Gaga/dancers class with Chen-Wei Lee

9:45am-11:00am (Doors Opens at 9:30)

1hr15min

Dancebase, 14-16 Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2JU

DATES:
Tue/3rd/Dec 9:45-11:00
Thu/5th/Dec 9:45-11:00

Price: £9

Come and experience Gaga class in Dance Base Edinburgh.

As part of Chen-Wei Lee’s residency she will be offering Gaga/people class on Mon/2nd & Wed/4th of December and Gaga/dancers class on Tue/3rd & Thu/5th of December at 9:45am.

Gaga/dancers class is open to professional dancers or advanced dance students ages 16+.

Spaces are limited. It is advised to arrive 15-20 minutes early.

Special thanks to the support of Dance Base Edinburgh and their team for making it possible.

Links to Gaga/people: https://gaga-people-with-weiwei-edinburgh-2019.eventbrite.com

Description:

Gaga is the movement language developed by Ohad Naharin throughout many years. The language of Gaga originated from the belief in the healing, dynamic, ever-changing power of movement.

Gaga/dancers deepens dancers’ awareness of physical sensations, expands their palette of available movement options, enhances their ability to modulate their energy and engage their explosive power, and enriches their movement quality with a wide range of textures. The classes are built on the same principles as Gaga/people classes but also employ the specific vocabulary and skills that are part and parcel of a dancer’s knowledge. The layering of familiar skills with Gaga tasks presents dancers with fresh challenges, and throughout the class, teachers prompt the dancers to visit more unfamiliar places and ways of moving as well, unlocking the endlessness of possibilities. Dancers are guided to connect their effort to pleasure and to discover the virtue of silliness.

In classes, teachers guide the participants using a series of evocative instructions that build one on top of the other. Rather than copying a particular movement, each participant in the class actively explores these instructions, discovering how he or she can interpret the information and perform the task at hand.

Participants should wear comfortable clothes and be prepared to dance barefoot or in socks. It is advisable to bring a bottle of water and a towel for use after class.

To find out more about Gaga, please check the following link:

Article: About Gaga
Video: Natalie Portman on Ohad Naharin's movement language Gaga - from Mr. Gaga by Tomer Heymann
Video: Gaga training and groove at Batsheva Ensemble
Video: Ohad Naharin on the language of gaga

Instructor Biography:
Chen-Wei Lee is a Belgium based Taiwanese artist who began her career as a dancer with Batsheva Dance Company in 2009-2014, during which she worked closely with Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal, and Yasmeen Godder. She was also a guest dancer at GothenborgsOperas Danskompani in 2015-16, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch in 2017 and VOETVOLK/Lisbeth Gruwez in 2018.

She is a freelance dancer, choreographer and Gaga teacher

For more information and update about Chen-Wei:
Website / Facebook

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Special thanks to the support of Dance Base Edinburgh and their team for making it possible.
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For Information please contact Lucas Kao

cplkao@gmail.com/07765605708
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Instruction for participants: (From Gagapeople.com)

We work continuously: The class is one session without pauses, based on a series of overlapping instructions. It is important not to stop while the teacher is giving instructions or in the middle of the session. This allows us to develop our ability to listen to our body while receiving the instructions. If need be, you can always play with the volume of your effort, but without losing sensations that were already awakened.

Layers of information: Each instruction is added to the previous one, layer upon layer, and we continue to attend to the instructions already introduced – and to their impact on our bodies – throughout the duration of the class.

Listen to the body before you tell it what to do: Gaga’s instructions guide us to first listen to the body and to discover its range of sensations. We listen to and work with gravity, the flow of information and energy through the body, textures of the body, and the layers of skin, flesh, and bones. We encourage you to connect to pleasure as you move and to find pleasure especially during effort (effort is different than pain).

We work with our eyes open: We give ourselves the license not only to listen but also to watch and imitate the teacher. You are invited to be inspired by the teacher and by other people in the room. Please be aware of people around you and the space that they need. Additionally, keeping our eyes open during the class strengthens and develops the brain.

Speaking: If you have any questions or remarks, please save them for after class, and then you are welcome to speak with the teacher and other participants. Make sure to turn your phone off before class.

Classes start on time: It is advised to arrive 15-20 minutes early.

Injuries and illness: If you have any limitation, restrictions, or physical pain – permanent or temporary – talk to the teacher before the class starts. The only pain welcome in Gaga is the burning sensation in our muscles.

We work without shoes.

We will be happy to hear any thoughts you have about your experience.