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.

Chris Parker

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Chris Parker successfully completed her dance education at the Folkwang University of the Arts and specialised in Limón technique, one of the most important schools in modern dance. José Limón is among the most distinguished 20th century proponents, establishing a dance technique that infuses a special dynamism into the movement sequences through the introduction of such elements as “fall and recovery”, opening the possibility of quickly establishing a feeling of flow. Chris, originally from the US, concluded her studies on Limón technique with Ruth Currier and Clay Taliaferro and others in New York. Chris has been active as a dancer and choreographer in numerous projects since 1980 and was among the first artists at the “Werkstatt”, tanzhaus nrw’s precursor institution. The 1980s were a seminal era for many dance creatives here because many new dance aesthetics, teaching methods and artistic figures, especially from the US, turned them into a rising decade of change for contemporary dance. “I, for example, was lucky enough to be able to experience Pina in my first years at Folkwang University, and also being asked to participate as a dancer in stage productions by Reinhild Hoffmann and Susanne Linke, two more crucial dance theatre figures, in later years.” Chris also encountered choreographers like Christopher Bruce or Hans Van Manen, recalling in conversation that it was a mark of distinction to be active at the “Werkstatt”, because there, one met various artists from all over the world during an era when this was still absolutely uncommon. Chris still feels close to the house to this day, and her well-founded classes are respectful and clear in their communication, supportive and full of humour. She always sees the individual, concentrating on what is already there but might yet need discovery.

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.

Stefanie Schwimmbeck

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Stefanie Schwimmbeck arbeitet seit ihrem Studium an der Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Köln freischaffend als zeitgenössische Tänzerin und Tanzvermittlerin. Als Tanzvermittlerin reichen ihre Erfahrungen von diversen partizipatorischen Projekten über zeitgenössisches Tanztraining für Laien aller Altersstufen und professionelle Tänzer:innen bis hin zu Lehrtätigkeiten an Hochschulen. Sie ist Lehrkraft in der Kreativen Werkstatt der Brotfabrik Bonn-Beuel für kreativen zeitgenössischen Tanz für Kinder und Jugendliche und gestaltet die alljährliche Schulaufführung mit ihren Tanzschüler*innen im Alter von 4–18 Jahren. In Düsseldorf ist sie regelmäßig Teil des Tanzlabors „move on…“ im Akki – Aktion & Kultur mit Kindern e.V.. Die Tanzvermittlung schlägt für sie eine Brücke zwischen Tänzer*innen, Schüler*innen und Zuschauenden und nimmt eine zentrale Rolle in der Stärkung der Kunstform Tanz ein.

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.