When:

Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM,
November 6, 13, 20, and 27, as well as December 4, 11, and 18

Place:
The Center in Motion at the Wawer Cultural Center at Żegańska 1a in Warsaw

Admission:
free, no prior registration required, however, we encourage treating the workshops as a process and regular participation

FROM WALKING TO DANCING✨
We invite people over 16 years old of all skill levels – from those taking their first steps in contemporary dance to professionals – to classes where we will experiment with movement. We will start with playing with the common way of moving, which is walking, and then Maria Stokłosa will gently encourage everyone to individual movement explorations. The instructor will ensure a safe space for support and exchange among participants. In the classes, one can both relax and develop skills related to technique, mindfulness, composition, performance, or viewing dance.

The foundation of the practices led by Maria Stokłosa includes release techniques, somatic education, and methods related to dance improvisation and experimental choreography. They offer tools for healthier movement and conscious action, allowing for increased speed or contact with other bodies. Working with imagination and touch also plays an important role. Release techniques ground movement in sensation, enabling relaxation and overall improvement of body fitness.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR✨
Maria Stokłosa graduated in choreography from the School for New Dance Development (SNDO) in Amsterdam and the contemporary dance department at the London Contemporary Dance School at The Place. She combines choreography with dance improvisation practice. She is the author of performances such as: “The Audience” (New Theatre in Warsaw), “Queen of Water” (as part of the “Other Dances” exhibition at Ujazdowski in Warsaw), as well as “Starting from Action,” “Golden Demons,” “Molt,” and “Mama Perform.”
She has collaborated with choreographers Meg Foley and Maija Reeta Raumanni, as well as theater director Wojtek Ziemilski. She has also performed in “Glory” by Jeremy Wade, “Tuning Scores” by Lisa Nelson, and “Tribes” by Sara Shelton Mann. She is a member of the Berlin-based cranky bodies a/company of Peter Pleyer and Michiel Keuper.
Maria Stokłosa is involved in many activities for the development of experimental choreography – as an initiator of educational projects and a teacher, as well as the president of the Burdąg Foundation and a member of the Center in Motion. She leads an annual course in Choreography at the Center, as well as numerous workshops and lectures, including at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Tanzhaus in Zurich, and LaSalle College of The Arts in Singapore. She was the chair of the Program Council of the Institute of Music and Dance.
In 2021, she completed cultural studies at the Polish Culture Institute at the University of Warsaw and was a laureate of the Grażyna Kulczyk Research Scholarship, which resulted in the creation of the work “What Do I Do When I Dance? ‘Starting from Action’ – artistic research and experience of dance improvisation from an autoethnographic perspective.

ABOUT THE CYCLE✨
“Morning in Motion” is a regular movement awareness class based on, among other things, contemporary dance, improvisation, and related techniques and strategies for attracting attention to the body. It is aimed at all individuals over 16 years old, regardless of fitness, abilities, and experience. During the classes, individual, partner, and group exercises may be interwoven.
The meetings serve to develop movement experiences, increase self-awareness, and knowledge of contemporary dance and new choreography. The meetings will be conducted in the format of 2-month cycles by artists associated with the informal Warsaw association Center in Motion.
The workshops are open lessons. They are free and do not require registration.
The project is funded by the capital city of Warsaw.

The Burdąg Foundation has received three years of funding from the capital city of Warsaw for the project “Body – My Home. Cultural Education through Movement Practice.” This means that for three years, free morning choreographic classes, monthly weekend movement workshops for families, and socially engaged choreographic projects ending with a performance will take place at the Center in Motion, aimed at various groups.
The curators of the project are Maria Stokłosa, Weronika Pelczyńska, and Justyna Czarnota, and all classes will be led by artists associated with the Center in Motion, as well as invited guests.