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Studio Matejka Workshop led by Matej Matejka Fri–Wed 6–11 March 2015, 10:30–19:00 Na Grobli Studio Contact and application Please send your completed application form and CV to Agnieszka Æwiel±g at studiomatejka.workshops@gmail.com by 20 February 2015. The workshop will be restricted to a limited number of participants. Fee 210 EUR Workshop will be conducted in English.  Contradictions are not a limitation, but rather, by focusing simultaneously on opposite ideas, they open doorways for the inner, primal sources of the body and mind to resonate and flow through voice and movement. Reasoning versus nonsense, spontaneity beside intentions, perfection and imperfections overlap reflecting our existence as a dynamic fusion of contradictions. By tracing the movement of the body through this labyrinth of oppositions, we come to a deeper understanding of our individual physical and vocal identities, the different voices that mirror our own fragility and strength. Through a laboratory model that seeks to break the borders between dance, theatre and movement techniques, we aim to unlock the potentialities for beginnings, where action is born. This is an invitation to delve into the rigorous and experimental workspace that defines Studio Matejka. The aim is not to create bodies that are plastic devices in service to the storytelling of theatre, but on the contrary, to instill a practice that keeps the physical body a well-cleaned instrument, capable of complex subtle expression. By engaging the entire body-mind, the body becomes a luminous reflection of the inner thoughts and the channel for the self. Matej Matejka • respectful and focused working environment • the building of a personal, daily physical practice • sensitivity and listening through partner and group relation • awakening the anatomy of the body to develop readiness for action • transformation from physical training into creative improvisation • composition of physical structures • group rhythmical pulse and body rhythm The workshop is targeted towards practitioners with an interest and experience in theatre or dance. It is open both for professional actors and dancers. This challenge requires serious focus and precision from all engaged in the work. It is open to those who are willing to explore less common fields of physical expression. Creative Preparation Chosen participants will be asked to bring: • three images of any personal inspiration (printed hard copies), • bring a text which has personal value (written by other author or participant) (printed copies), • if you have any competency with a musical instrument, please bring it to the session. Conditions for Work • comfortable training clothing for dynamic movement and strenuous work (spare shirts recommended) • actors should be present in the space 20 minutes before a session begins for individual warm-up and stretching • only water and notebook/pens will be allowed in the space in order to keep a clean and hygienic working atmosphere Studio Matejka is a laboratory ensemble investigating the potential of the expressive body within the actor’s craft. In its initial eighteen-month project, the Studio has worked in many contested areas in physical performance: between theatre and dance, between form and spontaneity, between collective resonance and individual expression. More information: www.studiomatejka.com Matej Matejka is a director, choreographer, actor, teacher, founder and leader of Studio Matejka He studied acting at the State Conservatory in Bratislava, Slovakia, later at JAMU University, Brno, Czech Republic. From 2001 to 2006 he was an actor with the theatre studio Farm in the Cave, Prague, and co-creator of the projects and performances Dark Love Sonnets, Journey to the Station and multi-awarded SCLAVI/The Song of an Emigrant (Fringe First, Total Theatre Award, Herald Angel, Alfred Radok’s Award, Golden Laurel Wreath). Since 2005 he has been a collaborator and researcher of the Grotowski Institute as well as actor in Teatr ZAR, with which he co-created and performed in Anhelli: The Calling and Caesarean Section: Essays on Suicide, awarded with the Herald Angel and Total Theatre Awards in Edinburgh in 2012. Since 2010 Matej has been the founder and leader of Studio Matejka, an ensemble working under the auspices of the Grotowski Institute. In 2012 and 2013 he directed seven short films: Pearadise, Life While You Wait, Twenty Second Street, Juste comme ça, The Desire, The Mess and Biting Indifference. Pearadise was awarded Best Foreign Film at Los Angeles International Underground Film Festival 2013. Also in 2012 and 2013 he directed a number of performances of Studio Matejka: Echoes of the walls underground are louder than the footsteps above me by Anthony Nikolchev (co-directed with Yuri Kordonsky); The Woman Decomposed by Gema Galiana; Charmolypi by Alexandra Kazazou; and Awkward Happiness, or Everything I Don’t Remember About Meeting You (Special Mention Award in BE Festival, Birmingham 2014). In 2014 directed and produced site-specific project Harmony of Contradictions: Poland. He has led workshop in theatres and universities all around the globe (UNEARTE, Venezuela; CalArts, California, USA; NSD, New Delhi, India; DS Delos of Dimitra Hatoupi, Athens, Greece; University of Salford, UK; Double Edge Theatre, USA; Charles Working Theatre, Boston, USA; Au Brana, France; Lebanon). In his work he searches for the performer’s “essence of communication” where both dance and drama are equal vehicles for the actor’s expression. Workshop led by Matej Matejka accompanied by Studio Matejka members. Upcoming workshops |