Tanzfabrik
Berlin
School
School
School
School Kreuzberg 1
Möckernstr. 68
10965 Berlin School
School
Photo: Peter Raper

W-11 / Material For The Spine

Workshop with Otto Ramstad
In the frame of Winter Tanz 2017/18

“Material For The Spine is a system. It attempts to examine the spine of Contact Improvisation.” Steve Paxton, 2008

Steve Paxton developed Material for the Spine in 1986 as an exploration of the movement possibilities within the muscles surrounding the spine, as well as the connections between the head, pelvis, and vertebrae. It is a solo practice, that is supported by specific exercises, body puzzles and ideokinetic imagery. It helps to strengthen the foundation of any person's movement. Otto Ramstad followed Steve Paxton’s work of contact improvisation since 1996 and Paxton’s Material For The Spine since 2010. He will lead this introductory workshop to Material for the Spine incorporating his background as a performer, Contact Improviser and Body-Mind Centering ® teacher.

People of diverse physicalities are very welcome and encouraged to attend this workshop.The studios are unfortunately not accessible for wheelchair users.

Otto Ramstad

Otto Ramstad is a dance artist who works with movement research to create performances, video work and installations for theaters, galleries, museums and different site and context specific encounters. He began studying Body-Mind Centering® in 1981 at six years old with his first dance teacher Suzanne River and is now a Certified Teacher of Body-Mind Centering® , teaching internationally and working as the Educational Director of Somatic Education Australasia.  He has a MA in Choreography from KHiO, Oslo. He has worked intensively over the last twenty years with primary teachers: with Lisa Nelson, assistant teaching for Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, founder of Body-Mind Centering®, and since 2010 with Steve Paxton’s Material for the Spine which he teaches for Paxton internationally including at Steve Paxton: Swimming in Gravity, Brussels. He has been dancing in the work of DD Dorvillier, Miguel Gutierrez, Sara Shelton Mann, Karen Nelson, Mia Habib and Kitt Johnson. His most recent work Lineage was at Riksscenen as part of the Oslo Internasjonale Teaterfestival 2020. 

Level: Movement experience
In English