TUESDAY 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
SPRING: May 11th to June 1st, 2021 (4 weeks)
Online due to current restrictions – contact Suzanne to register
$80 full session // No drop-ins
Payment by e-transfer: szumiller@gmail.com
Class in English // Bilingual teacher
CONTENT // Choreographic ZOOM encounters with household objects, things, animals & plants in rooms chez-toi underlines the unique characteristics, abilities and signature movements of the individual through various easy to learn and apply choreographic scores. The 4-week course focuses on our relationships to “home”, developing movement vocabularies and building repertoires through a process-led research in the company of others.
Suzanne Miller’s choreographic work evolves through dialogue with people, place and history using dance as a form of knowledge – memory and making. Immediacy and transformation are central to her work. Using the body as a starting place to commemorate forebears’ and invoke ancestral and artistic lineage attempting to create allegories that activate and revive a social consciousness.
ABOUT THE CLASS // In 1996, I collaborated as a dancer/choreographer alongside three German artists (two sound artists and a visual light-artist) on a series of site related performances touring throughout Western Germany. Performance sites included a train station, a museum, a library, several art houses and a club. Each performance was a “one-off”, processed entirely on-site, using the context of the space (including found objects) to guide our performance scores.
The ZOOM class I’m offering through Studio 303, draws from these kinds of choreographic encounters; where our homes become the context to frame screen dances from our kitchens, living rooms, bathrooms, bedrooms, hallways, stairwells and so on…
This course is 100% COVID inspired, and it will be my first time hosting a ZOOM class. Keep in mind that our homes are private sanctuaries and will be respected. Participants are encouraged to register for the full session on a first come-first serve basis (maximum of 10). The class is not open to drop-ins as continuity in the group promotes trust where we can create and hold a safe space for everyone to listen, think and dance.
These are crazy times and I imagine that dancing to kettles and toasters will brighten up the darkest days of winter. So, despite Covid-19 related setbacks and restrictions, let’s dance, let’s do it with chairs and lampshades, serenaded by the sound of our collective washing machines.
BIO // Working professionally since the age of 17, my formal background in dance embraces a broad spectrum of artistic enquiry. The best teachers in my life are also practicing artists who have the courage to reach beyond what they know to explore and innovate language to extend the conventions of their respective traditions. A culturally diverse, vibrant body of artistic and pedagogical tradition informs what I do. I lead from a fluid, open perspective, while stressing a dancer’s personal expression; a disciplined knowledge of dance technique, choreography, collaborative processes, and dance history. I underline the special importance of preventative and restorative techniques to impart a deep respect for one’s body and a healthy approach to dance practice. I work hard to establish a generous, inclusive atmosphere while setting the highest standards for intelligent and thoughtful artistic practice.
Our company’s productions Suzanne Miller & Allan Paivio Productions have toured throughout North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and most recently, South Asia. We have received numerous arts awards from the Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts et les lettres du Québec, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, The Ministry of Culture and Communications, The National Fund for Culture and Arts (Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, FONCA) in Mexico, and The Wüppertal Arts Council in Germany.
Photo : “SETE: The Water Project”, The National Academy of Dance in Rome Italy (2016).
Choreographer and photo credit: Suzanne Miller
Evening classes are open to all levels, and it is recommended to register in advance for one or multiple classes.
Registration is done directly with the teachers, please contact them if you need additional information.