Oriente Occidente Studio
Workshop: diversità in scena
Aristide Rontini Laura Jones Cherie Brennan
The workshop, designed and held by disabled artists Aristide Rontini, Laura Jones and Cherie Brennan for disabled and non-disabled dancers, is part of the larger project Diversity on stage: a training between Italy and the UK. A programme of training events between Italy and the UK. Together with the British Stopgap dance company We organised the venues and moments of work, exchange and learning.
In our Studio we are hosting the second stage in northern Italy, a four-day training session on the practice of dance and physical theatre aimed in particular at artists with roles as guides and trainers, interested in broadening their skills.
Aristide Rontini began his artistic journey in Imola, where he studied different contemporary theatrical practices and classical and modern dance. In 2010 he graduated from Rotterdam Dance Academy and in 2015 he participated in the training program for young choreographers Nuove Traiettorie organized by ANTICORPI XL.
He has worked as a performer in performances created by major choreographers. Since 2016 he begins to make his own creations. Since 2020 is part of the association Al.di.qua Artists composed of Italian artists with disabilities that aims to reflect on the role of the artist with disabilities in the national area.
Laura is a Stopgap dance company dancer. She started her training at Linda Butler School of Dance, aged 5. Having sustained a spinal injury in 1998, Laura went on to become the first wheelchair user to complete 100% of the A-Level dance syllabus. Since then, she has accumulated a wealth of experience, working with numerous choreographers, gaining extensive creative and performance experience.
Her extensive teaching experience ranges across all ages and abilities, with a passion for empowering future generations of diverse dancers. She is on the board of trustees for East London Dance and English Folk Dance and Song Society, where she has a focus on Artists, Safeguarding and Diversity.
Cherie trained at the University of Surrey with a focus in Contemporary and Traditional African and Caribbean Dance Forms. She is part of Stopgap dance company as Community Engagement Artist.
She is a mentor in inclusive teacher training at national and international level and holds a key position in the research and delivery of the Stopgaps inclusive syllabus, IRIS, an inclusive dance syllabus that gives teachers a framework to develop the disabled dancers of tomorrow. It is a consolidation of Stopgap’s experience of training professional disabled dancers, and it contains tried and tested methods that the company has been developing since 1995.
The workshop is aimed at dancers, teachers, and dance trainers, with and without disabilities.
Monday 20 February from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m.
Tuesday 21 February from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m.
Wednesday 22 February from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m.
Thursday 23 February from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m.
The workshop is free of charge. To register, please send an e-mail to info@orienteoccidente.it with an CV and motivational letter attached.
