MAPPING
Each member of the Core group conducts local mapping / context research and collects relevant information related to the interest field of Generator.
Research will consider following:
- Artistic and cultural sector (artist, festivals, theatres, independent productions, children cultural centres, etc;
- Organizations and associations (public institutions from the field of education and social affairs, associations, independent organizations, foundations, initiatives, etc.);
- Formal and informal education sector (programs for artists and educators dealing with creation for and with children, dance education for children);
- Experts related to the field;
- Collaborations in and between artistic and educational sectors;
- Funding possibilities;
- Institutional regulations; etc.
WORKING VISITS
The Core Group makes a working visits to Zagreb (CRO), Sarajevo and Travnik (BIH), Skopje (MAC) and Belgrade (SER) and gets introduced to the results of the research conducted by the local member of the Core Group, takes part in a series of meetings with relevant practitioners and visits relevant venues and potential partners. Close insight in the local context will enable the Core Group to decide about precise issues which will be addressed through the labs, and to choose the participants who will take part in the project activities.
LABORATORIES
The aim of laboratories is to contribute to development of choreographic practices for and with children, enhance distribution of information and knowledge and to encourage artist in progressive thinking and creation in this field.
Lab #1
September 6th-12th; Macedonia/Struga; Mentor: Nikola Zavišić (SER)
The aim of this lab is to create an environment where children would be encouraged to actively participate in creating an ‘interactive’ theatre. The participants will be exposed to direct experience with children under the leadership of the director Nikola Zavisic and learn through this process. Parallel to this process the participants will be exposed to lecture, video projections about: obtaining license to work with and for children, documentary ALFABET and there will be discussion of alternative education and each participant will have an opportunity to share their wisdom within the group.
Lab #2
September 26th-30th; Serbia/Belgrade; Mentor: Jovana Rakić Kiselčić
Participatory practice laboratory in dance and performing arts for children is designed with the aim to gathered artists, dance teachers and pedagogues who are interested in creating with and for children through interactive practices in the fields of dance, movement and choreography. The main focus of this laboratory is questioning the existing, and developing the new participatory practices which are able to communicate with children by giving them the opportunity for functional, independent learning and development while encouraging creativity and understanding of dance. During the laboratory the participants will propose, consider and design concepts and methods which they will test in the encounter and processes with children age 3 - 6.
Lab #3
October 21st-25th; Bosna i Hercegovina/Jankovići, Travnik; Mentor: Dalija Aćin Theander (SER/SE)Aim of the laboratory is to stimulate and encourage participating artists and practitioners to rethink existing practices and discover new ways of creating for children and with children. Using the Open space method participants will be invited to discuss different approaches, issues, concepts and ideas, work in the groups and develop their own concepts and materials. Process will be focused on the potentials that performing arts and its related practices have, on their ability to communicate with children, introduce and renegotiate systems of valorization as well as address relevant and sensitive issues from diverse perspectives. Laboratory strives to open new perspectives towards innovative and progressive thinking about choreographic practices for and with children and babies.
Lab #4
November 17th-22rd; Mario Kovač (CRO), Kabinet K: Joke Laureyns and Kwint Mashoven (BE)
Mario Kovač Lab
Advancement of technologies in recent decades in the eyes of adults certainly look stunning while for the children a world without the Internet, cell phones, Wikipedia and YouTube is simply unthinkable. Therefore, for the young audience to work with the body (dance or acting) without any technological devices, on one hand can be, anachronistic and obsolete but, and on the other hand, an interesting experience. Do contemporary theater and dance performances for children and young audience consider the difference of growing up between the creator and their much younger audience? During the Lab we will try to look at common places of adulthood, motives that are recognizable to all children regardless the age. Classification of the performing arts for children in the proper context is now more important than ever because it is obvious that we are losing real "control" over the majority of content that inspires and educates children true the Internet. Maybe theater and dance is a living content that can seamlessly offer an alternative, even if in the form of a good Trojan horse.
Kabinet K lab
Choreographers, artists and dancers from different backgrounds will meet play, dance and think, share, enjoy…
This LAB is hoping to reveal a potential of reaching new (young) audiences, and encouraging choreographers to think about presenting their work to a young audience and discovering new possibilities to do so. We will search how to bring a body back to its most essential movement-language and we’ll see what this communicates. Keywords for those days are: basic, simple, essential, necessity, as well as playfulness, and physical.
The aim is to enlarge our choreographic skills, and to make work that is more transparent for whatever audience, both children and adults. It's not about making things more simple, it's about a search for the most essential, the very pure heart of what we would like to communicate as an artist.
Lab #5
December 10th-14th; Hendrik Lebon (BE)
The lab starts from the psychology of children, why do they want to sit in the middle, why do they see monsters under the bed, why are they always asking why why why… discovering they world we will look for ways of participation of children in performances, how to work with children and dance and what are nice topics to make performances for young audience. The workshops starts from your own skills and interests and integrates your own technical level of dancing.
TASK GROUPS WORKSHOPS
The aim of each of the Task group workshops was to produce projects / practical tools which concern the implementation of the knowledge and experience gained within the Generator laboratories and the knowledge already existing in the context. The development of the projects and production of its contents was delegated to the chosen group of artists involved in Generator and are aimed to be implemented in kindergartens and throughout public events.
Workshop #1
Belgrade, February 6th - 7th, 2016
Participants Irena Ristić (SER), Dalija Aćin Thelander (SER/SE) and Larisa Navojec (CRO) started to develop the concept and the content for the Handbook for kindergartens "How to introduce children to theatre and theatre to children".
Handbook was published September 2015.
Illustrations for the Handbook were made by visual artist Siniša Ilić (SER) and graphic design was made by Katarina Popović (SER)
Workshop #2
Zagreb 2015
Participants Larisa Navojec (CRO), Tamara Curić (CRO), Igor Koruga (SER), Petar Cvirin (CRO), Sanja Fruhwald (CRO) and Elena Risteska (FYROM) started to develop the concept and the content for the Handbook for kindergartens "Exercise book for movement and dance" - Handbook for kindergartens
Handbook was published in October 2015.
Illustrations for the Handbook were made by visual artist Siniša Ilić (SER) and graphic design was made by Katarina Popović (SER)
Workshop #3
Aim of this workshop was to develop interactive choreographic concepts/modules for children age 2-6. Workshop took place in Skopje, Macedonia, on June 15th-19th, 2015.
Participants: Maja Zećo (BIH), Milena Todorović (RS), Irma Unušić (CRO), Elena Risteska, Viktorija Iloska, Kliment Poposki (FYROM)
Mentoring: Dalija Aćin Thelander (RS/SE)
One of the concepts developed within this workshop was supported further on and the creative process has continued in Belgrade, Serbia, from August 30th till September 8th.
The process resulted in work-in-progess Interactive dance installation "The Museum of Dance" for children age 2-5
Authors/choreographers: Elena Risteska, Viktorija Iloska, Kliment Poposki (FYROM)
Artistic mentoring and visual design: Dalija Aćin Thelander (RS/SE)
