“The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”
— Carl Sagan
The education program of Alliance Action Arts consists of courses (including classes, intensives, special series, or workshops) for learners of diverse ages to explore how their creativity is related to their bodies and their environments. (Refer to the catalogue below to explore the options for courses.) Courses can also be tailored for private groups and residencies.
For private groups, courses are facilitated by an animator, providing guests with a fun and educational experience. For residencies, courses are facilitated at schools and educational organizations, providing students and staff with opportunities to deepen their understanding of the partnering institution’s mission or special initiatives. (Dance Roots and Global Water Dances - Geneva have been in residency at Ecole Active. Global Water Dances - Geneva has been in residency at the International School of Geneva. Contes de danse and Lab’Eau have be in residency at Le Chalet du Petit Prince.)
Course Catalogue
In ArtMoves, participants explore the relationships between performing and visual artists and their artistic process, as they develop their own artistic projects.
In Contes de danse, participants are inspired by illustrated books, which explore themes from nature and inspire fundamental elements of movement. Along the way, they create their own journals, filled with pictures and words that show their learning.
In Dance Roots, participants learn about the fundamental categories of movement, theorized by Rudolf Laban (Body, Effort, Space, and Shape). Each lesson of the program is inspired by the movements of plants and trees, especially referring to the stabilizing and mobilizing attributes of plant and tree roots.
In DIVE! (Dance in Virtual Environments), participants produce their own dances for the screen, using digital cameras, drones, and other technical devices. Developing critical thinking, organizational and technical skills, participants’ projects culminate in e-portfolios that present the relationships they discovered between images from their surroundings and their own self-image.
In Dynamic Dance, participants dance to traditional and contemporary African and Caribbean rhythms, as they have fun in community. Some classes include live music.
In EcoMoves, participants engage with the choreographic process as they explore and express their values about nature. Building their creative and critical thinking skills, participants see themselves as a part of their ecosystem.
In Global Water Dances - Geneva, participants explore water as a source of inspiration for creative movement and connect with an international community of dancers and environmentalists through dance.
Quel est le point commun entre les arcs-en-ciel, les peintures et le céleri ? C'est de l'eau ! Au Lab’Eau, nous mènerons des expérimentations scientifiques (capillarité, polarité, réfraction, etc.) et artistiques (danse, peinture, musique, etc.) pour en savoir plus sur l'eau. Nous utiliserons ce que nous observons de ces expériences pour créer collectivement des œuvres d'art que nous présenterons à la fin de la semaine. Vive l'eau !
In Move with Me, caregivers of babies and toddlers improvise, play, touch and transfer weight, as they bond with each other. Building self-confidence, children take the lead while their adult caregivers observe, support, and follow along.
In My Body / My World, participants use the artistic process to explore and express human anatomy. Developing their own creativity, as well as research skills, participants make connections between the inner workings of their bodies and the world around them.
In Planet Dance, participants are inspired by the movement and unique characteristics of the planets in our solar system. They use their hands and whole bodies, as well as technology, to create images and objects to remember their out-of-this world experience.
In Prepositional Photography, amateur and professional photographers embody prepositions and prepositional phrases to gain new perspectives on the spaces they engage with.
In Our City / Ourselves, participants get to know themselves as they learn more about where they live. They explore the inseparable relationship between people and place, and the vital role they play in the sustainability of their surroundings.
During one-on-one somatic dance sessions, participants are carefully guided through dance exercises as they move mindfully, increasingly aware of their movement potential based on the integration of somatic principles, including anatomy, kinesiology, and physiology. This individualized practice focuses on the body-mind's central place in transformation, as participants learn from the intelligence of their own bodies to achieve their embodied goals.
Swing & Stretch is currently in development. Participants will be guided to find deep relaxation as they move with the aid of aerial hammocks.