Javier Cura (ARG)
Javier Cura is a teacher, visual artist, theatre director, movement coach and activist who has worked extensively across the fields of movement, dance and theatre.
He has taught and performed at numerous international festivals and events, including Fabrik Potsdam Tanztage, Göttingen Contact Impro Festival, Phantastango, Farma Dance Theatre Festival and Alchemie Tango in Prague, C.I.R.A. in Strasbourg, and the Contact Improvisation Festival in San Francisco.
His work has also explored anthropological and sociological themes, including social theatre projects in Italy, Morocco and Germany. He has collaborated on research into expression in Contact Improvisation at the Free University of Berlin and worked as a movement advisor for patients with sickle cell disease at the Royal London Hospital.
By bringing together different disciplines that nurture movement diversity, body awareness, consensual touch and creativity, he developed The Ecological Body – an approach that seeks to reconnect us with ourselves, other living beings and the Earth on physical, emotional and spiritual levels.
Javier describes himself as a movement activist. He encourages people to pay attention to their natural movement needs and to recognize their profound impact on our physical, emotional and mental well-being, as well as on our relationship with the planet.
Javier collaborates with Dialogy v pohybu as a guest teacher. Several times a year, we invite him to Brno to lead workshops and share his distinctive approach to movement, improvisation and connection through dance.
Javier's workshops
Javier brings together elements of Contact Improvisation, Argentine tango, Tai Chi, biomechanics, physical theatre, somatic practices and other movement approaches in his own creative and distinctive way.
His workshops are not about learning fixed steps or sequences. Instead, we explore biomechanical principles that help us move more naturally and efficiently, work with our centre of gravity, and discover how our connection with the ground can become a source of energy for both our own movement and that of our partner.
We develop awareness of our own bodies and those of our partners, exploring how to offer and respond to invitations for movement through improvisation. Music also plays an important role, inviting us to listen, respond and allow ourselves to be inspired and guided by it.
Workshops usually begin with individual exercises that help us become more aware of how our bodies function in relation to the ground and the space around us. From there, we gradually move into partner work and group improvisation.
No previous experience in Contact Improvisation or tango is required. You don't need to bring a dance partner, as partners change throughout the workshop.
Javier's workshops also often include floorwork – exploring movement while lying down, sitting and moving in contact with the ground.
And beyond the movement itself, playfulness, curiosity and humour are essential parts of his approach.
Links and interviews
The Meaning of Movement – interview by Daniel Dietz for acTVism Munich
Videos
Underwater Contact Tango Dance