Professional Dancers

This workshop welcomes participants from diverse movement backgrounds—from trained dancers to those newer to dance—who are curious about embodied practice, improvisation, and real-time composition.

The session begins with an octopus-inspired somatic practice: an immersive, imaginative approach that awakens proprioception, sensory awareness, and physical intelligence. Drawing on the metaphor of the octopus—able to sense and respond through each limb independently, and to shift colour and texture—participants are invited to attune to their physical instincts and cultivate greater complexity and responsiveness in their movement.

As we transition from floor to upright movement, we explore a vocabulary of articulations, fluid transitions, and spatial pathways. Participants are guided through a series of specific tasks, ranging from sensorial and intuitive to conceptual and cognitive. We expand perception beyond the human lens, drawing from animal awareness, and explore notions of temporality—short time frames, stretched time, and "deep time" or "plant time"—alongside memory as it relates to one’s memory of sensations and embodied experiences. These layered tasks provide space for individual interpretation, inviting each participant to engage through their own embodied understanding and creative intuition.

Participants will work solo, in pairs, and in groups, navigating shifting attentional modes, physical states, and compositional strategies. The format blends guided structure with self-directed exploration, supporting the development of individual physical voices and creative agency.

The session culminates in a collective improvisation—a spacious yet held container for experimentation, autonomy, and play. This final phase invites participants to synthesise the tools explored, deepen their real-time physical thinking, and discover new perspectives on movement, perception, and expression.

Cultural project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or for the manner in which the results of the project may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding beneficiary.

Project carried out with the support of the Cluj-Napoca City Hall and Local Council.

Prue Lang is an Australian choreographer known for her rigorous, concept-driven works that merge somatic intelligence with philosophical research. Her practice explores the sensory body through deep engagement with diverse somatic disciplines—including Release Technique, Alexander Technique, Klein Technique, Martial Arts, Butoh, Budo, Tai Chi, Hip-hop, Ballet, and Improvisation—while also drawing inspiration from sensory ecology, neurodiversity, feminist theory, and biomimetics.

A former dancer with Ballet Frankfurt and The Forsythe Company under the direction of William Forsythe, Lang’s choreographic work is grounded in physical intelligence and innovation. Her creations unfold through interdisciplinary collaborations, long-term research, and the development of performances and films for the stage, museums, galleries, and site-specific contexts. She approaches choreography both as critical inquiry and aesthetic exploration, influenced by environmental ethics, feminist politics, and neurodiverse perspectives.

Lang’s works have been presented at major institutions including Tate Modern (London), Théâtre de Chaillot (Paris), Festival Faits d’Hiver, Rencontres Chorégraphiques Internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis, Maison Rouge, Mains d’Œuvres (France), Tanzplattform Deutschland, HAU (Berlin), Mousonturm (Frankfurt), Tanzhaus NRW (Düsseldorf), STUK (Belgium), Les Halles de Schaerbeek (Brussels), Transart (Italy), Kalamata Festival (Greece), REDCAT (Los Angeles), as well as in Australia at NGV Triennial, Carriageworks, Sydney Dance Company, Adelaide Festival, Arts Centre Melbourne, Dancehouse, and Dance Massive.

Her awards include: Most Outstanding Dancer, Most Outstanding Choreographer, and Most Innovative Production (Tanz Annual Critics’ Survey, Europe); the PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA Hybrid Art Award; and multiple Green Room Awards in Australia for Design, Choreography, and Best Ensemble.