© Natalia Blauth
Undulation (making a rising and falling movement with the body) and balance are key elements in traditional East African dance.
Undulation is a style of movement present in dances such as the Ngoma in Tanzania or the Isikuti of the Luhya people in Kenya. The movement emphasises the flexibility of the body and is associated with the search for harmony between body and invisible forces such as ancestral spirits or the cycles of nature. Through undulations of the waist, hips and arms, dancers tell stories about human relationships with nature.
Balance, in turn, plays a fundamental role in the mastery of dance movements. In dances like the Somali Dabke or the Mikolo of the Baganda from Uganda, dancers must maintain perfect balance, often on one leg, while jumping, twisting and turning. This balance symbolises not only physical control, but also the balance between the spiritual and material worlds, the past and the present, the individual and the collective.
In this workshop, we will explore and practise both techniques.
Check www.opek.be for more information about how to get here. At the first session, you will be welcomed by someone from WISPER who will tell you exactly where in/around the building your course takes place.
Good to know if you take a full-day course here: for the lunch break, you can bring your own lunch, eat in at Café Entrepot or buy something at the Lidl supermarket around the corner.
