AtTention. Complicities of Moving Bodies is a choreographic project built at the intersection of two key concepts: attention, as a selective and directive form of thinking, and the body, as a medium/space of practical and theoretical intersections in dance, theater, visual arts, and film. The project proposes a structured format of practices and artistic products (performative walks, workshops, theoretical lectures, performances) that collectively address contemporary themes through/about/for the body. It encourages collaboration between artists and mediates an interdisciplinary understanding of the subject. 

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The program will take place from October 9th to 11th at Klara and Rosa (Šandora Petefija 15). The program will be in English.

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ACTIVITIES:

The Power of Vulnerability | Wednesday, October 9th at 6 PM – workshop @Klara and Rosa

Bodies in Motion | Thursday, October 10th, 3PM - Workshop @Klara i Rosa

Work, Emotions, and Energy Enter a Bar | Friday, October 11th at 7:30 PM – performance @Klara and Rosa

The Hipersensorial Body | Ways of Listening and Paying Attention | Friday, October 11th at 11 AM – performative walk & talk @Klara and Rosa

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The Power of Vulnerability | Wednesday, October 9th at 6 PM – workshop @Klara and Rosa

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I have been thinking a lot about vulnerability lately, in this year in which I have received a lot of encouragement to "be strong", in a personal context that demands more of me than I can manage. At first I was struck, even annoyed by this advice. It wasn't very clear to me why I wasn't receiving this encouragement well, or why people felt the need to tell me this, of all things. We are often urged, both women, but especially men, to be strong, to bear the burdens, not to show weakness, that is, not to be vulnerable. With these habits and compulsions of power, we neglect or deny the need to be vulnerable or to let the one next to us be vulnerable. I was reminded of the work of American researcher Brené Brown and revisited some of her work, trying to put it into a somatic perspective. Thus was born the dance therapy workshop 𝐏𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐕𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭ăț𝐢𝐢, which takes place at 𝐀𝐭𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬.

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What will we do in this workshop?

*We will connect to our own body, its sensations and emotions, in a relaxing and safe environment. **We will discuss personal experiences and find a way to express them through movement. *** We will use dance and movement to become aware, through the body, of the dedicated theme of this workshop.

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The workshop is open to all adults, regardless of age and movement experience (no dance or movement experience required), limited to 10 participants. This workshop does not replace the dedicated psychotherapy process.

Facilitator - Irina Marinescu (demarinescu.com)

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Bodies in Motion | Thursday, October 10th, 3PM - Workshop @Klara i Rosa

In my perception, the body is a complex reality, conditioned by its biological determination, transformed by complex psychological processes, socially determined and susceptible to be transfigured artistically, symbolically, poetically. The thought around the body is based on the formulation and reformulation of questions about the body. Dance is the space where these questions and transformations take shape.

Over 16 years of dance practice, during which I have been building, mediating and facilitating contexts for dance - for professionals or amateurs alike - I have always valued differences, particularities and personal movement.

I propose a three-hour collective in which we will explore, through movement and dance practices, situations and contexts that will turn our attention towards exploring and enriching our own corporeality. We will discover different ways of being in movement, we will train our sensibility and sensitivity, we will access new possibilities of imagining dance and being together.

There is a double stake here: human and artistic. I am aware of the complexity of the body subject, of the conditioning that our bodies contain. At the same time, I am aware of the liberating potential of movement. Artistically, in the deeply personal exploration of movement I discover new possibilities and potentialities. In what ways can we (still) think, feel, imagine our bodies in motion?

*the workshop is open to everyone, regardless of their level of experience

Andreea Novac

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Andreea Novac is a choreographer and performer based in Bucharest, Romania. Born in 1981, she graduated in Psychology (BA) and Choreography (BA, MA, PhD) at National University of Theatre and Film, Bucharest. She started making her own work in 2008 and some of her performances were presented in various national and international contexts. She participates regularly in dance, research, composition, and improvisation workshops in Europe. Artistic residencies in Great Britain, Estonia, Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Luxembourg, France, Ireland, and Romania. She received a series of scholarships to participate in the movement research workshops in Italy and Germany and regularly teaches classes for professional and amateur dancers, actors and works in theater and film. She is the co - founder of Developing Art Association and worked as an artistic consultant within National Dance Centre Bucharest, co-curated Bucharest International Dance Film Festival in 2020 and was the artistic director of Caleido Festival in 2020, 2021, 2023. Since 2022 she is an associated artist at Areal. She received the best choreography award for her MA graduation work offered by the National University of Theatre and Film Bucharest and The Excellence Award offered by National Dance Centre Bucharest for her contribution to the development of contemporary dance in Romania.

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Work, Emotions, and Energy Enter a Bar | Friday, October 11th at 7:30 PM – performance @Klara and Rosa

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Stress is the physical and psychological response to the perception of a threat, real or imagined. Even if we are unconscious about its effects, they take a toll on us. Prolonged stress leads to exhaustion. In the context of a highly punishing (work) culture, the unfinished, perpetual stress cycles lead to burn-out. With this premise in mind, while being part of the 2022 (burn) OUT artistic residency I have looked at the relation between work, energy and emotions. How do work relations, gender pressures and the type of energy we invest and receive from work mold our response patterns? How are emotions perceived and manifested in the body? The resulting performance – Work, Emotions and Energy Enter a Bar – is a one woman show that leads the public through a embodied, multifaceted gender story about burn-out. Irina Marinescu

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The Hipersensorial Body | Ways of Listening and Paying Attention | Friday, October 11th at 11 AM – performative walk & talk @Klara and Rosa

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Starting from simple actions such as mindful walking or active listening in public spaces, we will explore how opening our bodies through eco-somatic practices changes our perception of the relationship between the internal and external environment. We will spend 3 hours wandering around. The meeting point is Klara i Rosa (Šandora Petefija 15).

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The experience is dedicated to anyone interested in entering into a deeper connection with nature and themselves.

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Maximum participants: 12

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Alina Ușurelu (b. 1990), is a multidisciplinary artist. She uses imagery, her body, and words to introduce audiences to unseen worlds. She is interested in the intersections between various environments, fields, and cultures, as well as speculative narratives. The themes she tackles in her artistic proposals have to do with sexuality and sexual identity, mental health, and the more-than-human world. In 2014 she began her studies in photography and joined the contemporary dance community; in 2016, she created her first dance short film, and in 2017 she founded the Developing Art Association, with choreographers Irina Marinescu and Andreea Novac. In 2019 she participated in an intensive development program in Lisbon - Forum Dança - and began to work on projects and to participate in international residency programs as a performer, visual artist, or artistic director. www.alinausurelu.com

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Details about the project AtTention.Complicities of Moving Bodies can be found on Instagram @a.developing.art and Facebook @We are Developing Art. More information about the activities run by the Developing Art Association is available at www.developingart.org..

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AtTention.Complicities of Moving Bodies is a project run by the Developing Art Association, co-financed by the National Cultural Fund Administration (AFCN).

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Institutional partners: Klara I Rosa, Tatavaka, Koralja Zlarin Center, Cărturești, Sandwich. Media partners: Radio România Cultural, Adevărul, Zile și Nopți, Ziarul Metropolis, Observator Cultural, Revista Golan, The Institute, Bookhub, Capital Cultural, life.ro, Mindcraft Stories, Iscoada, Happ.ro, Spotmedia.

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This project does not necessarily represent the position of the National Cultural Fund Administration. AFCN is not responsible for the project’s content or the way its results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the project’s financial beneficiary.