LAURA AREND | Director of LAC company
BIO
Laura Arend comes from the Grand-Est region of France. She joined the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon (CNSMDL) and the Jeune Ballet. In 2009, she was accepted at the Merce Cunningham Studio in the USA. She leaves New York in 2011 to join the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company (KCDC) in Israel. In early 2016 Laura Arend decided to focus solely on the development of her personal projects and created her company. She focuses her work on the inspiration of the duo “dance and travel”. This engine of reflection and creation marks the starting point of the creations of Laboration Art Company. The travels inspire the future reflections of these works. She choreographed the shows YAMA, FIVE, ANNA, YIRO and MIDAS for Laboration Art Company. She created the dance video 83 SNAKES as well as the video RETRO shot at the Petit Palais in Paris. Laura is commissioned to create short pieces for the Jeune Ballet Européen, the Jeune Ballet d’Aquitaine and the Conservatoire d’Avignon. She was also commissioned by the Tel Aviv Museum of Contemporary Art to create a performance for the centenary of the Dada movement. In parallel to her choreographic work, Laura makes herself available for different experiences: she dances in Valérie Donzelli’s feature film “Notre Dame”, in 2019 and participates in events such as the Opéra National de Paris under the direction of Dimitri Chamblas and poses for the editorial of Gala magazine. She collaborates with LA HORDE for the Isabelle Marant fashion show for Fashion Week in September 2020. In the fall of 2021 took place the GALA HOPE. An exceptional evening organized by Laura Arend and Charlotte Ranson to benefit the Institute of Myology. In 2022 she creates the group piece “Léon”.
https://www.laborationartcompany.com
WORKSHOP – CHOREOGRAPHY |Daily 14:30 – 18:30
A regular training of the dancer halfway between an ancestral practice, yoga and an improvisation class inspired by the gaga technique. The two elements that characterize this technique are the pleasure of physical development and self-knowledge.
The search for our deeper Self is placed at the heart of the work. Knowing our physical abilities, our performing abilities, our creative abilities but also being in direct contact with our soul, spirit, heart. In classical, contemporary, flamenco dance… the honesty of a dancer is the very essence of our art. We assume that this search for honesty must start in the studio.
Each session begins with a moment of calm. Take the time to cut yourself off from the world to refocus on yourself. Not out of egocentrism but out of necessity. Make yourself better to make the world a better place. The sessions therefore begin with meditation and are followed by one or two pranayama exercises which allow mastery of the breath, it can awaken us to wisdom, joy and compassion.
After a bodily awakening thanks to the greetings of the sun, the dancers are led to engage their sensitivity and their creativity through intense body research. Improvisation is the best tool for the dancer to get to know themselves as a performer, to rediscover themselves and develop their creativity. Today most choreographers are looking for interpreters and not mere performers. It is important to note that this phase includes technical exercises: folding, clearing, adage…
At this moment, the dancers are also led to become aware of others, of the space that surrounds them, of the world that is offered in front of them.
Just like a classic yoga practice, the class ends as it began with a meditation session to focus on the rest of the day.
A time for discussion between the participants generally marks the last minutes of the course. It is important to succeed in putting terms on the sensations experienced and to share this commonly.
