Bridges
International Theatre Residence
The theatre meet the community
July 18th till 29th 2019
Oñati (Basque Country, Spain)
Directed by:
Gregorio Amicuzi (Spain-Italy) Physical theatre, direction.
Viviana Bovino (Spain- Italy) Theatre, dance, singing.
Guest master: Parvathy Baul (Kerala-India) Baul singing.
Organized by:
Residui Teatro and Centro de Artesanía de las Artes Escénicas,
with the support of:
Oñatiko Udala, Eltzia, Gaztetxe, Gazteleku. In collaboration with: Irazan Antzerki Gunea and Algaraz ikusizunak.
Bridges is an annual traveling and residential theatre laboratory with the duration of 12 days (90 hours of training). Now in its fourth edition, Bridges was based on the idea of creating a bridge between the theatre and the local community. Offers two parallel spaces – one of the intensive investigation and creation for theactor and/or dancer, and other of interaction and creation with the local community.
On one side, the professional participants will have the opportunity to attend an intensive and highly specialized theatrical laboratory that will allow them to expand and deepen their knowledge of different techniques coming from theatrical traditions of both Europe and Orient. On the other hand, the members of the local community where the residence is held will be invited to participate in some training sessions and to take active part in the final show.
In the mornings the professionals will be working in contact with the nature. There they will practice the techniques of yoga, physical theatre, dance and singing, whereas in the rehearsal room they will work on text and practice dance-theatre techniques.
The afternoons will be reserved for creative work, the professionals will use theatrical improvisation, manipulation of the objects, collective dramaturgy, choreographic composition and singing.
The contact with the local community will be established spontaneously, by living the public spaces. The intergenerational exchange is also encouraged during the different artistic activities proposed to the local population willing to participate, regardless of age and health condition. The focus will be put on the cultural trick*, the local traditions and the requests that come directly from the local population.
In addition to this, the members of the local community interested in the event will be invited to participate in the afternoon sessions. In these sessions they Actively join in thetheatrical activities, together with the professional participants. The aim is to create cohesion and connectedness within the group and develop collective scenic material arising from the group.
The creative work will culminate in the preparation and presentation of the final show in the local village (itinerant or in a specific zone of the village).
Main theme of the artistic work.
As every year, the thematic work of Bridges will be developed in dialogue with the welcoming community of the project. The idea is to find a "local" theme that has a "universal" resonance based on the demands of the community. The theme chosen for this year is: The borders. Basque Country is geographically, politically and culturally a context of borders.
The border is a barrier, a limit but it is also a threshold to move from one territory to another, from one context to another, from one stage to another. The border is a “liminal” space where identity is put at risk.
The international artists and the participants from the local communities will be invited to reflect on the topic and to collect experiences, texts and images related to it.
The specific objectives of the meeting are:
- Offer participants, high theatrical training tools, useful for the definition of a versatile professional profile
- Use art as a tool for personal transformation and to cultivate and develop the community.
WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY
In synergy with local organizers, small daily interventions will be organized in village aggregation spaces (bars, associations, centers, squares, etc.) in order to make visible the presence of international artists, generate the conditions for meetings with the community and promote the final event.
Agreeing with the different associations involved will organize "meetings" so that the artists and the inhabitants can "exchange" at a cultural, artistic and social level.
The director Gregorio Amicuzi will be in charge of "weaving" the show as a great container in which there will be space for international artists and local proposals.
Why Oñati?
First, because last year a young actress from the town participated in the third edition of Bridges in Italy. That guarantees a "bridge" with the community. The actress knows the strength and impact that Bridges can have on a small town and, above all, knows the town.
Second, and not least, the socio-cultural wealth of Euskadi and, especially, of the Gipuzkoa area, can nourish the project and favor the exchange between artists and inhabitants.
Third, we believe in the synergy between institutions, local associations and international entities, generating a space of "mutual learning" where we all win, learn and grow.
PROGRAMM OF THE WORKSHOP
The laboratory will explore the work process of the actors/dancers, focusing on 4 topics for reflection:
- The bridge between the training and the creation;
- The bridge between the different disciplines;
- The bridge between Oriental and Western theatrical cultures;
- The bridge between theatre and community.
In addition to the laboratory we will present:
- “Concert” by Parvathy Baul
- “Notes on happiness”, theatre dance performance directed by Gregorio Amicuzi, performed by Viviana Bovino
- Projection of “ From roots and sky” demonstration work of Cía Residui Teatro
- “Baul song, dance and Theatre” Meeting and interview with Parvathy Baul
The work sessions will be from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm, and from 3:00 pm until 7:00 pm and will entitle:
Training and Creation directed by Gregorio Amicuzi and Viviana Bovino
Breathing and sensorial anatomy/Yoga;
Physical and plastic exercises/ rhythmic exercises;
Body percussion;
Vocal training: prosody (volume, intonation, pause, segmentation) and the research of the organic, singing and for the speaking voices;
Bases of acrobatics for actors/dancers;
Training method “Unknown Dance”, physical principles that generate dance and action in movement, a holistic approach to the body;
Relationship between dance and singing;
Dance-theatre techniques and interaction with the urban/rural/natural space;
Manipulation of objects;
Physical and vocal improvisations;
Creation of the physical and vocal structures/choreographies;
Creation of collective and individual choreographies;;
Character creation;
Creation in relation to urban/rural or natural space;
Staging a show.
In some afternoons will be organized complementary activities such as:
Screening of demonstration work videos;
Participation in the activities carried out by the local community.
Meeting/interview with the guest artist.
Sightseeing at the historical centre by night accompanied by a local guide (in Spanish and English).
Training and Creation with the master Parvathy Baul.
During the workshop, Parvathy will introduce some basic elements of Baul singing practice, incorporating dance and movement of the body. Participants will learn some songs and learn about the Baul tradition through the direct experience of Parvathy and some images that she will show during the workshop.
The Indian artist asks us to remind you that the Baul Parampara is usually transmitted during years of study with a Guru who accompanies the young pupil in the knowledge of the Baul song.
The work sessions will be in: English, Italian and Spanish.
Guest Master: Parvathy Baul (Kerala - India)
Native of Wst Bengal, India, is the most recognized woman Baul performer in the world, Patvathy Baul is practitioner, performer and teacher of the Baul tradition from Bengal, India. She is also an instrumentalist, storyteller and painter. She has performed in over forty countries. She collaborates continuously with the Odin Teatret and is a guest master of the ISTA directed by Eugenio Barba.
She was initiated to the Baul music by two of the most recognized gurus of the previous generation: Sanatan Das Baul and Shashanko Goshai. Parvathy carries and transmits their musical and spiritual heritage.
The Baul’s practices, heirs of an ancient tradition at the crossroads between Hindu bhakti tradition, Sahajiya Buddhism and Sufism, revolve around music and are rooted in the transmission of ancient songs. These sung poems deliver a message of unconditional love, reveal a burning desire for the Beloved as well as a deep serenity, within which we can establish through a disciplined spiritual practice.
Requirements for participants:
Fill out the registration form; Upload the CV and a letter of motivation in the application form before the 4th of July; Choose a text related to the theme of the The Borders. Upload it and learn it by heart; Choose a lullaby, work or folk song, related to the theme (upload the text or link, and memorize it); Choose four illustrations, paintings or photographs related to the theme of "Borders". Upload them and bring them printed; Comfortable clothes for training in open and closed space (sneakers, comfortable trousers at ankle height, etc.); A "special" suit and comfortable shoes that can be used for the final work; Musical instruments and objects that you want to propose for the final show.
Inscription fee and deadline:
The residential laboratory costs 315€ (90 hours of training).
(285€ Grecia, Portugal, Europa del Este, Asia y America Latina), 285€ students or ex-students of Residui Teatro annual courses ).
The fee includes:
all the activities in the residential laboratory.
The accommodation, food and on site transport
Insurance covering all the activities
Transfer:
We like to inform you that we wil pick up the participants from Bilbao or San Sebastian
Transfer timing and location will follow.
Please note that July 18 and 29 are days of arrival and departure. The workshop activities will start July 19th and will end July 28th.
For the participants who do not need the accommodation and food, but want to participate in the residence, the fee is 220€ (it includes the cost of the residence plus the insurance).
The bank transfer can be done to the following IBAN ES64 2038 1179 4360 0053 6424. In the transfer description put your name and the reference ‘booking for BRIDGES residency’;
The receipt of the bank transfer must be uploaded in the application form.
The application deadline is July 4th.
Informations:
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Tel: +34 648665194
www.residuiteatro.com
* The cultural “trick” or “baratto” is a method of exchange that was established in the 1970s by the famous Odin Teatret company during a project in Sardinia. The actors of the company performed their show for a small community. At the end of the show, the members of the local community have decided to thank the actors by teaching them traditional dances and songs of their region. This extraordinary event has nowadays become a practice in Community Theatre for all the companies, like Residui Teatro, that follow the method of the Theatre of Reciprocity developed by Odin Teatret. Residui Teatro is one of the companies that in 2016 started a network of European professional cultural institutions that see theatre as a tool of personal and social transformation.
