"Connection"
-March 3rd
-5 hours of "playshops" by Marc Brewer
-3 hour Dreamland Social - Music by DJ Power
Playshop Schedule:
7:00pm-8:25pm
“Surrender to the Process” – Trust, Empathy, and Attention
Connecting is discovery. Connecting with a partner involves surrendering to something larger than the self. In this playshop we will embrace mystery by allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. When feeling gets confused for judgement, and emotions get confused for fear, we begin to misinterpret, mistrust, and close ourselves to deeper connection. But one of the tragic ironies in life is that we feel isolated from each other by the very feelings we have in common, a fear of rejection, failure, or a sense of not being enough. Surrendering and trusting means being open, for wounding, but also for immense pleasure. We will next explore empathy and attention as the glue that further bonds people in a connected relationship. When there is an empathic connection, people feel understood and seen. Seeing and being seen requires one to listen first, and to give without expecting in return.
8:30pm-10:00pm
“Touched by a Feeling” - How Hands Talk
Touch is the basis of our sensory world and our first way of relating with ourselves, others, and our environment. It is a vital aspect of experiencing connection throughout our lives which requires waiting and listening, taking in and responding. In this playshop we will examine how our history and expectations about touch, real and imagined, are present in how we connect with others. Touch IS partnering, and our body language is an outward reflection of our emotional condition. Each gesture or movement can be a valuable key to an emotion a person may be feeling at the time. In this class we won’t just touch, we will feel.
10:00pm-10:30pm
Dinner Break and Connection Q&A (bring your own food/snacks will also be available for purchase)
10:30pm-12:00am (Marc)
“Embodied Connection” - Narrative Communication and Compositional Awareness, Music as Mood
Storytelling through dance is art making. Do you consider yourself an artist or a student of art? In this playshop we will explore how connecting through dance is a way of living in the world which can be both universal and highly personal. Every person physically connects with others through dance and movement - yet fully embodied connection with others is rare. When connection is embodied, it informs your partner and audience of where, how, and why we connect, and who we truly are. We will next challenge our compositional awareness with exercises and games which allow us to practice developing the organization and orientation of our story through several distinct, but interconnected frameworks, all with layered complexity (time and timing, space and spacing, energy and dynamics, movement vocabulary). Lastly we will examine how our choices are informed by music as mood - an energy field or tone painting within which the dancing lives, and music as driver - motivating the dancing; creating a force to ride.
About Marc: As featured on America's Got Talent, internationally renowned artist Marc Brewer, based in Michigan, USA, is one of the world’s most sought-after Afro-Latin Dance instructors, performers, choreographers, and judges. Certified through Broadway Dance Center’s rigorous training program in NYC with a concentration in ballet, and additionally certified in 9 American style competitive ballroom dances, dances in the Afro-Latin genre are his specialty and main focus with extensive training and experience in Salsa, Bachata, Dancesport Cabaret (Lifts, Dips, and Tricks), Brazilian Zouk, and Kizomba. Years of directed study and practice has lead to the development of the Brewer Method, a comprehensive theory and system of partner dancing that explores the convergence of improvisation, performance technique, and connection. He’s rapidly left his mark on the competitive Afro-Latin dance world with recent world championship wins and finalist placements at the 2016 International Bachata Fusion Championship in Albacete, Spain (1st), the 2016 World Salsa Open in Puerto Rico (8th), the 2016 Ultimate Latin Dance Championship Bachata Competition in Las Vegas (1st), the 2016 World Salsa Summit Rising Star Salsa Cabaret (1st) and Rising Star Bachata Cabaret competitions in Miami (1st), the 2013 American Kizomba Open in New Jersey (1st), the 2013 International Kizomba Open in Madrid (3rd), and the 2014 Toronto Bachata Congress Kings of Bachata Competition (2nd). Marc also starred alongside Sara Lopez in Daniel Santa Cruz's critically acclaimed Kizomba music video “Lento” which currently has over 5 million views on youtube. In addition Marc has been awarded the Fujairah Latin Festival “Best Show Award”, twice awarded the Toronto Bachata Congress “Director’s Choice Award”, and won 1st place in the Professional Division in the Zoukality Artistic Challenge at the New York Zouk Festival. With performances and workshops taught in Tokyo, London, Moscow, Sydney, Luanda, Bucharest, Fujairah, Paris, Copenhagen, Madrid, Quebec City, Prague, Vancouver, Reykjavik, Honolulu, Montreal, San Juan, and more....2018 is looking to be the biggest year yet for this international star!
Featuring:
Marc Brewer (NYC)
DJ Power (NYC)
Eric Frawley (NYC)
