Tanztheater Intensive 2026 Centre 151 | 6 – 10 July
11.00 – 16.00 (14.00 – 18.00 on Wednesday)
£240 (£200 Concession / Early Bird)
(Early Bird until Sunday June 21)
Reserve your spot under info@lookatmovement.co.uk
Centre 151 – Van Huynh Co. will be the host to another Tanztheater Intensive. A whole week covering all three elements that shape the art form of Tanztheater:
Technique | Improvisation | Choreography
What to expect
1) Technique: Learn the technique developed by Kurt Jooss and Sigurd Leeder, which laid the foundation for the technical approach of Pina Bausch’s work.
2) Improvisation: Dive into the improvisation technique of questioning and answering to create meaningful and expressive material.
3) Choreography: We will devise a short choreography culminating in a sharing on the last day of the workshop.
This quote by Confucius sums it up quite well actually:
By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
The Technique element is the imitation, in which you copy my movement and therefore learn the common language of the technique. This will be positively challenging for the brain and body but is still easy to follow. We usually start the day with a game or free improvisation and then move on to feet exercises, plies, arm phrases and drops before we learn shorter choreography snippets.
The Improvisation element is the reflection, in which we find the movement first within (in contrast to the technique where the movement is learned through the outside) What makes this part noble is the fact that you can no longer imitate so you put yourself into the centre of the creation. This can still be an improvisation on a body principle such as size, speed or weight but it can also draw from other art forms such as paintings or drawings and much more.
And lastly the Choreography element is the experience, in which we build a piece together. The hard part and also the most rewarding part is that we maintain the focus for all 5 days so we constantly add and refine and adapt to dive even deeper into the material. We also keep in mind how a potential audience will perceive it so this process requires a depth and emotional availability.
Level:
Open Level As both the improvisation and the choreography element of our intensive week are based on tasks and individual expression we advertise this week as open level. For professional dancers the technique class every morning will serve as a great warm and will still be challenging enough due to the specifics of the technique. For non professional dancers or participants with movement experience other than dance the morning class might be slightly challenging but please feel encouraged to join and learn as the technique gives you a chance to appreciate the movement vocabulary we use throughout the week.
Payment:
£240/£200
(Early Bird offer (£200) applies until Sunday 21 June)
We encourage you to come the whole week as that is the idea of an intensive but we understand that sometimes that is not possible. The minimum amount of days we recommend though is three days.
If you cannot come every day please drop us a line via the email provided below and we find a solution.
Same goes for those of you who would like to come but cannot afford the full price. Try and take advantage of the early bird offer but again, sometimes life is just a little more complicated. We do not want money to stand in the way of you experiencing the beautiful art form of Tanztheater so please get in touch and we will discuss the situation and find a solution.
Please use this email address to reserve your spot and to arrange the payment: info@lookatmovement.co.uk
Structure:
(Wednesday is a different schedule from 14.00 – 18.00)
11.00 – 12.30 – Class
- Adrian teaches a contemporary dance theatre class, inspired by the aesthetic of Pina Bausch and the beautiful strength and artistic expression of Tanztheater. The exercises and sequences in this class are very precise in dynamic, shape and intention. The main goal, however, is to use the technique in order to express an emotional state. The class aims to let go of any unnecessary extras and consequently strives to use conscious and meaningful movements. This class is expressive, strong and artistic and will allow you to visualize your emotional state, let yourself go and experience your art on a deep level best described as “losing yourself in dance”.
12.45 – 14.00 – Improvisation
- Alongside general improvisation techniques on dynamics, quality and range of movement we will most intensively dive into the intention of movements. The why plays a huge role in the Tanztheater approach. We will work with the approach of questioning and answering in which you will be given tasks in the shape of questions or sentences to which you find individual answers based on your person. This technique is a soul searching journey and will generate unique and meaningful material. This part of the workshop will also include some theory so you can take away useful tools for your own practise.
14.30 – 16.00 – Choreography and Repertoire
- In addition to the improvisation element of this workshop we will create our very own choreography which will be shared at the end of our week on Friday at 15.00.The choreography will be devised by your individual material using the the improvisation approach described alongside material given by Adrian himself. The questions and tasks will be carefully selected to allow enough freedom for you to create freely but also to lead us all to a result we are proud to share at the end of the week
ABOUT ADRIAN
Adrian Look is a freelance dance artist and lecturer for Tanztheater based in London. He is also the artistic director and choreographer of T a n z t h e a t er Adrian Look (TAL), founded in 2014. TAL has since performed at Sadler’s Wells, Stratford Circus and The Place.
Adrian studied Dance Theatre (Tanztheater) at the Fokwang University in Germany, whose alumni include Pina Bausch, Reinhild Hoffmann and Susanne Linke. After graduation, he was a soloist in the dance theatre company Tanztheater Bielefeld for three years, followed by two years of freelance projects in Germany, Switzerland and the UK.
Adrian has worked with several dancers from the Pina Bausch-Tanztheater Wuppertal – Company including Dominique Mercy, Malou Airaudo, Rainer Behr and Stephan Brinkman, and danced in works by Gregor Zöllig, Urs Dietrich, Guilherme Bothelho (Alias Company), Simone Sandroni (Deja donné), Giovanni Netzer (Origen Festival) and Rainer Behr (Pina Bausch).
Adrian has taught workshops in contemporary dance, ballet, and improvisation for over ten years and has led classes for various professional companies, including Alvin Ailey II, Tanztheater Bielefeld and the Origen Festival in Switzerland.
In April 2014, Adrian moved to London and has since taught regular classes and workshops at The Place, Trinity Laban, Chisenhale Dance, Siobhan Davies and Greenwich Dance. Adrian is a lecturer at Morley College and a visiting lecturer at the University of Bedfordshire.