We are two Berlin-based choreographers co-founder of the cie Public in private, working in the field of dance and choreography for 20 years. Together, we have designed a workshop to share our knowledge and experience with a small group of dance makers and dance lovers.
In this workshop, we will share our practice and support participants in trusting their creative process—from sensation to presentation. We will explore how choreography, performativity, and stage practices come together. Through somatic work, improvisation, and engagement with movement, language, and objects, we will investigate how different practices can serve as tools for creating choreography.
Together, we will reflect on questions such as:
– How can somatic exploration, movement, voice, and objects become material for choreography?
– How can they ground our confidence in the work?
– How do we create choreography from this exploration—in dialogue with ourselves, others, and the space around us?
– How can playful and grounding exploration guide the choreographic process?
DAY 1
On the first day, we will focus on how somatic practice can be transformed into choreographic and performative material. Starting with breathing, sounding, and restorative work, we will gradually shift into active states of attention and interaction—with each other and the space. Through games and exercises involving language, spatial orientation, and movement qualities, we will experiment with how sound becomes speech, and how speech becomes movement. Improvisations, set material, and scores will support us in developing tools to bridge somatic exploration with choreographic composition and performance presence.
DAY 2
On the second day, we will turn toward the relationship between bodies and objects as a source of choreographic invention. Everyday objects will be observed, deconstructed, and explored—not only as tools, but also as agents, symbols, and imaginative partners. We will ask how we move objects and how they move us, examining their materiality and symbolic potential, and how they can open dreamlike spaces that nourish choreographic processes.
Alternating between short discussion, movement, and free association, we will explore how objects shape behaviours and generate choreographic possibilities—expanding choreography into a network between bodies, non-human agents, and the stage environment. Our aim is to enrich your process in dialogue with our shared practice, and to support you in finding clarity and confidence in your own choreographic journey.
Last but not least: Engaging with our creative process is a learning process to connects us more deeply to ourselves and the world, it is a pleasurable experience because it enriches our capabilities to access our resources and abilities to connect. It happens through play, trial and error, and even failure—which we will celebrate together for the richness of its lessons. For us, creating is one of life’s great pleasures: while it can demand effort and repetition, it is in this daily work that the magic of creation unfolds.
This workshop is for people with experience in the performing arts, or creatives who are eager to engage in choreographic and stage work—professionals and students are welcome!
About: www.publicinprivate.com / www.clementlayes.com / www.jasnavinovrski.com
Working space: We will be together in the working environment of the cie Public in private, the Studio PIP, where many performances have been created. Here we can work with light and sound techniques. At our disposal will be a collection of objects from previous choreographic works by Public in Private, as well as the wonderfully cozy atmosphere of the studio itself. There is a full equipped kitchen in the building and there are many restaurants close by where you can get food during the lunch brake.
Inscription:
Please send us few lines about your motivation to participate, or if you have any questions. We will send you confirmation and enrollment procedure: info@publicinprivate.com
Price: we make a sliding scale so all people interested can participate (please reach out to us if needed):
reduced: 150€ / regular: 250€ / supporters: 350€
Accessibility
"The Public in Private studio is wheelchair accessible. Please feel free to reach out if you need assistance. We are deeply committed to inclusion and diversity and strive to foster a respectful and joyful environment. Come with a spirit of celebrating diversity!"