AcroModernLab

Join Beatrice Zancanaro (Cirque du Soleil, Franco Dragone) and Alberto Poli (Notre Dame de Paris) for intensive workshop on the fusion between floor acrobatics and modern-contemporary dance.

Adults from 14 years old and older are welcome.

AcroModernLAB is an international project committed to sharing Alberto and Beatrice experience and passion for modern-contemporary dance and floor acrobatics through their one-of-a-kind workshops.

The ultimate goal of this laboratory is showing performers and beginners of all levels and ages how to use their bodies and skills in a completely different way, as well as deepening movement awareness and enriching personal potential, thanks to a very specific and innovative approach to modern-contemporary dance and floor acrobatics.

Moreover, advanced dancers will have the chance to open their minds to the new frontier of the current dance scenario, constantly craving for more and more multitalented performers.

THE WORKSHOP

Day 1: "Insanity Coordination" is a very fast-paced and fun warm-up that blends rhythm with "brain and body awakening", just what it takes to start off with full energy. 

What follows is modem-contemporary dance stretching combined with movements from Pilates, addressed to set the right posture of the body in order to have a strong and dynamic base from where each move and trick is supposed to start and finish. 

The students will then move to a pre-acrobatics workout, which consists in exploring variations of carthweels, handstand and "macacos" (depending on the general level) combined with floorwork movements in order to gradually creates smooth combinations. They will focus on soft landings and fluent transitions between every single move, already aware that they are dancing and not only combining tricks.

Next, the group will start working on more complex acrobatic movements that will eventually be part of the final choreography. Each student will be assisted to adapt the difficulty of the skills to his or her own level.

After a short break, we'll move to Dance Movement research: each student will analyze the interactions between body and space on a deeper scale, starting from fundamental concepts like Laban's cubes and spheres to their application on a upside down position. Working with different speed and rhythm, different levels, different leading parts of the body and 360° directions will help each student exit his or her comfort zone. 

Lastly, the first part of one of our own AcroModern choreographies will be taught to the group.

Day 2: after the warm up as in Day 1, the first part of the class will focus on developing "stage awareness". Creative group "games" will take the students to a personal, inner experience aiming to dig deep into their own emotional baggage and creativity: learning how to balance the space with the group, when to be leaders and when to be followers, creating group empathy and trust will help triggering the mechanisms that allow each performer to give their best in stressful situations (e.g. working in a company or being at an audition).

With all these concepts in mind, we will go over the whole movement training of the previous day and add new elements to it. Once divided in small groups, the students will have the chance to put the creativity work into practice, by completing the choreography with their own group movement research.

This is an unbelievable opportunity for everyone who wants to taste the waters of new acrodance or explore deepening of existing knowledge from some of the best teachers and performers worldwide.