Modern Ethnic Dance

"What would happen if, instead of only go by our life, we would allow ourselves the craziness or awareness to dance it?" (R.Garaudy). Dance is ritual: sacred ritual, social ritual. In dance we find this double signification which is part of the origin of all human activity. The traditional form of the circle is used to bring the students in contact with their energy, as relating to the other participants. The foot contact with the ground in connection with the vibration of the pelvis and the extensions of arms unlock the torso, which provides a basis for repetitive movements. With this repetition dance intensifies awareness and, simply from the fact of sharing a movement with the group, turns into a longing to say the unspeakable and to get to know the unexplainable.


Modern Expressive Dance
technique as a pathway for free imagination

Movement is used for researching the body's anatomical potential to make us understand its form better and thus learn to discover and express mental and emotional dimensions: dance for a sensitive and intelligent body. This class is based on the dance technique of Lester Horton. Respecting the human anatomy, it helps to correct physical weak points and to prepare a dancer for any type of dance. Special attention will be given to the dancers’ capacity to develop a convincing performing character with emotional skills. Technique used as a pathway for the creative process and a free imagination. Ismael Ivo, artistic co-director of ImPulsTanz workshops and well-known expressive dancer and choreographer, has been living in Germany for many years.


Ismael Ivo
Ismael Ivo, born 1955 in São Paulo/Brazil, was given the Trofeu Pirandello São Paulo, the prize for the best solo dancer already in 1983. A scholarship for Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York followed in 1983/84 before he moved to Berlin where he has been living since. Ismael created numerous solo pieces including "Phoenix" (1985), "Under The Skin" (1986), "Delirium of a childhood" (1989), "Die kreisrunden Ruinen" (1991) and "Apocalypse" (1992). He got internationally wellknown through the choreographies "Francis Bacon" (1993) and "Othello" (1996), both productions directed by the German dance theater choreographer Johann Kresnik. He has cooperated closely with Johann Kresnik and the Japanese choreographer Ushio Amagatsu, who has been the director of the recognised Sankai Juku Ensemble. These different experiences have merged with his Afro-Bazilian roots.
From 1996 to 2000 Ismael Ivo was heading the dance theater company at the Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar where he choreographed eleven pieces. Particularly in the 1990ies he cooperated with theater directors including George Tabori, for several groupworks. 1999 he started his artistic cooperation with Marcia Haydée. The duets "Tristan und Isolde" (1999) and "M.- wie Callas" (2002) were created as well as choreographies for Ankara, Rio de Janeiro and Vienna. 2006 the production "Die Zofen", created with Koffi Kôkô and Yoshi Oida in 2001 and based on the text of Jean Genet received the Time Out Live Award of London.
Ismael Ivo has been the artistic advisor of ImPulsTanz Workshops since the beginning in 1984 until today. Since 2005 he is also the artistic director of the Biennale di Venezia Settore Danza. 2010 he was awarded the Ordem do Merito Cultural do Brasil, the highest cultural award of Brazil.