Pro Dance Oxford Workshop with Georgia Tegou and Kristina Pulejkova

What to expect:

This workshop will be using dance, collaborative drawing techniques, Augmented (AR) and

Virtual Reality (VR) to explore connections between dance and drawing through the creative use of technology.

Through a series of group exercises, spanning from movement improvisation, line drawing on paper, to mixed reality drawing using mobile devices (AR) and drawing in VR using TiltBrush software, participants will be prompted to translate drawing into movement, both individually and as a group.

By showing how drawing can be translated into movement and vice versa through the use of interactive mediums of AR and VR, the workshop will aim to spark participants’ imagination and inspire interdisciplinary thinking.

No previous experience in drawing, dance or using AR / VR technology is needed. Open to dancers, choreographers, performance and theatre makers, visual artists, designers, and people interested in creative thinking.

https://www.georgiategou.com/dancevrworkshops

Kristina Pulejkova

Kristina Pulejkova is a visual artist based in London. Her interdisciplinary practice is informed by science and technology. Kristina’s work explores how the use of technology might lead to greater forms of sustainability in human-nature relationships. Working across moving image, sound and installation, she aims to build subjective narratives based on scientific data and principles. In her work, she tends to imagine voices from creatures, objects, and even atoms to inhabit non-human perspectives. Through the use of immersive technology, her works often deal with environmental issues, telling personal stories that place audiences at the centre of the scene, allowing for a protagonist’s perspective and a different way of seeing. Kristina holds a Magisterium Degree (BA + MA) in Painting and Animation from the University for Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria (2012) and an MA Degree in Art and Science from Central Saint Martins, London, UK (2014). She is the recipient of the inaugural FLAMIN Fellowship by Film London (2017). Kristina’s works have been exhibited/screened at Ars Electronica, Linz, AT, the National Gallery, Skopje, NMK; MoCA, Skopje NMK; The Science Museum, London, UK; MAN Museum, Sardinia, IT; The V&A, London, UK; MAK, Vienna, AT; Project Space Kunsthalle, Vienna, AT; Het Glaspaviljoen, Eindhoven, NL; Upstream Gallery, Amsterdam, NL; Art COP21 Paris, FR; Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK; Art Licks Festival, London UK; Lewisham Art House, London, UK; and Royal College of Arts, London, UK amongst others.

Georgia Tegou

Choreographer and stage director, Georgia Tegou’s work approaches ‘Dance-as-design’, intertwining choreography with design to create immersive visual environments. Drawing inspiration from architecture, sculpture, visual arts, science and philosophy, she explores the symbiotic relationship between dance and spatial arts, seeking to encapsulate nuances of the human condition. Her work has been presented by Dance Umbrella, Sadler’s Wells, Royal Opera House, Venice Biennale of Architecture, Onassis Stegi, Greek National Opera, The Place, ZfinMalta National Dance Company among others. She is a Higher Education Academy Fellow, previously a Senior Lecturer at the University of Roehampton, and continues to guest lecture globally. She is an artist in residence at Somerset House Exchange, a programme supporting extraordinary interdisciplinary practitioners and one of RESIDENT 6 artists at Studio Wayne McGregor pushing boundaries of dance, movement and physical Intelligence.

A brief outline of the day:

10.00 - 10.40 Dance Workshop led by Georgia

The first part of the workshop consists of movement improvisation and set material exercises aiming to awaken the body and fine-tune all the joints’ articulation. We will focus on understanding body mechanics and on using breath to find a sense of space and flow within the body.

10.40 - 10.50 ten minute break10.50 - 11.40 Drawing and Movement led by Kristina and Georgia
Using felt tip pens to draw on paper, participants are asked to explore line drawing as a journey, walking a line across several sheets of paper. Starting as individual journeys, the participants will then move into groups and explore their drawings combined into group journeys. After collaging a group work of combined line drawings, participants are asked to interpret the journey as movement, thinking about the line drawing as a choreographic score.

11.40 - 11.50 ten minute break

11.50 - 12.45 Drawing and Movement in VR + AR led by Kristina and Georgia
Building on the previous two sessions, participants are divided into groups and each group takes turns doing exercises in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. Focusing on the interdisciplinarity and the interchangeability of mediums, we are using a blended approach of mixed reality, where the movement drawings can be seen as part of the physical space. The groups can experience each other’s work in the virtual space, watching tasks unfold on a screen using projection.

A mobile application is needed for this task and participants are asked to use their mobile phones.

12.45 - 13.00 Reflections

When and where to arrive:

The Old Fire Station has three entrances, we would advise you to use the entrance on George Street which will take you directly to the reception area.

We would recommend arriving about 30 minutes before the workshop start time. There are changing rooms on site, a member of Pro Dance Oxford will be around should you need anything, and the Arts at Old Fire Station Café do an amazing cup of coffee!

Suggestions for the Lunch Break:

Oxford has an incredible independent food and drink community including the wonderful Damascus Rose Kitchen who are based out of the Arts at The Old Fire Station Café (The falafel wrap is our favourite!)

Other local hotspots that are all a short walk from the theatre are:

The Handle Bar (Coffee and Food) on St Michaels Street

Alpha Bar (Salad and Sandwiches) in Oxford’s Covered Market

The Art Café (Coffee and Food) opposite The Westgate

The Gloucester Green Market also has an amazing range of street food stalls and is open Wednesday-Saturday - it also is on the doorstep of The Old Fire Station if you use the Gallery Entrance!

Supported by Arts at The Old Fire Station, Dancin' Oxford, and Thomas Page Dances