Advanced Contemporary – Floor Balance
Friday, March 28, 2025 | 9:30-11 am
Friday, April 4, 2025 | 9:30-11 am
Location: The Ruth Page Center for the Arts | 1016 North Dearborn St. Chicago, IL 60610
Advanced Contemporary – Floor Balance explores body relation to the floor and techniques to improve body fluidity while moving in and out of it. The idea is to provoke the body and improve the core through movement, balance, and listening. To give tools and techniques of how to use the body most effectively so that once the dancers have it, they can deconstruct it in infinite ways. Musicality, spirals, gravity, balance, body structure, articulation, and space are used in the class exercises. Hence, the dancers work on accessing multiple techniques at once and practice using their bodies with full presence.
About the teacher:
Paula Sousa (she/her) is a Brazilian dance artist interested in cultural production and the performing arts. She holds degrees from Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD) in Austria, and the Bolshoi School in Brazil, and has collaborated extensively with artists in Europe and South America. Before recently moving to Chicago, she danced for five years with Balé do Teatro Guaíra in Curitiba, Brazil. She is a former collaborative artist with Projecto Mov_oLA (director: Alex Soares), and Plataforma Shop Sui (director: Fernando Martins), both in Sao Paulo. In 2012, she worked in the Arsenalle della Danza, a part of La Biennale di Venezia, under the direction of Ismael Ivo. In addition to her work as a dancer, Paula is a choreographer, videographer, and movement director. She also has a Public Policy and Administration degree and works in cultural production. Her work can be seen on her website, https://paulasousa.art/. Paula has been a member of Hedwig Dances since January of 2023.
Join us at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts for Open Technique Classes with the Ruth Page Professional Dance Training Program*, on Fridays at 9:30 am. The class will feature rotating guest artists and Ruth Page School of Dance faculty. Method and technique will vary by teacher.
*Ruth Page Professional Dance Training Program (PDTP) serves as a bridge between studio training and a professional dance career. Dancers train and rehearse daily 9 am - 4 pm, from August – June at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts focusing on refining ballet and contemporary technique in an international environment of performers, educators, and mentors. PDTP is designed for dancers between the ages of 17-25 who have completed high school and are preparing for a professional career. Trainees receive individualized coaching from accomplished faculty and curated international guest choreographers. The Ruth Page Professional Dance Training Program also offers international travel* (when available), limited need-based scholarships, and affordable housing. For further information about the Professional Dance Training Program (PDTP), reach out to the Artistic Associate, Maray Gutierrez at pdtp@ruthpage.org