AUGUST 2022
SUMMER TRAINING
in-person intensive
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floorwork, improvisation, partnering, acting, dance theater research
VIM VIGOR's SUMMER INTENSIVE provides immersive training and research in contemporary dance-theater in the US. The program is anchored in VIM VIGOR's anatomically sound approach to floorwork in combination with our pioneering dance theater methodology, inviting participants to dive into adaptive and reactive physical pathways, to explore the physical and emotional lines of complex partner work, and to engage narrative devices as an additional resource for improvisational and compositional approaches.
VIM's program is focused on professional development with daily contemporary floorwork classes that improve dancers' athleticism to move with efficiency and healthy alignment, into and out of the floor, as well as their artistry to work with context, emotional impulse and the ensemble. Afternoons are dedicated to workshops focused on improvisation, contact partnering and momentum based mechanics, dance theater exploration, acting, creative practice with the company, and roundtable community discussions. Additionally each day begins and ends with different forms of bodywork - we find these shared moments of healing and reflection allow the efforts and questions of the day to merge with the body's cycles of breath and recovery.
We are committed to nurturing professional dancers alongside artists seeking to expand the range of their technical and performance capability. And though we categorize this as an advanced program, we find that positive encouragement in tandem with creative modifications allow all to pursue their practice fully. Personal growth, communal investment, and evolving cutting edge practices are at the core of our shared work.
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As active artists at the University of Michigan, the company is thrilled to welcome you into a state of the art facility in beautiful Ann Arbor. After two wildly successful programs that occurred during the pandemic, this year feels particularly special as we continue to navigate our collective effort to move back into the studio safely. As such we have continued to subsidize our programming to reflect the grave financial situation all of us are collectively facing. Additionally in solidarity with VIM's DEI initiatives we will offer two 50% scholarships for BIPOC movers interested in joining us.
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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
August 8-19, 2022
TWO WEEKS
MONDAY-FRIDAY 9am-4:30pm
ONE WEEK - $650
TWO WEEKS - $1200
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Application:
To join us in-person, we will require proof of your vaccination. At this time we will still require masks - though stay tuned for updates.
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We ask that you fill out and email our Summer Program Form along with your resume and a video link of you moving. There is no in-person audition for this program, so please share footage that best represents you. Please note, that dancers must be at least 18 years old, but that there is no age limit. All participants should be advised that this is advanced professional training, and while we accept and value a range of experience, expect to be challenged every day.
All materials should be emailed to: info@vimvigordance.com, with SUMMER 2022 APPLICANT in the subject line.
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Tuition:
Once you have been accepted, you will receive a personal invoice sent to your email from PayPal.
This invoice is personal to you and will hold all payments received and balances due. There is a one time $20 processing fee to cover administrative costs. Once your tuition is processed, you will be sent a confirmation email.
Please feel free to email us directly if you have any questions: info@vimvigordance.com
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Location:
The University of Michigan's Dance Department will host VIM VIGOR's educational programming in their state of the art facilities.
The local address is: 1000 Baits Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
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QUESTIONS CAN BE DIRECTED TO info@vimvigordance.com
No meals, housing, or transportation are included in tuition. Housing arrangements and travel arrangements are at the discretion of each student. We do however happily connect accepted participants looking for housing, so that they might find accommodations together. We generally advocate for Airbnb listings or valid Craigslist posts as they are reliable and affordable in Ann Arbor and surrounding area.
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VIM VIGOR AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS
stay tuned for additional offerings
Starting with the basics of a rolling point of contact through which both dancers give and share weight - participants will ride the wave together without judgement, prediction or independent control. Through a guided set of exercises and propositions, dancers will become mind reading daredevils that fall, fly, slide, pivot and support a shared practice. Culminating in a circle of support, dancers will join one another to explore and share; in the moment creative choices will form new pathways and raw material for future creative development.
PARNTER PLAY
IMPETUS
A study of the body as a vehicle for storytelling. This workshop aims to source the impulses that create movement. In order to connect to our experiences and our ability to emote. Viewing movement as the epicenter for communication; we will train our sensitivity to the group mind. In an effort to create context for improvised scores. Working towards efficiency in our actions to create clarity in our narratives.
VIVID STATES / ALTER EGO
VIM VIGOR CREATIVE PRACTICE
I’m interested in raising the stakes and in doing so by thrusting performers into surreal and heightened spaces. I’m interested in physical and psychological triggers and portals. I’m interested in bringing characters to life that begin at our true natures and then breaking through into new and forbidden places. Working with improvisational and theatrical propositions we will look at: what happens when the floodgates of your inner world are opened? Who do you become when you believe in a fantasy? How do we move seamlessly between the surreal and the simple? The balance of listening and reacting will offer unprecedented access into the unknown territories of other people and ourselves. Meisner based acting exercises have been coupled with VIM’s unique theatrical approach to assist dancers in accessing their ability to live truthfully. Monologue and scene study will also be explored.
Bring it all together inside composition research with VIM VIGOR.
We are excited to explore collaborative research methods that expand our toolkit for creative thinking and problem solving. We will dig into challenging prompts, generate many sketches, perform known and improvised scenes, and generally upend the creative practice together. Mind, body and inner life are going to get a work out.
