Previous Editions

Riga / ON 2025

International Contemporary
Dance Workshop
May 1 – May 5, 2025

42

HOURS DANCE

62

participants

7

countries

7

teachers

Teachers

Milan Tomášik

Slovakia/Slovenia

Linde Wagemakers

Linde Wagemakers

Netherlands

Nicolas Sanchez

France

Irene Valesano

Italy

Sintija Siliņa

Latvia

Ramona Galkina

Latvia

Olga Zitluhina

Olga Žitluhina

Latvia

Video recap

Gallery

Riga / ON 2024

International Contemporary
Dance Workshop
May 1 – May 5, 2024

42

HOURS DANCE

59

participants

14

countries

8

teachers

Teachers

Video recap

Gallery

Riga / ON 2023

International Contemporary
Dance Workshop
April 30 – May 4, 2023

42

HOURS DANCE

57

participants

12

countries

4

teachers

Teachers

Video recap

Gallery

Riga / ON 2022

International Contemporary
Dance Workshop
April 30 – May 4, 2022

82

HOURS DANCE

43

participants

6

countries

4

teachers

Teachers

Inaki Azpillaga

Laja Field

Dmitrijs Gaitjukevics

Ruta Ronja Pakalne

Video recap

Gallery

Riga / ONline 2021

International Contemporary
Dance Workshop
May 1 – May 4, 2021

28

HOURS DANCE

57

participants

11

countries

5

teachers

Teachers

MANUEL RONDA

MATE MESZAROS

ELENA FOKINA

ALEKSANDRA JANEVA IMFELD

OLGA ZITLUHINA

Video recap

Riga / ONline 2020

International Contemporary
Dance Workshop
May 1 – May 5, 2020

25

HOURS DANCE

243

participants

12

countries

16

teachers

Teachers

LAURA ARIS ALVAREZ

Belgium

MANUEL RONDA

Italy

MATE MESZAROS

Hungary

ALEKSANDRA JANEVA IMFELD

Belgium

KEREN LEVI

Netherlands

JOHN SIMON WIBORN

Sweden

DMITRIJS GAITJUKEVICS

Latvia

OLGA ZITLUHINA

Latvia

IEVA GAURILČIKAITE

Latvia

KRIŠJĀNIS SANTS

Latvia

ALEXANDER LYUBASHIN

Russia

VIACHESLAV BUCHOK

Ukraine

Video recap

Riga / ON 2019

International Contemporary
Dance Workshop
April 30 – May 4, 2019

87

HOURS DANCE

97

participants

7

countries

5

teachers

Teachers

MATE MESZAROS

CHLOE BEILLEVAIRE

KEREN LEVI

KRIŠJĀNIS SANTS & IEVA GAURILČIKAITE

Video recap

Gallery

Riga / ON 2018

International Contemporary
Dance Workshop
April 30 – May 4, 2018

68

HOURS DANCE

53

participants

8

countries

4

teachers

Teachers

Laura Aris Alvarez

Aladino R. Blanca

Dmitrijs Gaitjukevics

Alexander Lyubashin

Feedback

Video recap

Gallery

Milan Tomášik

Poetic body

Where attention goes energy flows – Poetic Body workshop represents a body that is fully present, alive, and engaged. It is an ongoing, immersive practice built on experience of Happy Feet and Playful Presence that draws on inclusive approaches and techniques such as contemporary dance, improvisation, and composition. It incorporates the concept of the body as an instrument or medium capable of expressing and embodying diverse movement qualities, rhythm, tension, emotions, and immaterial. Poetic Body is about the ability to execute any desired action fully, passionately and with ease. We bring action by waking up the body and mind through various physical games, attuning the body to the moment and the space, channelling energy through qigong principles, and connecting with ourselves and the environment. I love to create a friendly atmosphere where we respect the differences and nourish the individuality. In such atmosphere, the learning potential is enormous and even the most sophisticated movement seems easy. I offer a holistic approach to dancing, in which the practise of spontaneous and set movement is intertwined, technique meets with passion and wellbeing is priority. The emphasis is on rhythm and musicality, but we also pay attention on articulation of the different body parts, precise execution of the movement, the foot work, jumps, and spins. I guide you through the exploration of contrasting movement qualities such as range of body tension and we’ll investigate the connection between emotion and motion. I bring my extensive experience as a long-time practitioner of instant composition into each session, guiding students through techniques that enhance presence, awareness, responsiveness, and creativity within performance. I have been teaching for over twenty years and my practice is developed, interconnected, and mutually influenced around the craft of choreography, dance and teaching.

Biography

MILAN TOMÁŠIK (SK/SLO) is a choreographer, performer, teacher and artistic director working internationally in the field of dance and performing arts. His training includes J. L. Bella Conservatory Banská Bystrica (SK), the Academy of Performing Arts, Bratislava (SK), Moving Academy for Performing Arts (NL), and P.A.R.T.S. (BE), directed by Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker. In 2024 he completed his master’s studies at Alma Mater Europaea (SLO).

Milan has performed professionally for twenty years, collaborating with artists across Europe such as Eva Weissmann, Katarina Zagorski, Iztok Kovač, Mala Kline, Maja Delak, Magdalena Reiter, Anja Zag Golob, Andreja Rauch Podrzavnik, Sláva Daubnerová, Agostina D’Alessandro, Aleksandra Pavlovič, Charlie Brittain. He is co-founder of the Les SlovaKs dance collective with whom he created and performed three works that acquired international fame. The first piece is Opening Night (2007), then Journey Home (2009) and Fragments (2012). 

His choreographic work is performed internationally, has delivered commissions for Krakow Dance Theater (Treatise, Poland), Scenario Pubblico (Intrecciato, Italy), Divadlo Štúdio tanca (Besi, Veselosti minulosti, Slovakia) and tri4 association (Pokrm, Slovakia). In 2022, Milan collaborated with a director Sláva Daubnerová on adaptation of George Sand’s novel Gabriel at Badishes Staatstheater in Karlsruhe (Germany). In 2014 he founded his own dance company Milan Tomášik & Co and created three dance performances Hunting Season (2014), Silver Blue (2015) and Fight Bright (2018) performed on various European festivals. The Hunting Season performance has been selected and supported by Dancenet Sweden to tour nationally, the piece has also received two awards for the lighting design (KioSk festival, SK and Gibanica festival, SLO) and Ksenija Hribar Award for the best dancer (Tina Valentan, Gibanica festival, SLO). Milan’s authorship and unique stage presence is best represented in his solo performances Within (2006), Off-beat (2011), Solo 2016 (2016), and Arms That Never Knew Me (2024). Since 2018, he collaborates closely with British artist Charlie Brittain on productions Echo (2019), Indefinite Frequency (2021), Unchanging (2022) and Arms that never knew me (2024). The dance concert Indefinite Frequency with the Slovenian Percussion Project (SToP) was selected and supported by the Pan Adria network in 2021.

Milan is regularly invited as a guest teacher around the world to deliver his signature workshops Happy Feet and Playful Presence, in 2023 fused in Poetic Body. During 2023-2024 season he was partly employed at dance gymnasium (SVŠGUGL) in Ljubljana. His teaching includes Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (AT), Le Centre national de dance contemporaine Angers (F), The Danish National School of Performing Arts Copenhagen, Holstebro (DK), Stockholm University of the Arts (SE), Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Arts/University of Zagreb (CRO), Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (DE), Belgrade Dance Institute (RS), Alma Mater Europaea (SLO), Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LT), Academy of Theatre and Dance/Amsterdam University of the Arts (NL), School of Fine and Performing Arts Tilburg (NL), London Contemporary Dance School (UK), Training with one Dublin (IE), The Academy of Performing Arts Bratislava (SK), B12 Berlin (DE), Deltebre dansa (ES), La Central del Circ Barcelona (ES), El Graner Barcelona (ES), Tictac Art Centre (BE), La Raffinerie Brussels (BE), Danse Centrum Jette Brussels (BE), P.A.R.T.S. summer school Brussels (BE), Out of the Toolbox Ghent (BE), Kaserne Basel (CH), Tanzwerkstatt Europa München (DE), Akropoditi dance festival Syros (GR), Dance Days Chania Crete (GR), Platforma Nest – research cycle Ljubljana, Dance Theatre Ljubljana (SLO), Vibra Ljubljana (SLO), EN-KNAP (SLO), Divadlo Štúdio tanca (SK), Akram Khan Company (UK), Ultima Vez Brussels (BE), Theatre Bielefeld (DE), Yucatan dansa Merida (Mexico), Rosario, Tucuman (Argentina), Kazan, Yekaterinburg (Russia), The New Beijing (China), Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) and CoDa21 San Juan (Puerto Rico), among others. 

Milan was an associated artists of Scenario Pubblico in Catania (IT) and an artistic curator of Out of the Toolbox workshop festival in Ghent, (BE). He was a recipient of the Dance Web Scholarship at ImpulsTanz Festival (AT), was awarded the Prize of the City Prievidza (SK) and received an award for the solo performance Off-beat at international festival Cortoindanza in Cagliari, Sardinia (IT).

Linde Wagemakers

Linde Wagemakers

Workshop description

Linde will guide you through different dynamics by diving into your own sentient archive. Musicality is an important component of both the improvisation part of the class as well as phrase where the class leads up to. You will find continuity in movement and in the journey that you will experience the moment you step into the class. Linde’s class is about finding honesty and joy in your movement, to then take it with you outside of the studio into your life.

Biography

Linde is an Amsterdam based freelance dance artist who worked with the Poetic Disasters Club (Club Guy & Roni), Collectief MAMM, Niek Wagenaar’s Nymphs, Anne Suurendonk, Danstheater AYA and other choreographers in the Netherlands. She has taught her Contemporary classes at numerous institutions like the Henny Jurriëns Studios, the Amsterdam University of the Arts, Codarts, Fontys Academy of the Arts and others. As a choreographer under the name ‘LWDC’ she has created work like the Contemporary dance piece ‘Time of my life’, choreography for the dance film ‘DROOM’ directed by Fleur Jonkers, and ’25/7′ which she co-created with choreographer Hanane Soltani in Morocco.

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Classes

Nicolas Sanchez

Workshop description

In this workshop, we will delve into the interplay between focus and stamina, exploring how these states shape our movement and presence. 

Through breathing exercises and slow, deliberate movement, we will cultivate a deep sense of focus, grounding ourselves and refining our awareness. From there, we’ll shift into stamina, drawing on collective energy to push past individual limits and unlock a state of effortless flow. 

To access this flow, we will explore how to move with ease, using the body’s weight and natural balance to transition seamlessly. We will work on dynamic entries and exits from the floor, especially on falling, but also incorporating jumps and acrobatics to experience moments of suspension. 

This journey will open the door to playful experimentation, encouraging each dancer to harness different states of being with intention and adaptability, bringing new depth and vitality to their practice

Biography

Nicolas is a multi-faceted artist whose journey from political science to the creative arts reflects a deep and evolving exploration of self-expression. After completing a university degree in political science, he redirected his focus to dance, immersing himself in extensive training in Germany and Portugal. His dedication to mastering the craft led him to become both a dancer and choreographer, where he draws inspiration from themes that resonate deeply within him, transforming personal experiences into powerful performances. 

As an artist, Nicolas is not confined to one medium. His passion for reading, writing, and video creation serves as an extension of his dance practice, allowing him to refine his artistic vision and explore new ways of storytelling. These diverse creative outlets enrich his work, offering a holistic approach to his artistic expression. 

Through his choreography and performances, Nicolas aims to evoke emotion, provoke thought, and offer audiences a glimpse into his own process of discovery and transformation. His work is characterized by a delicate balance between complexity and simplicity, where the understated elements hold as much significance as the more overt expressions. 

Nicolas believes that art should be a reflection of life’s intricacies, and he strives to 

communicate his own experiences, both raw and refined, with authenticity and sincerity. 

Irene Valesano

Workshop description

PARTAGE is a time of sharing energy, effort and sweat; a time of support, where you can take a moment for yourself together with others. Focus is on the relationship with the group, the floor and the space. After a warm-up that acts as a check-up of the body and helps create a connection, a series of dynamic sequences will be the basis for experimenting on how our body organises itself by varying the supports, planes and speed of movement.
Particular attention will be paid to momentum in order to generate dynamics and continuity without using excessive and incidental forces. There will be space for personal exploration, all in a judgment-free environment where you can challenge yourself, push your limits and mainly have fun.

Biography

After a degree in CTF, Irene started her Contemporary Dance studies with Paolo Benedetti and worked as his assistant in 2018. She later collaborated with Claudia Passero in Incongruo Dance Company. She trained non-academically by taking part in numerous workshops around the world and in 2020 she attended Performact where she had the opportunity to study and collaborate with internationally renowned teachers and choreographers. She works as a freelancer and teacher and has danced in several projects in Portugal and Italy.

As co-creator and performer in 2023 she presented her work in Köln during the SoloDuo festival Aggomitolamelo, a duo that received the New Comers and Audience Award. 

Her latest works are 2 duets; GUH!! created in Köln with the support of Barnercrossing and performed in Köln and Sapri and Digital Gaze.

In collaboration with the associations Parco Culturale Alta Langa and Amigara she is a Co-founder of MU.danceworkshop whose first edition took place last July in Monesiglio (CN).

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Sintija Silina

Class description

bodyART® is a functional body & mind training focusing on the detailed movement experience and holistic approach to the workout itself. The training system is designed as an open “platform” that merges the best and most therapeutically effective of yoga, classical strength exercises, flexibility and stretching exercises, physiotherapy-based exercises, various breathing techniques, relaxation techniques and Japanese Do In massage systems additionally to bodyART® original exercises. bodyART® significantly improves strength, coordination, flexibility, balance, endurance, self-control and relieve stress due to its multidimensional impact. bodyART® is liberal in its concept assuring that you don’t need anything more than yourself to reach the awareness.

Biography

Sintija Silina is a Latvian choreographer and dancer professionally active since 2007, and certified bodyART® instructor since 2014. She received the BA in contemporary choreography from the Latvian Academy of Culture in 2007. Sintija Silina has participated in a variety of dance festivals, dance workshops and residencies around the world including b12 (Germany), ImPulsTanz (Austria), Dance Omi International Dance Collective (USA), tanzhaus nrw (Germany) and Summer Studios PARTS (Belgium) among other. In 2007 Sintija Silina received the DanceWEB Europe scholarship mentored by Jonathan Burrows. Her latest work – the dance performance ROCK BOTTOM was nominated for the first Latvian Dance Award as the noticed contemporary dance production for the two-year period – 2017 and 2018.

Ramona Galkina

Class description

The Feldenkrais Method is not a dance technique but a method of somatic (physical) learning for the sake of self-development and feeling better. The link between improving movement skills and shifts in the perception of ourselves and the world is established by the subjective experience of sensory-motor coordination. The somatic experiences are brought to the foreground and are guided along by the structure of the Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lessons. During the ATM participants explore sequences of movements in lying on the floor , sitting or standing. Each lesson can be understood as a study of the biomechanical and developmental nature of body movement through the prism of a specific function. The lessons are verbally led by a practitioner.

Biography

Ramona Galkina teaches different dance and movement disciplines to the students of dance and theatre at the Latvian Academy of Culture since 2004. She has been a qualified as a certificated Feldenkrais Method practitioner (Feldenkrais International Training Program, Vienna) since 2004 and is actively taking part in various advanced trainings and workshops. Her teaching provides an ongoing source of inspiration with opportunities to investigate her own practice and sees her teaching nationally and internationally in a variety of settings.

Olga Zitluhina

Olga Žitluhina

Class description

The awakening of the human body is linked to a natural dawn or sunrise.

In this time of fragmentation and endless flow of information I would like to share with you some body/mind practices (Infinity, 5 Tibetan, 5 Animal Qigong, Swinging Therapy, Vibrogymnastic, Slapping Therapy, Laughter Therapy).

We’re going to try a little bit of each of these practices and focus a little more on one of the practices each day. The class will allow you to enjoy yourself, enjoy the silence of your body and its volume, will charge you with energy and confidence for the whole day

Biography

Olga Zitluhina`s artistic bio in numbers:

57 years – dancing

45 years – choreographing

45 years – teaching and sharing dance

28 years teaching in the State Ballet school

24 years – the director of contemporary dance program at the Latvian academy of culture

14 years as Professor

19 years – the art director of LAIKS DEJOT , contemporary dance festival in Riga, Latvia

20 performances for her own company

39 “ÀRÁ” performances

3 performances for Latvian National Ballet company

2 performances for break dance company Camelot

56 hours SOLO dancing performance in 2014

31 years – the official alien

44 countries performed and taught

10 times teaching in China

2 times awarded as best contemporary dance performance in Latvia

1 National Dance award as Best Dancer for 2019-2021

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