"Making Work" with Miguel Gutierrez

MAKING WORK
Workshop with Miguel Gutierrez

Miguel Gutierrez (Photo by Ves Pitts)

Monday-Friday, December 17-21

10am to 2pm

New York City Center

$200

In this workshop we will focus on the creative process in making body/movement based performance. Participants will spend the week making short pieces, mostly solos. I first offered this workshop in 2003, and have enjoyed its various permutations throughout the years. This is the first time I lead it in NYC in over three years.

Originally my reason for creating this workshop was that I wanted to find out if it was possible to create the conditions to teach something that can’t actually be learned – how to make work. I discovered that through unequal parts making, discussing, improvising and watching the work of other workshop participants, you can uncover and deepen your individual interests, your process and your work.

My interest is in creating a space where inherited notions of dance and performance are critiqued, absorbed or discarded in the service of creating performance that comes from a vital, necessary place and that speaks to a contemporary context. There is no one way to make work.

My teaching is influenced by: years of teaching this workshop, years of seeing shows and talking with various artists about them, my experiences working with many extraordinary performance makers, my experience in making my own work in various scales and in a host of places/conditions, my pseudo-Zen/Feldenkrais belief system that tells me you can’t force anyone to change but can create the conditions for spontaneous learning, and my belief that everyone is a creative artist of potential brilliance and that “genius is as common as dirt.” (John Taylor Gatto)

This workshop is useful for artists who are anywhere in their trajectories as performance makers.

Workshop participation is limited and by selection only. If you are interested please send an email/doc, one page max (500 words or so), with some information about yourself and why you interested in joining the workshop to Miguel@miguelgutierrez.org.

Please explain if you have any schedule conflicts. Priority will be given to those who can attend all of the days and times.