Workshop
Through a six-day workshop, dance students from LoDa-Lofoten Danser and dance dramaturg Maxwell McCarthy will take up the invitation to work together outdoors, in whatever weather conditions arise, to explore how they can come into a sensitive and dynamic relationship with the outdoor elements and cohabitants of the festival. Through tasks rooted in deep observation, practices of perception in motion, and methods of instant composition, they will move together with sharpened attention to the natural phenomena and processes around them, both big and, perhaps especially, small. They will work on trusting their instincts, as well as responding to one another and to the shifting outdoor elements in real time. If, over the course of the festival, you see a group of young people attempting to share time with a slug munching on a dandelion leaf, dancing on top of stones, or spontaneously running toward a sound that cannot be reached, it very well might be them. Join them in an open sharing of their work on May 30th, followed by an informal conversation about their time together. Come dressed to spend time with them outdoors!
Maxwell McCarthy has been working in the field of contemporary dance for the past 18 years. A native of Wisconsin, he is currently based in Berlin, Germany, and is increasingly occupied with expanding his attention to the world of plants, insects, soil, and all types of natural phenomena that escape the familiar scope of perception. LoDa – Lofoten Danser is a collaboration between Vågan culture school and Vestvågøy culture school. LoDa offers students with commitment and talent a possibility to immerse themselves into their own particular style of dance. In this deep study the students will get several challenges, get to know different techniques of dance and learn methods to create dance themselves. In this immersive study the students will obtain a deeper understanding of dance by working in a more professional environment where they take part in decisions and learn about sound, light and costumes. Regine Gjernes and Marie Solås Børve are project leaders and educators in this endeavour.