 Berlin and 4fT Leipzig, Buitenkunst organization, and numerous cultural centers and independent spaces. She often co-teaches with musicians Ben Brown, Maya Felixbrot and Friederike Wendorf, as live music is an integral part of the movement work.
Manuela curates platforms in Amsterdam, Berlin and Cape Town that foster the interdisciplinary collaboration of music and dance in performance.