THE BODY WITHIN — ON TEACHING AWARENESS AND PERFORMANCE

 

 

»The Body WithIn« is a concept or formula for any-body, that wants to investigate in the/ir body as a tool and vehicle for communication and creative output. If there is anything we are together with at all times, it is our body. So why not be curious about it?

 

»The Body WithIn« is to experience how the/a/our body reacts and relates to its surroundings. Further it is to create awareness of how we learnt to (not) listen and (not) use our body, that may thus allow ourselves to change and adapt to what we feel is more appropriate and honest in order to live among each other as well as on this planet respectfully and in dignity. It is about identifying, when we are active in our life and making and when we are a passenger of our own life and making.

 

»The Body WithIn« encompasses exercises that start every week anew from within the body (meditation and breathing) to gain self-awareness and to raise consciousness towards (1) ones own body, (2) ones own body to space and (3) to other bodies. It then moves into more applied and complex exercises to train and gain awareness, build trust and create a safe space as a temporary community in which my students can be, act, show and share openly and honestly. These include movement based exercises, readings, group work, partner exercises, feedback rounds etc.

 

The teachings will investigate different performance methodologies and strategic forms for creation. Participants will create multiple performances, based on their own complex identities and personal sense of body politics and body understanding. All exercises stem from and include my (embodied) knowledge in performativity, phenomenology, philosophy, media studies, visual arts, butoh, noguchi-taiso, buddhism, taiji, daoism, performing as a practice, martial arts and meditation.

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»The Body WithIn« can unfold in different formats: It can be (1) a one-day-intensive, (2) a multiple days workshop (three to five to eight days for example), or (3) a weekly class that spans over a couple of weeks.

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My teaching language is either English or German.

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In my teachings I intend to create a temporary community with my participants. Trust is an important value. Trust into the self, aka ones own body, and trust into ones fellows. Everybody is of the same origin, as in a human entity. When we show, play and perform in a class/workshop, we offer ourselves to our co-participants as well as they offer themselves to us. There is a constant giving. Giving in circulation; one could say it is our currency. A currency that acts in the realms of acceptance and allowance. There is curiosity, trial and error. There is togetherness in individuality. Everything is allowed and every-body is allowed. My teachings do not need a pre-expertised body. My teachings only need your will power and interest to fully experience your body and bodily potential!

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Lisa Stertz

 

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