Storytelling Through Movement
"I felt that I pushed my boundaries in the pieces that I performed, and I never expected to feel as gratified for doing them as I did."
- Participant
Sheetal Gandhi’s Storytelling Through Movement workshops, also called “These Embodied Voices”, have engaged participants at colleges and festivals around the United States, as well as international organizations that crave a creative process to help them address vital issues specific to their community.
The workshops engage students in dance-theater techniques, exploring the integrated use of voice, movement and rhythm as meaning-making tools. Based on her own explorations with character-work in the solo form, Sheetal encourages students to find a space where their imagination and a rigorous investigation of their own technique and virtuosity can come together to create compelling and unique characters that MOVE!
Participants work together and work alone to source material through improvisation, choreographic and theatrical structures, free-writing, research, and dialogue. They may explore their cultural identities, histories, genders, and spiritual backgrounds as these subjects relate to the development of performance. However, the workshops can also be 100% process oriented and do not have to result in a performance.
The workshops can be scheduled as a 2-3 hour Master Class, or as a full residency from 1-10 weeks to a full semester. Longer residencies give the opportunity for participants to develop performance pieces either individually or as a collective, if this is so desired. Sheetal can work with participants as a director, helping to prepare the work either for public presentation or some other outlet.
EVERYONE HAS A STORY!
Storytelling Through Movement workshops a.k.a. “These Embodied Voices” can be adapted for a range of populations from professionals in the dance and theater worlds (dancers, choreographers, actors, writers and directors), to students of the arts, to non-arts professionals and those who have never participated in a creative process or performed on stage. It’s adaptability is what makes the work so powerful. As a director, I thoroughly enjoy meeting participants where they are by making a personal connection to each individual and by discovering what their unique abilities are and how they can best ‘tell’ their story.
TESTIMONIALS
“The instructor came to class everyday with enthusiasm and great patience and care. Her energy was very infectious which added so much more to my experience in class overall. I really appreciated the brave space this created - a space where we felt comfortable to take risks and go outside of our comfort zone.”
“Sheetal is one of the best teachers I have had so far. Her pedagogy, tone of voice, presence, and performance skills are impressive. She always reassures us and gives us useful feedback. It is a very unique class mixing rhythm, vocal, dance, and reflection. It was very therapeutic for me, and challenged myself in a way I did not know I would be capable of.”
“Sheetal is an incredible artist and professor. I am so honored to have had the opportunity to learn from and share space with her. She is so kind and passionate, it was clear she cared about each student and our needs.”
“Sheetal is wonderful. I have taken many dance composition courses, and her encouragement really allowed me to see and appreciate things in my own and others' work that I might not have otherwise.”
“I really enjoyed this course. As a writer, I felt a little unsure about how much I could bring to the class. Sheetal created a really inviting, relaxed, and conducive learning environment. I felt that I pushed my boundaries in the pieces that I performed, and I never expected to feel as gratified for doing them as I did. Sheetal's feedback is always so thoughtful and uplifting that even when I feel that I'm not sure if I did the assignment right, I felt that I had demonstrated some evolution in skill in my performances/studies. I'm really grateful for all of Sheetal's instruction. I learned a lot about movement, rhythm, and pushing limits. She's a really amazing teacher. I'm really glad I took this course.”