FACT/SF Spring Dance Lab - 2021
Information for participants
DAILY SCHEDULE & DETAILS
April 17 & 18, 2021
11am-3pm each day
Charlie Slender-White will be on-site by 10:45am each day. Please keep in mind that the schedule below is simply a proposal, and that each day will unfold in response to the needs and interests of the group.
April 17
11am - Collectively select a location in the meadow; introductions
11:15am - Countertechnique Class
12:45pm - Break
1:05pm - Examining 3 basic Countertechnique exercises (head rolls, feet, shifts/rotation)
2pm - Applying Countertechnique to choreography & practice giving each other cues
April 18
11am - Countertechnique Class
12:30pm - Examining 3 basic Countertechnique exercises (walks, pre-falling, leg swings)
1:30pm - Break
1:50pm - Applying Countertechnique to choreography & practice giving each other cues
LOCATION
Robin Williams Meadow, Golden Gate Park
320 Bowling Green Dr
San Francisco, CA 94118
On the first day of the Dance Lab, we will gather on the south side of the meadow, in front of the Sharon Art Studio (see dance lab meeting spot as marked on this map).
Charlie Slender-White will be at the meeting spot by 10:45am.
His cell is 415-407-9393 in case anyone needs instructions or help finding the meeting spot.
Public Transit
The Robin Williams Meadow is accessible on the 5, 7, 33, 44, and NBUS MUNI lines.
Parking
Though there are many parking options in and around Golden Gate Park, availability on the weekends is sometimes quite limited. If driving, please give yourself ample time to find parking.
helpful suggestions
What to Bring
A mask (dancers will be required to wear masks for the entirety of the Lab, with exceptions for drinking/eating breaks)
Comfortable dance clothes (including shoes to dance in)
Many clothing layers as the weather this time of year can shift quickly
Sunscreen
Hat
Water bottle
Snack/Lunch (our 20 minute breaks will not be enough time to leave the meadow to find food)
Pen & Paper
The workshop will largely be standing (i.e., no ‘floor work’) - though we will do different stretching exercises where dancers will be invited to put their hands on the grass.
QUESTIONS
If you have any questions or would like more information, please email Charlie Slender-White at cslender@factsf.org. Or, call 415.407.9393.
ABOUT COUNTERTECHNIQUE
ABOUT THE TEACHER
CHARLIE SLENDER-WHITE
Charlie has been a Countertechnique practitioner for 16 years, and became a Certified Teacher in 2012; there are 36 Teachers worldwide. Charlie has taught Countertechnique at the American Dance Festival (Durham, NC), Velocity Dance Center (Seattle, WA), University of Calgary, Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles), University of San Francisco, CSU East Bay, L’Artere (Quebec City), Circuit-Est (Montreal), Love-In (Toronto), and at numerous dance centers throughout the SF Bay Area. He began his dance career in 2006 with Tatiana Baganova’s Provincial Dances Theatre in Yekaterinburg, Russia. In 2008, he returned to his native California to start FACT/SF in order to make his own contributions to innovation and excellence in contemporary dance. Over the past 13 years, Charles has created 30+ works, with commissions by the US Department of State, ODC Theater, CounterPulse, Acid Rain (Chelyabinsk), Dialogue Dance (Kostroma), the Yekaterinburg University of the Humanities (Yekaterinburg), and others. Described as ‘utterly absorbing’ and ‘mesmerizing’ (SF Bay Guardian), Charlie’s work with FACT/SF has been performed throughout California, in Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, and in 7 cities across Russia, working with the US Department of State to share contemporary American culture with local Russian communities as part of their ‘American Seasons’ Program. Throughout 2012, Charlie was a mentee of Elizabeth Streb as part of CHIME Across Borders at the Margaret Jenkins Dance Lab. Charlie graduated with honors from the University of California, Berkeley, with degrees in Dance & Performance Studies and English Literature. (Photo by Kegan Marling)