DANCE CLASS: COUNTERTECHNIQUE

ABOUT THE DANCE CLASS

Countertechnique,  created by Anouk van Dijk, provides tools for body   and mind to deal  with the deman­ding dance practice of the 21st   century. It is a movement  system to help the dancer think about the   dancing body, focusing on the  process of incorporating information  into  action. Within a clear  structure of exercises, the  Countertechnique  class thoroughly prepares  the body for rehearsal and  performance,  enabling dancers to move bigger,  more fluidly and more  spatially, while  becoming stronger and more  flexible.

ABOUT YOUR TEACHER

Kelly  Hirina, originally from Michigan, moved to the Netherlands as a   Fulbright scholar and continued to live and work there as a   professional  dancer for twenty years. While there, Hirina worked with   many different  choreographers such as; Emio Greco & Pieter C.   Scholten (EG|PC),  Krisztina de Chatel, Suzy Blok, Nicole Beutler, Liat   Waysbort and Dylan  Newcomb in companies such as ICKamsterdam and   Dansgroep Amsterdam.  Hirina also worked in mime/theater onstage with   Jakop Ahlbom and  Compagnietheater (Theu Boermans) and in films with   directors such as  Arno Dierickx and Noud Heerkens. Alongside her dance career she studied  acting at the Atlantic Theatre School in New York City.

Hirina  is a certified teacher of both Countertechnique, created by   Anouk van  Dijk and Double Skin/Double Mind, created by Emio Greco and   Pieter C.  Scholten. She has been teaching these methods at the Lucia   Marthas  Institute for Performing Arts (Amsterdam) and in her role as   the  artistic coordinator of ICKamsterdam’s academy. These methods  offer healthy approaches to the dancing body while stimulating their   personal  creativity. Hirina also incorporates methods from   ICKamsterdam, the  Sensorium Toolkit and Pre-choreographics, in   choreographic development.

She  acquired her M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Michigan   with  research based upon the link between mind and body in dance   training,  rehearsal and performance. Her specific interest is in   pedagogical  methods that enhance intrinsic motivation, appreciation  for  learning (a  process-oriented approach) and goal setting.