Florence Augendre (FR)
Indeed, Florence’s areas’ activity extends from research in experimental and fictional cinema to live performing, including the supportive construction of plastic art pieces.
Having developed a multiple field of activity is one thing. The main aspect of her specific gait lies in the fact that whatever she touches her practice is profoundly rooted by the skills and the culture of dance and her intentions often pursue in how far can the choreographic media still exist within and out of its own boundaries and how deep does it echoe in most every body daily experiences.
In France, she has worked with theatre directors Louis and Xavier Bachelot, choreographers Pascale Houbin, François Raffinot, Wes Howard, Andrew Degroat, Thierry Guedj, Christophe Haleb, and has built the collective IDIOM°° (together with actress Nadège Catenacci, visual artist Marie Gabrielle Lou and dancer/chinese medecine practitioner Anne Cecile Douillard).
Since 1993, Florence A. has also worked with Wim Vandekeybus, Meg Stuart, David Hernandez, austro-german group Labor GRAZ, Johanne Saunier / Jim Clayburg, Brice Leroux, Lance Gries (N.Y.), Riina Saastamoinen, Alexander Baervoets, Label Cedana and Olga de Soto.
Her first choreographic project 'Reckless Reckoning' was signed as a collaboration-duo together with Salva Sanchis (1999 - 2001). After that she created the following: '[Ruby]Hotcore' (2001 - 2002), 'Locomotion Local Derision' (2001), 'Encounters through parallel lives' (2002), 'Accross Europe' (2002), 'White Speed Spin' (2003), 'D.A.F. prod series # 1 –Borderline' (2003), 'D.A.F. prod series # 2 – Untitled; Aurore Pascaline' (2003), 'D.A.F. prod. series # 3 - Untitled; Red on Green, Lol' (2003), 'D.A.F. prod series # 4 – Untitled; Pink metal, Tiger Eye' (2003), 'The Last Drum Song' (2003), 'Stillevenaturemorte' (2004), 'Sitting Diamonds' (2004), 'SUITE 338 - The Criminal Brides' (2004), 'D.A.F. prod series # 5 – Untitled; Glassbox' (2004), 'D.A.F. prod series # 6 - Red on Green, Lol V # 2' (2004), 'La Sainte Vierge' (2005), 'S338 - Flash' (2005), 'Deep Surface' (2005).
These last years, forseeing a new function to her choreographic art has enabled her to develop various collaborations with Inneke Van Waeyenberghe, Lieven Van Baelen, Hans Van Nuffel, Pete Connelly, Clémence Barret (film-makers) Sen Jan Jansen, [aisikl’], Blaise Van Celst, Patrick Codenys, Ariel Wizman (musicians) , Nadège Catenacci, Ben Op de Beeck, Tibo Pringot Vandenborre, Wim Verbecke (actors), Nadia Lauro, Florent Ruppert, Jean Pierre Bertrand, Chen Zhen, Xu Min, Kendell Geers, Marie Gabrielle Lou (plasticians) and author – art historian David Rosenberg.
If in her early days, Florence studied Ballet, African dance, tap dance and modern’ jazz, contemporary dance is what she teaches. Full of her professional experiences and filled by her education in F.M. Alexander and Body-Mind-Centering, her teaching lead by a strong ability to share practice, is often a great lever for students, movers, professional dancers to strengthen their confidence, widening physical skills and multiplying movement qualities.
Florence is also practitioner of fascia-pulsology C.Carini (integration and mobility of the connective tissues).
Her teaching experience:
1990 - ponctual replacements for intermediary and advanced courses (level II and III). Ballet School Alain Davesne (ex. Opéra de Paris)
1994 – teacher assistant of Meg Stuart at Pro Series Workshop. International Tanzwochen Festival Wien (Vienna, Austria)
1996-1998 – Referential teacher at the Performance Education Program (Leuven University, Belgium). She teaches technics and repertory, and works as a repetitor for the compositional course of David Hernandez.
1997 – teacher assitant of David Hernandez on “Improvisation and spontaneous composition”. International Tanzwochen Festival Wien (Vienna, Austria)
1997-2001 – teaches training for the dance Companies DAMAGED GOODS/Meg Stuart and ULTIMA VEZ/Wim Vandekeybus.
1999-2001 – teaches several workshops at the CANAL Danse Association (Paris) and assists Lance Gries at a workshop for Movement Research (N.Y.)
2001 – several replacements for technical courses at P.A.R.T.S. (Brussels); and directs a workshop on “Integration of technical skills and movement research”, International Tanzwochen Festival Wien (Vienna, Austria).
2002 – leads workshop on “ Movement research and skills development” (Art of Movement-2002), International Festival Movement and Dance on the Volga (Yaroslavl, Russia).
2002-2006 – teaches training at the Summer Studios – PA.R.T.S. & ROSAS (Brussels)
2005 – teaches a course on the interaction of BODY SOUND IMAGE together with visual artist Kendell Geers at the National Academy School of the Fine – Arts in Oslo (Norway)
2003- 2006– teaches technique for level I, II and III at the Hoger Instituut voor Dans (Dramatische Kunst, Musiek & Dans van de Hogeschool Antwerpen) and created a choreographic piece with the 3rd Year Group, promotion 2006.
2007 – guest teacher of Humanités Danse de Louvain-la-Neuve (Académie intercommunale de Court-Saint-Étienne & Ottignies-Louvain-la- Neuve)
Photo: © Florence Augendre