Choreolab 2024
January 8th - 19th 2024
Tapere Nui, Te Auaha
Wellington
Applications for Choreolab 2024 are now open!
New Zealand’s renowned professional development event for dance and movement practitioners. Challenge and develop your practice in a supportive environment.
Choreolab 2024 will feature workshop leaders Javito Mario, Rose Tapsell and Villa Lemanu. This year we will be offering additional short evening workshops and discussions from financial management to marketing dance - see application form for more info.
As always we are welcoming applications from professional dancers/arts practitioners and tertiary dance graduates.
Choreolab 2024 Workshops
Week One: Javito Mario (Spain)
Week Two (Morning session): Rose Tapsell (Aotearoa)
Week Two (Afternoon session): Villa Lemanu (Aotearoa)
Application Details
The closing date for applications is Sunday 19th November 2023
If you have any questions about the application process please email Artistic Manager Anita Hunziker anita@footnote.org.nz
Please note that you will need to pay to secure your place and payments are non-refundable.
Successful applicants will be notified on the 20th November.
Fee includes the boat trip social and evening workshops.
$280* Early bird fee (if paid by 7th December) or $330* (to be paid in full by 16th December).
*Fee is non-refundable. We will consider transfers case by case.
Workshop details
Week One: Javito Mario
WE ACTIVATE THE UNCONSCIOUS AND CONSCIOUS STATE THROUGH THE EXPLORATION OF MOVEMENT AND A GUIDED EXPERIENCE, FOCUSING ON THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION IN ORDER TO DEVELOP OUR INDIVIDUAL POTENTIAL
WORKING IN 3 BLOCKS
Joint mobility and coordination: We will explore anatomical concepts and motor skills, which will let us work the movement from a natural and comfortable place and develop body awareness.
Development of the technique: We will study the connection between dance and acrobatics, we will work on the technique and we learn to embrace it through choreographic elements.
Improvisation and group work: We will focus on creativity in order to discover new paths that will serve as an inspiration for collective learning.
ABOUT JAVITO
Javito is an artist, dancer and acrobat from Granada, Spain. He began his career studying for a degree in Sports Sciences at the University of Granada and completed his training at the professional schools FLIC contemporary circus school in Torino (Italy) and SEAD Salzburg Experimental Academy Of Dance (Austria). His works include the collaboration with La Putyka Company (Prague) in projects such as Restart under the artistic direction of Rosta Novák, Eva Duda Dance Company production Ramazuri in Budapest (Hungary), Macbeth in Liceo Theater Barcelona (Spain) choreographed by Antonio Ruz, the Opera festival from Salzburg Festspiele in the play The Bassardis directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski and choreographed by Claude Bardouil, and the play Mèdèe directed by Simon Stone. His latest project, SAMSARA, is a duet with Chey Jurado and his solo project Kyklos.
Week Two (morning): Rose Tapsell
Who is it that makes dance? Is it ‘us’, these gatherings of humans? Is it you? (However many yous are in you).
Who else is here? What is the space doing (or obstructing)? More-than-human, organic, animal, metal, rock, plastic, gaseous, fluid, rusting, creaking, warping, festering, fraying, sprouting, tumbling -- a memory echo waving from somewhere in deep time, a vision ripple puzzling from somewhere in the future, an unspoken etiquette, a power-dynamic, a history forgotten, or retold (and by who?) - inside and outside, negotiating through or around or as a body. When we get quiet, what catches eyes? What is tugging, ignoring us, eating us slowly? How do we recognize and listen to these agencies? What happens to dance-making when we do?
Working with somatic practice, improvisational scores and choreographic tasks, we will approach dance-making as a practice of whakawhanaungatanga. We will explore dancing as resonating with each other, things, space, place, and the outside within us.
ABOUT ROSE
Photo: Rose Tapsell in Pōhutu by Bianca Hyslop & Rowan Pierce, photo by Āio Media
Rose Tapsell is a dance artist and bodyworker born and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau and hailing from Ngāti Whakaue, Raukawa, and Pākehā whakapapa. They had the privilege of dancing with Footnote New Zealand Dance from 2019 to 2021 and are currently undertaking a Master's research in Dance Studies at the University of Auckland.
Currently, Rose is engaged in practices of regenerating and restorying their dance practice through deepening connection to the mātauranga within their whakapapa. They’re inspired by the growing community of artists in Aotearoa and globally working with regenerative, place-based kaupapa, as well as the kōrero of writers such as Bayo Akomolafe, Sophie Strand, Joshua Schrei and Tyson Yunkaporta.
Week Two (afternoon): Villa Lemanu
During his workshops, Villa will be delving into a variety of creative concepts, many of which have stemmed from his independent research project, 'Creative Wednesday' - a weekly exploration into various artistic processes. His main focus is on the synergy of textual elements and character development, with the ultimate goal of deepening the connection to the art of storytelling.
Participants can anticipate various processes, techniques, and engaging activities, all drawing from Villa's extensive research and experience. He also delves into the realm of self-driven creative practices, which have been a cornerstone of his own artistic journey. Villa aims to deepen participants' personal connection with their artistic voices
ABOUT VILLA
Villa Junior Lemanu is a graduate of the Dance Studies degree at The University of Auckland (2018). An award-winning performer who has been heavily involved in the dance industry for the last 9 years specializing in contemporary dance, traditional pacific movement, improvisation and open street-style movement - working with a multitude of well-credited artists across multiple platforms and genres. He also has been a long term member of Massive Theater Company where he has trained in physical theater practices and debuted his first professional theater performance in The Wholehearted (2016-2017). His acting expertise extends to on-screen works such as The Panthers (2021), Far North (2023), We Are Still Here (2022) as well as the short films My Friend Michael Jones (2018) and Atali’i O Le Crezent (2022) where he was awarded both times the Toi Whakaari Best Actor Award at the Show Me Shorts Film Festival. He is very interested in researching further into his dance and acting practices as well as sharing his knowledge with future generations.