Step into the enchanting world of 16th-century dance and music with our immersive movement workshop. Discover the graceful and int...
Step into the enchanting world of 16th-century dance and music with our immersive movement workshop. Discover the graceful and intricate dances that once graced the magnificent settings of European Renaissance courts. Thanks to invaluable sources penned by dance masters such as Fabritio Caroso and Cesare Negri, these dances can today be meticulously reconstructed, offering us invaluable insights into social relations, codes of conduct, bodily expression, and the intricate relationship between dance and music.
Our workshop focuses on refining general body posture, mastering basic steps, understanding spatial orientation, partnering techniques, and connecting movements with music. Learning these foundational forms of Renaissance dance not only provides a
glimpse into historical performance practices but also serves as a bridge to reconstruct early theatrical, dance, or musical forms. Moreover, it sparks fresh creative inspiration for contemporary artistic endeavors.
It is open to all enthusiasts of early dance, music, and performing arts.
The select participants of the workshop will be given the opportunity to join the Birgitta festival 2024 production of the opera Orfeo by Monteverdi, under the artistic direction of Andrew Lawrence- King. Premier on August 1st 2024 in Pirita Abby.
Workshop:
Friday, 19.4.2024 18.00 - 21.00
Saturday, 20.4.2024 10.00 - 14.00 and 16.00 - 19.00
Sunday, 21.4.2024 10.00 - 14.00 and 16.00 - 19.00
Location: Mustpeade maja (Pikk 26, Tallinn).
TANJA SKOK is a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and researcher in the field of historical dance. She trained at the London Contemporary Dance School in the United Kingdom and furthered her specialization with renowned international artists
and researchers in the field of historical dance. Throughout her artistic career, both as a choreographer and dancer, she has participated in various international productions spanning contemporary and historical genres. Notable among these are productions like Johann Christian Bach's opera "Amadis de Gaulle" at the Opéra Comique and Opéra Royal de Versailles, as well as her regular collaboration with the ensemble Laberintos Ingeniosos directed by Xavier Díaz Latorre. She also collaborates with the Ensemble Musica Cubicularis from Slovenia, Ars Musicae-Baroque Orchestra (Mallorca), and Hirundo Maris (Catalonia-Switzerland).
For 9 years, she worked as the rehearsal director of En-Knap Group, a leading contemporary dance company in Slovenia. She has taught courses in contemporary and historical dance at numerous institutions, including the Master of Guitar at the University of Alicante, the Amherst Early Music Festival in the United States, the Musica Locopolitana Festival in Slovenia, and the EEEmerging program at the Ambronay Baroque Music Festival in France. Skok's choreographic style blends historical dance forms with contemporary expressions, but she has also made notable contributions to historical dance through collaboration with international ensembles of early music. Noteworthy is her frequent collaboration with Andrew Lawrence King and Studio Opera Omnia, in roles as a movement advisor, pedagogue, and choreographer, participating in the staging of operas such as Henry Purcell's "King Arthur" and Stefano Landi's "Sant Alessio." Presently, they collaborate on the staging of Monteverdi’s opera Orfeo for the prestigious Birgitta Festival in Tallin, Estonia. Tanja Skok is currently also a teacher of historical dances, movement composition, contemporary dance technique, and improvisation at the Alma Mater Dance Academy in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
