Luke Dakota Zender prioritizes making connections between our mental, emotional states and our physical being. They are informed always by the expansive quality of Mother Nature herself and they hope to cultivate a physical and metaphysical understanding or relationship within their students. Luke Dakota has been inspired by an array of different codified kinesthetic techniques including release, counter technique, floor work, sensory and imagery based improv, breath work and more. Through a thoughtfully curated vocabulary Zender attempts to catalyze a sense of “efficient expansion” that reflects the universe and bodies we were born into.

In this workshop we’ll be exploring the ideas of sculpture from both inside and outside perspectives. This will happen through a series of play and debrief sessions. The hope for participants is that there is a time and space to create sculpture to be viewed and embodied while learning about ourselves in the process.

Colliding Bodies is a partnering class that explores highly physical and acrobatic partnering in a safe and grounded way. Rebound, theatricality, and gesture are used to tell stories through connection to another body. We will discover how to manage each other’s weight in unusual contexts and learn partnering repertory.