Up Side Down is an interactive performance which proposes to our youngest audience an involving and interactive experience of contemporary dance and visual arts.

It invites children into a shared adventure, which they can spectate, activate and influence. A perceptual and kinesthetic journey constituted of a variety of stimuli, engendering first hand, direct experience which heightens awareness of perception as embodied and interdependent with its surroundings. The performance setting affirms the minimalistic aesthetics, endorses imagination and values the simplicity and inspiration found in the every day objects and actions. The project’s priority is to enable frequent accessibility for children and therefore it will be produced in several countries, by partners who share this vision.
Up Side Down aspires to challenge the concepts of performing arts for children and to promote the importance of artistic experiences in early years, in the context of both artistic and social experience.

The project will be developed during several residency phases, consisted of creative processes and rehearsals, informed by the research and evaluations, including try-outs with participants of the targeted age. Within each of the residencies we will collaborate with the local dancers in order to create the performance. Residencies will be supported by: De Stilte (Breda, Holland) on January 4.-15; Arts Stations Foundation/Stary Browar Nowy Taniec (Poznan, Poland), on February 6.- 21; Station Service for Contemporary Dance and Youth Center Belgrade, (Belgrade, Serbia), on February 27. – March 6; Weld (Stockholm, Sweden) in November 2016. Each of our partners will produce a local version of the performance and organize future presentations of the work.

Janusz Orlik will take families to a world full of fun and movement, where the body serves as the basis of all activities. Children and their care-givers will be invited to join the expedition into this magical world, not only to find their own movement expression, but also to experience it in a joint dance with their parents. While performing tasks, we will enjoy unlimited freedom of movement, lightness and speed, as well as a sense of closeness. This direct contact between parent and child in movement will allow for experiencing and discovering unique ways to move.

Colorful, spontaneous, and above all prepared with children and parents in mind, this workshop is our proposal for spending time looking for and discovering “connections through movement”. Playing and dancing together creates a family dialogue based on physicality and strengthens the bonds in the parent-child relationship. Using spontaneous and natural movements derived from imagination, we will build new and powerful connections!

Dance and movement are one of the most natural forms of children expression. It is also a unique way to discover new and amazing relations. Through movement, learning to partner, freedom of movement, play, and creating choreography together, families participating in the workshop will build unique bonds with each other and with the other participants. Starting with warm-up exercises, through various dance and movement tasks, we will stimulate our creativity and ingenuity. Classes will also place great emphasis on working together, learning to understand and accept others, creating and working creatively together, building trust and relationships with other children. We will show that dance can not only be great fun, but also a way to express ourselves, tell stories and communicate with each other.

We invite you to create family choreography! Using children’s favorite and individual ways of moving, we will create family dance routines. We will not be learning steps, but inspiring principles of movement composition that are roomy enough to accommodate the fun, creativity and individual expression of children and adults.

Hoola Dances is a space where both children and their caregivers will be able to experience the pleasure and joy of contact with their bodies, natural and free movement, and dance relationships with others. During the workshop we will move in harmony with ourselves, our own rhythm and abilities, with the help of music and props. Children are extremely creative and have enormous amounts of spontaneity in them, not yet restrained by the responsibilities of adult life. We will also learn from each other how to develop our own creativity in a relationship with another person. Common movement supports and develops the relationship, and teaches acceptance. Natural dance allows for free expression, so important in building one’s own identity.

Increasing body awareness through creative play and experiencing fun together through the body is our uncompromising offer for Dancing Families. During the classes we will look for dance in our everyday activities such as brushing teeth, cooking or walking to school or kindergarten. We will check how much dance can be found in everyday life, how much we dance together and if we can try to incorporate more dance into our everyday lives. A workshop for all those who find joy in movement and for those who are still looking for it.

How do you show a heavy ball jumping and a light inflatable ball moving?
What can we dance when our shoes are stuck to the floor?
How can children and parents create a joint story just with movement?
We will answer these and other questions during joint movement games.

The workshop aims to develop body awareness, musicality, motor coordination and creativity. Children and their parents will have the opportunity to develop their natural need for movement and expression through engaging in theater and dance tasks. Through the workshops they will learn what it means to feel the body, space, weight and time in the world around them. They will develop their imagination, self-esteem and co-responsibility

Family Dancefonies is a unique way to spend free time in joy and pleasure. The workshop is designed for children and their parents. By playing together with movement and voice, we will immerse ourselves in the world of creative energy: its sounds, colors and physicality. During the workshop we will discover our senses and the extraordinary power of listening and feeling. The workshop aims to deepen body awareness, awaken personal and collective imagination, release the natural need for expression, and build trust and connection. Please bring comfortable clothing, change of shoes and a portion of a smile.