On his first time teaching in the United States, Jos Baker will be leading a 3 day workshop for dancers and performers, November 25/26/27 from 10am-2pm.

Jos has been teaching for professional/vocational dancers since 2008 and in the years since has developed his own unique approach to it. The workshop will focus both on Physicology, Jos's approach to dance technique, and on methods and tools to approach the creative process.  

Physicology works with a combination of analysis and experimentation to develop a deeper understanding of the physical, psychological and evolutionary principals that effect human movement. The work looks at ways of deepening physical and intellectual understanding of how movement can work while also developing tools to handle some of the psychological factors that can hold us back in learning and in performing. These principals are then expanded through both fixed material and improvisation, building to richly detailed, technical and highly physically dance phrases.  As the classes develop the emphasis turns to performativity and musicality while keeping a fun and high energy spirit of exploration.

Creative tools is an exploration of ways of making material for stage performance. Exploring physical extremes and characterisation; this workshop will look at ways of creating scene ideas using theatrical and physical tools, and then on how to develop and refine those ideas.  How does a dancer approach character, how does a character dance?  We explore methods of generating material that play with the personality, image, and the strengths and weakness of the individual in the attempt to find unique and specialised material.  Much of this work is inspired by Jos’ experience working with Peeping Tom.

More information about Jos and his work can be found on his website http://www.josbaker.org/