VAULT movement projects

Over five days, dancers will be offered a comprehensive introduction to Countertechnique. Developed by Anouk van Dijk, Countertechnique is a contemporary dance technique that integrates intellectual intention with physical activity, strengthens and stretches the body, and enables dancers to move bigger, more fluidly, and more spatially.

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Each day will begin with Countertechnique class. Morning class will build and progress throughout the week. Themes in the class will be led by Charlie, but will be influenced by student discussions and discoveries as the week unfolds. Expect to move a lot, sweat, and have a great time dancing your tail off.

Afternoon explorations will include discussions about and physical investigations of the Countertechnique Toolbox, Horizontal Falling, Basic Anatomy, Countertechnique in Choreography, Countertechnique in Improvisation, and The Cube (derived from the 9-point technique as developed by Anouk van Dijk, Amanda Miller, and William Forsythe). Each of these sessions will help dancers deepen their Countertechnique practice while facilitating the application of Countertechnique to other dance forms and modalities. Dancers will be guided through a creative process honed by Fact/SF director Charles Slender-White and his dancers, resulting in a short solo. 

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Most of the day will be spent dancing and learning through do-ing. There will also be some discussion sessions throughout the week to deepen the understanding of Countertechnique principles. 

Each day will include a lunch break of approximately 60 minutes. 

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Charles Slender-White is the Founding and Artistic Director of FACT/SF. He began his career in 2006 when he joined Tatiana Baganova’s Provincial Dances Theatre in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Since then, he has performed, made choreography, and taught across North America, Europe, Russia, and in Hong Kong and Australia. Charles’ work has been commissioned by the US Department of State, CounterPulse, Acid Rain (Chelyabinsk), Dialogue Dance (Kostroma), and others. He has been a Countertechnique practitioner for 12 years, and is one of 36 Countertechnique Teachers worldwide. Charles spent 2012 in mentorship with Elizabeth Streb as part of CHIME Across Borders, and graduated with honors from UC Berkeley with degrees in English Literature and Dance & Performance Studies.

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More about Charles and his work: www.factsf.org

More about Countertechnique: www.countertechnique.com