Workshop

Workshop with Sara Manente
Part of Annex Amperdans

Dance is hard to see. Yvonne Rainer, Being watched, 1966

To invite being seen. Deborah Hay, Lamb at the altar, 1994

I look therefore I am. Italian choreographer Sara Manente, who lives in Antwerp, is looking for 12 volunteers to take part in a workshop about looking and being looked at. During four days the participants will explore different practices from performing arts to contemporary dance -inspired by artists such as Dan Graham and Deborah Hay- with exercises in studio, public space, visit to the museum and documentation of the experience that will be daily published in the Amperdans website.

Sara Manente: During the workshop Watching and Being, I propose to work on watching and being watched as actions. Starting from everyday experience, we will test for example when a movement or a position become meaningful or simply attract our attention because of similarities or differences. What slip out of the categories of socially acceptable or too similarly realistic? how can we change the way of seeing something and by doing it change the object of our look? is the relationship between spectator and object always one of desire? If I look intensively at an object, can I change it? If someone looks at me longer than usual, how does that make me feel?

After the performance/installation To park and the public intervention Beatrice, Jaime, Michiel, Ondine, Valerie in Antwerp central station, both based on the imitation of the movement of the audience, both blurring the roles of actors and spectators, we continue the research started with Democratic Forest, in collaboration with Alessandra Bergamaschi and many other participants. You can read more in www.democraticforest.com

Sara Manente premiered her performance Lawaai means hawaai during Amperdans on 16 and 17 October at Monty.

21/10/2009

report of day 1.

22/10/2009

report of day 2.

23/10/2009

report of day 3.

23/10/2009

report of day 4.