Modern Technique Beginners
unfolding a free flow of movement

In correspondance to the tradtion of Folkwanghochschule Essen Kenji Takagi will introduce elementary exercises to the students. These are focussed on the unfolding of a free flow of movement and on the attention to the inner impulses of oneself. The last part of class is dedicated to a dance phrase with elements that put what was practiced before into a joyful longer flow.



Modern Technique Intermediate & Advanced
understanding the subtlety in the movement flow

Kenji Takagi has been a member of Tanztheater Wuppertal for several years and graduated at the Folkwanghochschule Essen. He will open the class with a modern bar enriched with swings and upper body movements. Then he will concentrate on movement quality and precision. As basic material Kenji will offer parts from his own choreography developed in the work with Pina Bausch. Weight shifts and off-balance moments, often initiated by movements of the head, arm and torso are playing a dominant role. Those phrases include especially spatial and close to the ground moves, but lyrical elements, too. Understanding the subtlety in movement phrases, analyzing the movement stimulus and the spatial elements will be looked at extensively.



Kenji Takagi
After graduating from the Folkwang School Essen/Germany, Kenji Takagi was a member of the Pina Bausch Company from 2001 until 2008 where he continues to be a guest both as a dancer as well as a rehearsal assistant until now.
He has taught for various institutions such as ImPulsTanz, Movement Research New York, Folkwang University Essen/Germany, La Biennale di Venezia/Italy or for companys such as Tanztheater Bielefeld and Ballet Preljocaj.
In 2008 Kenji Takagi received the German Theatre Award Der Faust in the category "outstanding performance in dance" for his solo in Pina Bausch’s "Bamboo Blues."
In 2010 Kenji Takagi was engaged as a rehearsal assistent to the restaging of Pina Bauschs "Le Sacre du Printemps" at the Paris Opera.
At the moment Kenji Takagi is collaborating as a freelance dancer with the choreographer Caterina Sagna.