Partner Lifting Workshop with Stilo
As an invited guest instructor, I had the pleasure of working with Stillo Dance Company, under the direction of David and Carla Olarte. This workshop focused on introducing foundational concepts and strategies for entering, sustaining, and exiting lifts and partnering tricks in dance.
Throughout our time together, we concentrated on preparing dancers with fundamental skills that would allow them to approach weight-sharing and partnering experiences with both creativity and confidence. Rather than simply teaching set choreography, the workshop emphasized tools and principles that dancers can use to safely explore and apply lifts in their own movement practices.
In particular, we worked through a series of exercises designed to develop body awareness, alignment, and connection between partners. These included practices to organize the hips, knees, and ankles in supportive alignment, as well as exercises that encouraged dancers to sense and engage the shoulder girdle and core to connect the upper and lower body effectively.
We also incorporated principles from Laban Movement Analysis (LMA), focusing on concepts such as Flow and Weight, Head-Tail connectivity, and strategies for entering and exiting lifts with control and clarity. These ideas served as anchors for developing both physical safety and expressive possibility in partnering work.
Short video samples highlighting these principles and practices can be found below. As well as the Stillo Dance Company’s Social Media Link.
I am deeply grateful to Stillo Dance Company for their openness, curiosity, and generosity during our time together. It was a privilege to engage with such a talented and welcoming community of dancers.
