Contemporary – weissmann Technique

with Heidi Weiss / Octavia Barvulsky / Cora Kartmann

Tuesdays, 19:45–21:15
Intermediate

weissmann Technique

The weissmann technique is a method of teaching and training developed by Jennifer Mann and Heidi Weiss. It provides dancers with tools that support technical precision while they engage in a continual changing flow of movement. These tools facilitate clarity in motion without sacrificing the experience of a highly physical and engaging contemporary dance class.

A weissmann technique class is based upon a holistic approach, specific movement principles and an intelligent class structure. The dancer is perceived as an interactive environment consisting of mind, body, energy and spirit. Integration of yoga and mindfulness practices draw attention to these layers which helps cultivate focus, an awareness of energy and a healthy alignment. Organic movement is consistently sourced from breath, intention and flow. Specific principles are weaved into the teaching to increase articulation such as distinct qualities, initiation points and the analyzation of one’s relationship to gravity and music. These concrete tools help to convey more definition in motion, soften technical rigidity and encourage artistic expression. The overall efficiency of the weissmann technique rests upon the framework of the class “map”. The sequences move progressively from simple towards the complex. Targeted themes overlap and build upon one another carrying the class on an energetic journey through space. weissmann technique builds strength, flexibility, mobility, coordination and enhances conditioning. It prepares a dancer for an uninhibited range of movement. Soulful music, sometimes performed live, uplifts the spirit and supports the unfolding of the entire weissmann class. It is through music that the joy of moving is celebrated and intentionally utilized as a positive influence. This balanced play between freedom and structure, precision and fluidity, enjoyment and craft, is why weissmann technique works.

Learn more about the weissmann technique here!

About the Teachers

Heidi Weiss

Heidi Weiss, originally from New Jersey, USA, received her BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 1992 and has been based in Germany as a freelance contemporary dance artist since 1998. She is co-founder of weissmann Dance and has created numerous evening-length works, most recently interbeing (2022/23), supported by the HauptstadtKulturfonds. Alongside her international teaching, she co-directs the weissmann Teacher Training, co-leads the Group Motion workshop at Marameo, serves on its board, and is also a certified yoga and meditation teacher.

Octavia Iveta Barvulsky

Octavia Barvulsky, born in Leipzig, studied contemporary dance at Tanzakademie Balance 1 in Berlin and has been working as a freelance dancer since her graduation in 2015. She has performed in diverse projects across Europe and Latin America, including as a company dancer with MiR Dance Company (2021/22), and has collaborated with renowned choreographers such as Johannes Wieland, Heidi Weiss, Marcos Morau, and Giuseppe Spota. Alongside her performing career, she regularly teaches contemporary dance and is currently in the process of building her own company.

Cora Kartmann

Cora Kartmann is a freelance dancer, choreographer, and dance educator based in Berlin. She studied contemporary dance pedagogy at the Music and Arts University of Vienna (MUK), deepened her practice through the weissmann teacher training programme, and worked for many years with choreographer Volker Eisenach in the field of Community Dance. In 2022, she co-founded the Impala Dance Company, creating interdisciplinary projects in cultural education, while also teaching modern and contemporary dance for children, adults, and professionals.