Moving the Edge
Retreat Lab for creative aerial practice with
Ninia Grisito and Clara Larcher
May 21st - 24th
The main goal of the retreat is to offer participants new tools and methods to open up the infinite possibilities of aerial movement research.
As creators and teachers, we would like to share some of the methods that we use for our work and to develop together growing and sharing. We believe that an opportunity to retreat and focus only on creative training can push the limits and landscapes of everyone’s, together with strengthening a trustful group process.
Through creative work we stay open to the unexpected and discover uniqueness.
Timeline: total 16 hours of training and exploration
Thursday: arrival and dinner
Friday and Saturday: Morning and Afternoon workshops
Sunday: Morning workshop and farewell lunch
Description
A three days immersive experience on aerial research in the middle of the peaceful Umbria countryside.
This retreat offers a unique format that focuses on methods for developing our own language on Rope and Silks.
It will be guided by the creative visions of Ninia Grisito and Clara Larcher, both strongly rooted in a journey that moves from improvisation tasks to composition, flowing naturally into the creation of intertwined aerial choreographies.
We aim to detect strengths and weaknesses in order to use them as inputs to develop our own authentic creative identity.
We will focus on the investigation of movement “with” and “from “ the apparatus.
Moreover we will give attention to the strategies that can be useful when building personal aerial choreographies.
From a physical aerial practice we will take out thoughts and reflections, concepts and ideas that go further than the technique: in other words, we will dedicate an important space to “think the practice”.
Focuses:
Understanding the body in motion. We will work on body awareness by experiencing its mobility with exercises both on the floor (biomechanics, somatic practice, energy centres) and in the air (applying the above to the apparatus).
Aerial Time and Space. We will experiment with and analyse both concepts in order to begin using them as expressive tools. Regarding Time, we will focus on rhythm, musicality, silence/pause... and in relation to Space, we will become aware of height, connection to the floor and levels in our progressions on the air.
Connection and Communication. Observation and analysis of group work proposals (duos, trios and more) and our physical relationship with the apparatus to understand the strategies used to generate creative links.
Apart from these main areas of focus, and based on the premise of thinking the practice, we will try to draw attention to other issues such as identifying our limitations and strengths, the relationship between error and opportunity, and the ‘active gaze’ as a tool that facilitates learning.
(*) Important: Bring a notebook, have the option of short leggings, and long trousers and t-shirt (no tank top) for the floor work.
The Teachers
GRISEL…
Grisel, also known as Ninia Grisito, is an Argentinian aerial artist who has specialised in Silks for over 15 years.
She attended the National Dance School No. 1 until the age of 18, when she graduated as a Classical Ballet Teacher. She then entered the IUNA (National Institute of Art) to study the Dance Theater Career, where she studied for several years until deciding to continue her training independently.
As a result of her curiosity on movement, in 2010 she discovered the world of Circus and began training in different disciplines such as acrobatics, trapeze, partner acrobatics, rope, straps and silks with different teachers.
Of all these disciplines, only aerial Silks touch her in a special way. In 2012, she began personal research into this element and ended up developing her own method and technique of movement on the Silks, a method that is constantly evolving and being refined.
In 2019, with the idea of continuing to explore the possibilities of the body in motion and applying them to her own research in fabrics, she reached a turning point in her understanding of the body in motion and began the EME (Specialisation in Experimental Movement) training programme, directed by Jesús Guiraldi and featuring many remarkable teachers.
She has given seminars based on her movement research on Silks in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and Europe, as well as presenting her solo performance Enredos en el Aire in Festivals and Conventions in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay and around Europe.
From 2015 to 2022 she was part of the teaching team of the Escuela del Circo Criollo of the Videla Brothers in Buenos Aires.
Actually based in Barcelona she continues teaching, performing with her solo act ORIGAMI and researching looking for new paths in the fusion between movement and Silks technique.
CLARA…
Clara is an Italian aerial artist, specialized in aerial Rope.
Interested in all formats of movement research, she aims to explore the potential of the body in relation with the aerial apparatus, opening choreographic and narrative possibilities.
She deepened her studies between 2014 and 2019 in Buenos Aires, where she took part in various contemporary dance and aerial acrobatics collective projects.
She attended the program in Dance with specialization Expresión Corporal at Universidad Nacional de las Artes (UNA). Graduated as a Yoga Teacher at the Ananda Yoga School.
Since 2017, she has worked as aerial acrobat in Compañía Depáso, which she co-founded together with José Cereceda. The company has been touring with the show La Trottola around outdoor festivals in Europe.
After attending one year at Flic Circus School, in Turin, and the Laboratorio de Investigación en Aereos by Cata Aguayo, in Barcelona, between 2023 and 2024 she created her first solo piece Araké, researching with aerial rope and an original multi rope apparatus.
She currently lives in Toulouse and tours with her shows and she leads pedagogical proposals in the format of workshop or residency which focus on Aerial Movement Research.
Information:
Addressed to:
The workshop is aimed at people who have an autonomous practice on aerials and that are moved by curiosity. If you are working on personal acts/projects/performances or if you simply want to take time and space to open the horizons of your practice, you are totally welcome to come.
Accommodation:
single beds in shared room (see accomodation section on website for more information)
Additional information:
Participants can choose to stay on-site and have all meals catered during their stay.
Alternatively participants can find their own accommodation and decide to share lunch with the group during training days or figure it out on their own.
Oasi Sorgente is in the countryside so having a car or traveling together is recommended.
Oasi Sorgente can arrange to pick up people from nearby train stations.
Price:
3- day workshop only (16hrs): €350
Including all food and accommodation at Oasi Sorgente:
+ €270 (€620)
Contact for more information about the program:
movingtheedge@gmail.com
