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PLES / DELAVNICE, IZOBRAŽEVANJA
The 41th Winter Dance School in MariborMaribor, 20 - 23 February 2026PROGRAMVita Osojnik: BALLET FOR CONTEMPORARY DANCERS, SOLO CHOREOGRAPHIC WORKSHOPVita Osojnik is a self-employed cultural worker – dancer, choreographer, dance pedagogue and street artist. She graduated from Gimnazija Kranj, completed the ballet program at the Secondary School of Music and Ballet, and finished her studies in contemporary dance and choreography at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD). She was regularly employed at the Arts High School in Ljubljana and continues to work as a mentor and pedagogue within the Qulenium Association in Kranj, at Alma Mater Europea – Academy of Dance, within Šugla (School of Street Theatre), and many other organizations. For many years she was a guest professor and choreographer at SEAD. In 2015, she was invited by the Tisch School of the Arts in New York for a residency and work with their postgraduate students. She is the author and co-creator of numerous full-length dance works. She collaborated as a mentor on a youth theatre project Amo in Nova Gorica focusing on peer violence. In 2022/2023/2024, she created a solo trilogy Everything That Has Already Happened, Off Axis and Room With a View at the Dance Theatre Ljubljana. Ballet for Contemporary Dancers is adapted to the needs of contemporary dance and avoids the usual rigour of classicism while seeking parallels with mechanisms of contemporary dance techniques. The class consists of barre exercises with a focus on footwork, stretching, coordination, and body organization, followed by centre work focused on spatial directions, transitional movements, elevation, and turns. Solo Choreographic Workshop - From Idea to Implementation We will explore our own movement repertoire using elements and skills of contemporary dance, alternative dance techniques, and street theatre. We will delve into discovering the space within and around us. We will search for the specifics of individual personal expression and presence. We will learn tools for transforming something internal (an idea) into something external (the manifestation or implementation of the idea). Max Masahiro Levy: MODERN, REPERTOIRE, PARTNERING Max Masahiro Levy is a choreographer, dancer and teacher with extensive experience in ballet and contemporary dance. He began his dance training in Tokyo and later continued at Boulder Ballet School and in the San Francisco Ballet Trainee program. He danced professionally with American Repertory Ballet and Charlotte Ballet, and later as a soloist with Ballett Staatstheater Nürnberg, performing works by renowned choreographers including Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Johan Inger and Ohad Naharin. ModernDrawing from his diverse professional background in classical ballet, modern and contemporary dance, and experimental somatic practices, Max's class combines conditioning, improvisation, structured phrases and mental exercises to a delicate balance between intensity and release. Simple concepts sequence after one another to provide a rich class built on embracing the diversity of movement, between tension and release; big and small; mind and body; space and details. Repertoire class combines Max's choreographic vocabulary with his creation methods; a fusion between pre-existing work and creation workshop. With a focus on the intention behind movement and keen attention to detail, the class will draw from recent pieces as starting points for choreographic tools developed with dancers. Jerneja Fekonja: MOBILE STRENGTH / CONTEMPORARY DANCE TECHNIQUE, PARTNERING Jerneja Fekonja graduated from BCDA in Hungary in 2019. She is a contemporary dancer with international experience across Europe. She works as a performer as well as a choreography assistant and rehearsal director, including at institutions such as the Opera and Ballet Ljubljana (in co-production with SNG Drama Ljubljana), Theater Bremen, and projects such as TanzTrialog (Germany). Mobile StrengthMobile Strength is a method that integrates various movement principles and technical approaches to use the body in its full strength and mobility. It is based on the connection between floor work and release technique, where movement emerges through awareness of one’s own weight and its shifting. The main goal of the Mobile Strength method is to develop dance awareness of how muscles and thoughts work in harmony, and how “push” and “pull” from the floor can initiate movement in the kinetic chain, activating the body from the toes to the head. The class combines physical training, exploration of one’s own movement through improvisation, and learning dance phrases. It includes bodyweight exercises, muscle-balancing work, osteopathic principles and coordination tasks that expand body awareness while helping prevent injuries. PartneringThe partnering workshop is designed for dancers who wish to develop trust, precision and efficiency in working with a partner. Participants explore fundamental principles of weight transfer, shared balance, stability and safe techniques for lifting and supporting a partner. Through progressive exercises and clear structures, the workshop builds a sense of coordinated movement, mutual support and clear physical communication. It is suitable for dancers of various levels who want to improve technical reliability, fluidity and confidence in physical collaboration. Félix Rapela: ACROBATIC FLOW, PARTNERINGFélix Rapela began his journey of body research with kung-fu, later continuing with circus acrobatics. He discovered contemporary dance while studying Scenic Arts with a focus on Circus at UNSAM in Buenos Aires in 2014. In 2018, after completing his studies, he moved to Brussels, where he co-founded the Les Sudakas collective. He has worked in Le Lac des Cygnes with the French company L’eolienne, with Jordi Vidal’s company, and as a dancer in the film Bolero, choreographed by Michèle Anne De Mey. He is currently performing in Landfall by Erika Zuenelli (Best Show 22–23, Prix Maeterlinck de la Critique). He is currently also part of the creation Corps Tendres by Lucie Yerles, an interactive circus performance exploring the sense of touch. April Veselko: ACROBATIC FLOW April Veselko is a self-employed cultural worker – dancer, choreographer and dance teacher, active in dance since early childhood. She began with contemporary dance at Plesna Izba Maribor, later becoming familiar with other dance styles (modern, ballet, jazz, hip hop/street styles and cabaret). In 2016, she completed the Dance’s Start Up – Leggere Strutture Art Factory program in Bologna, Italy, and in 2018 the MoDem PRO program under the Zappalà Danza company in Catania, Sicily. Acrobatic Flow is an intensive workshop for dancers who wish to expand their physical vocabulary and dynamic range. Blending principles of Flying-Low technique with acrobatic floorwork, the training explores how momentum, groundedness and spiraling pathways can generate fluid, powerful movement. Through guided sequences and dynamic floor explorations, participants develop speed, coordination and an enhanced sense of flow while safely pushing their technical limits. The workshop is ideal for dancers interested in merging contemporary dance with acrobatic freedom. Ryuzo Fukuhara: BUTOH Ryuzo Fukuhara, born in 1965 in Japan, graduated in 1989 from the Nagoya University of the Arts, where he studied experimental design. During his studies, he began dancing with two important Butoh dancers, Semi-Maru of Sankai Juku and Min Tanaka, from whom he learned Butoh techniques. In 2000, he began working as a dance artist in Europe. During his time in Europe, Ryuzo developed his own dance method and in 2006 received the 2nd Prize at the solo dance competition of 11MASDANZA – the international contemporary dance festival in the Canary Islands, Spain. In 2010, he was invited to teach a dance masterclass at the <Arsenale della Danza> at the Venice Biennale in Italy. In 2016, he was invited as a guest lecturer for a postgraduate theatre course and a dance masterclass at Towson University in the USA. Butoh Workshop – “Silent Dialogue”Butoh has been described in many ways – as provocative, spiritual, erotic, grotesque, ecstatic, nihilistic, cosmic. This avant-garde contemporary dance form originated in Japan in the late 1950s and was founded by Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno. Influenced by Noh and Kabuki theatre, performance art and German expressionist dance, Butoh combines dance, theatre, mime and improvisation into a unique artistic form. Its fundamental philosophy questions the very concept of dance. Movement is not defined by predetermined choreography but develops from the interaction between the dancer’s inner world and the energy received from the environment and the audience. Conscious and unconscious, body and spirit merge as the dancer moves beyond symbolism into transformation. “Silent Dialogue” is a workshop that opens a holistic relationship between spirit and body, imagination and perception, movement and thought, being and environment. Through inner observation, we will establish a silent dialogue with our bodies based on personal sensations and thoughts. Participants will learn exercises rooted in Noguchi Taiso and yoga, aligned with the safe boundaries of each individual’s body and mind. These exercises prepare the body for solos, duets and group co-creation, which unfold in the second part of each workshop session. Throughout dance movement, we continuously converse with our bodies and our inner selves; this connects into a whole that heals. Everyone interested in dance and performing arts is warmly invited. Katja Čuk: SALSA FUSIONKatja Čuk’s diverse dance background has taken her across the world and significantly shaped her as the dancer and teacher she is today. A pivotal part of her development was the five-year period she spent in Cali, Colombia, where she focused intensively on dancing and studying salsa. During this time, she had the opportunity to train with renowned salsa artists such as Steffany Moreno, Kike y Xiomar, Evelyn y Guasa, and also perform and compete in the same discipline at the Salsodromo. SALSA FUSION Discover and experience the diversity of salsa! We invite you to learn or refine your basics, add more style and body movement, develop and combine salsa footwork, and learn salsa choreography with me. No dance partner is needed for the Salsa Fusion workshop. Saša Lončar: TWO FLYING AND ONE BOSS / CREATIVE WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN, WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN’S DANCE EDUCATION MENTORSSAŠA LONČAR is a renowned dance pedagogue and choreographer, founder and artistic director of KD Qulenium in Kranj and Ljubljana. Every year, she organizes the Kalejdoskop Performing Arts Festival and a creative-research summer camp for youth at Mašun. Through creative processes filled with imagination, openness, courage, and an excellent sense of guidance, she nurtures children’s dance creativity and enriches their personal movement expression. She collaborates with her dancers at major events and festivals both in Slovenia and internationally (France, Indonesia, India, Croatia, Denmark, Serbia). For her artistic, creative, and pedagogical achievements, she received the Meta Vidmar plaque and the Ksenija Hribar award at the 9th Slovenian Biennale Gibanica 2019. TWO FLYING AND ONE BAREFOOT – SHALL WE GO?In this workshop, Saša Lončar will present her original approach to working with children and adolescents, based on exploring primary movement. The foundation of her work is awakening and raising awareness of the innate sense of movement through creative processes. By sensitively observing the child and their movement needs, spontaneous movement gradually transforms into their personal dance expression. Thematic focus: Shall we go? We are always going somewhere – where, why, and how? How do we step into the unknown, and where do we find the reason for a journey, departure, or change? This theme opens the door to exploring inner motivation, courage, decisiveness, and curiosity. MENTOR WORKSHOP, which follows the children’s workshop, is based on discussion and practical work. It is an opportunity to build on what was observed and to develop the creative process. Questions and comfortable equipment for floor work are essential. Various teachers: GOOD MORNING, BODYThe Good Morning, Body workshop will serve as the daily warm-up and gentle introduction to the Winter Dance School program. Guided by various teachers, we will wake the body through a range of practices—warming, stretching, sensing, and preparing it for the training that follows. Each morning will offer a different approach, from Pilates, yoga, and somatic techniques to subtle movement explorations, allowing participants to enter their dance day with greater awareness, openness, and ease. The workshop is suitable for anyone who wishes to begin their dance day in connection with themselves, in movement, and with positive energy.
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