Liegende Frau mit viel Stoff. man sieht nur den Mittelteil ihres Körpers.

Modern Dance

Modern dance, not to be confused with contemporary or modern dance, can be traced back to three US-American choreographers: Martha Graham (“contraction and release”), Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman (“fall and recovery”). The lineage later goes on to include choreographers such as Merce Cunningham and José Limón. The impulse of this rich dance development from the outset of the 20th century lies in the differentiation towards ballet convention as well as in a politically utopian vision. While the first generation in modern dance propagated the expression of individuality and emotion, later artists like Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp directed their perspective in the direction of other aspects. With Merce Cunningham, who turned toward principles of coincidence, of improvisation and collaboration with music and visual arts, the transition to modern dance was completed.
What does this mean for today’s classes? tanzhaus nrw teachers would probably answer: Modern dance’s possibilities are very much alive and well today, and they are – in contrast to contemporary dance – not entirely freed from a set form but rather bound to a specific movement technique and aesthetic. Go try it out, the flow will appear faster than you think.

 

Instructors

Carlo Melis

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Carlo Melis is among the most longstanding teachers at tanzhaus nrw. He has been teaching modern and jazz dance at the house since 1989, integrating influences from contemporary dance. “Contemporary dance’s freedom challenges standardised techniques in modern and jazz dance, turning the gaze inward.” Accordingly, Carlos’ classes focus less on learning a technique but rather on rediscovering a strategy we have been carrying within from our earliest childhood movements: Being curious, experiencing oneself and one’s body, feeling one’s own emotions. The participants work on movements, but also always on their origins. “We only start dancing when emotions drive movements.” Carlo entered vocational training to become a construction engineer for the sake of his parents, yet he has been fascinated by the arts early on in his youth, playing in physical theatre and in Living Theatre. Following a workshop with Bob Curtis, a pioneer in Afro contemporary dance, Carlo discovered dance: “I had never experienced such intensity. From that moment on, I knew that I wanted to dance.” So, he started studying classical ballet, modern and jazz dance in his homeland of Sardinia at age 26. Later, he also graduated with a degree in theatre and dance education from several Italian universities. During a dance scholarship at the Folkwang University of the Arts, Carlo received tuition by great Wuppertal choreographer Pina Bausch, an experience that influenced his subsequent dance works. He contributed to TV productions, worked with numerous companies and taught at Arnhem University as well as elsewhere.

Elisa Marschall

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Elisa Marschall ist eine deutsch-nicaraguanische zeitgenössische Tänzerin, Performerin, Choreografin sowie Tanz-, Yoga- und Theaterpädgogin. Sie absolvierte ihr Tanzstudium an der Folkwang Universität der Künste in Essen und an der ArtEZ Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Arnheim (Niederlande). Bisher hatte sie Gelegenheit mit Regisseur*innen und Choreograf*innen wie Susanne Linke, Anna Holter, Maura Morales, Philipp Stölzl, Andreas Rosar, Carlus Padrissa sowie mit artcenisco performing arts, Sepidar Theater und das Theater der Klänge u.a. zusammen zu arbeiten. Im Jahr 2014 zertifizierte sie sich in Indien zur Yogalehrerin. Seitdem unterrichtet sie leidenschaftlich gerne Gruppen sowie einzelne Personen. 2020 absolvierte sie eine Ausbildung zur Theaterpädagogin in BuT® an der Akademie off-theatre in Neuss. Seit 2021 ist sie Mitglied des Forumtheaters Inszene in Köln, wo sie als Schauspielerin sowie Moderatorin in der kulturellen Bildung tätig ist. Derzeit absolviert sie neben ihrer künstlerischen Tätigkeit einen Master in Szenischer Forschung an der RUB.

Tanja Emmerich

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Tanja Emmerich started dancing ballet at age eight. Later on, she took additional classes in modern dance and jazz with Carlo Melis and others. As a youth, she discovered the variety on offer at tanzhaus nrw and took even more classes in jazz dance and hip hop. Tanja studied at the ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem and completed her dance pedagogy studies at the Weber-Schule in Düsseldorf. Following this, she obtained a certificate as a dance pedagogue at the Ballettseminar Stuttgart under the direction of Eva Steinbrecher. She has been teaching children, youths and adults in different dance styles while also working regularly as a choreographer for dance and theatre productions such as the Neusser Musical-Wochen. She has been a member of the core instructional team at tanzhaus nrw since 2015.