ON STILLNESS AND ACTION

Using meditation practices and teachings for the mind, as well as contemporary dance technique and theory, we'll explore how awakening and creativity can be expressed in and through the body. We will look more deeply at the roots of our collective aesthetic preferences, how they shape perception and pre-choreograph action.

In stillness, we will consider how meditation techniques might offer insight into contemporary movement processes and, more broadly, procedures of making art. In movement, we will translate these teachings into contemporary sense-based exercises, koans to be unfolded somatically.

Each class will include sitting/walking meditation, discussion, and movement practices.

Tilman O’Donnell (German/U.S.) received his training at the National Ballet School in Toronto, Canada. He joined The Göteborg Ballet in 2001 Staatstheater Saarbrücken (2002) Cullberg Ballet (2003-2007) The Forsythe Company (2007-2012,guest artist 2012- 2015). He has been freelancing as a choreographer, dancer and teacher since 2010. Tilman made his debut as a choreographer in 2002 with Del A, receiving first prize in two major
international choreographic competitions. In 2005 he was nominated both ”Dancer To Watch” and “Choreographer To Watch” by the magazine Tanz, and as “Hoffnungsträger” in 2015 by thesame publication. In 2017 he was once again named “Dancer to Watch” for his performance of Whatever Singularity #453: Solo for Tilman / Dancing with Alain.

He has made works for Cullberg, SPIRA Jönköping/Cullberg To Come, Staatstheater Graz, The Göteborgs
Operans Danskompani, University of Dance Stockholm, Corpus Copenhagen/ The Royal Danish Opera House,
The Danish University of Dance, Weld Theater Stockholm, Skånes Dansteater, Dansens Hus Stockholm as well
as producing his own works. Recent works include: This Is (2010), August did not have what is commonly
considered good taste as far as furniture is concerned.. (2012) The Disambiguation Project (2013), Whatever
Singularity #453: Solo For Maxime / Dancing With Alain (2014), In Life & Love & So On (2015), These & Those &
Upon Us (2016) In Some Sense (2016-2018), Corpus Dogme: On The One Hand (2019) History Was Written By
The Losers: Hoedown / Showdown (2020) The View From Here (2021) and Etudes I & II (2023).

In 2023, the work Etudes I & II will be presented by Dansens Hus, Stockholm, supported by Kulturådet /
Swedish Arts Council.