Michel Casanovas is an acclaimed dancer, choreographer and practitioner in Feldenkrais Method, from France. Since 2006 he has been regularly teaching and creating in India(micha.in). In his workshops, Michel combines his dance experience and the Feldenkrais method to offer participants a space of creativity and self-discovery. From slow movements explorations and variations in a larger range of actions, he leads people from functionality to a better quality of movement as well as a more complete way of expression. He visited Assam in 2016 and conducted workshop on the Feldenkrais Method and Contemporary Dance.
Held between September – November 2018, this was our first residential workshop. It ultimately led to the creation of the first theatrical work from NOI called “A Human Endeavour”, based on Mary Shelley’s introduction to The Frankenstein.
The play is not just an embodiment of the text as was written by the writer but a play in the context of the current socio-political climate in the world using the physicality of the body as a medium, in motion and stillness, to highlight the organic connect between emotion and action
This was the first National workshop on Embodied practice for performance by Shilpika Bordoloi. There were other guest teachers such as Shweta Krishnan on culture studies, Pranjal Saikia and Paramananda Kakaty of Borgeet and Sattriya Dance. The month was intensive with a work schedule from 6 am to 7 pm and the 5 selected participants were from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab. At the end of the workshop there was a public sharing of some of the work taught along with an interactive session. There was also field work involved, which was sharing some of the learnings with school children of Majuli under the guidance of Shilpika Bordoloi.
Instruments, instrumentation, and folk singing classes started regularly from March 2018. Mukunda Madhab Borah led these sessions. Bihu dance and Dhul workshop are conducted as the festivities near. We had the first public sharing at the end of this workshop at NOI Centre in 2018. We wanted to give an experience of mikes and performance and hence we hired all equipment for the sharing by our students.
As the monsoon brought flood to kolamua Gaon of Majuli, Hummingbird School sent 15 selected students for a 15 day residential workshop to NOI Centre. They were accompanied by 2 teachers and a cook. They all lived at NOI centre. The space became a dormitory at night and classroom during the day. They learnt Folk singing, instruments and crafts from ropes. At the end of the workshop they gave a performance to an audience of Jorhat.
This was the first international workshop. Mandagora Circus from Argentina was travelling to Assam and they wrote to us and we were very pleased to welcome them and facilitate a workshop on Acrobatics. They wanted only few participants hence we selected and it was successfully conducted
In the field of wellness we started conducting regular teaching of yoga practice at NOI Centre in the mornings and evenings. We had Karma yogis from different parts of India. Hiran from Kerala, Shivani from Mysore and Sheejal Shetty from Karnataka. We taught special workshops on International Yoga Day to different groups of people in both 2018 and 2019. Senior Citizens, kids, adults — all were trained intensively.
