vertical dance
The artistic discipline of vertical dance was diffused in the 1970s by Trisha Brown. In her 1974 work, Walking on the Wall, she had her dancers perform on building facades and parallel to the ground, or along the trunks of trees and columns and inside galleries of art. Many companies around the world have continued to develop this kind of research through complex forms of movement and various themes such as the exploration of heights, stunts of virtuosity, and acrobatics.
Today vertical dance joins the work with the contemporary research and themes connected to new possibilities of movement. It makes use of athletic climbing techniques – in some cases utilizing spelunking, or caving, equipment – in an attempt to create diverse poetics able to combine various languages and explore different points of view.
The workshop will focus on architecture as the constant study of form and movement. A general introduction to the theoretical and practical aspects of the work, and to the technical skills and knowledge of equipment and materials (fastening ropes, tying knots, climbing and descending techniques), will be conducted by an Alpine guide. Over the course of the workshop, preparatory training will be conducted both on the ground and in an upright position, and the proper application of balance and weight on a vertical plane will be taught. In addition, we will study certain elements of improvisation along with specific choreographers. Vertical dance, besides being an excellent form of dance training, provides specific instruction in fundamental areas such as posture, weight distribution, and balance. The nature of this type of dance involves a constant and continuous attention toward vertical structure.
Concerning choreographic composition, vertical dance transforms the space in which it performs and allows a transcendence of aesthetic vision with the scope of discovering new points of view.