ZenRaga Movement Technique

photo by Bill Herbert

Spinning through movement that comes directly out of integrative contemporary dance techniques, woven with Reggae and Soca dances of the Caribbean, this class focuses on fluidity, strength, versatility and finding rhythm in all corners of the body. Particular emphasis is placed on exploring the balance between highly physical athleticism and subtle joint articulation, taking each movement apart and reintegrating these social dance styles into an ever evolving modern dance body. We will make our way in and out the floor, challenging gravity, our bodies and our expectations while developing fluidity, strength, control, articulation and three dimensional awareness.

Tania Isaac is a Caribbean-American dancer/choreographer who fuses choreography with personal documentary and social commentary to grapples with identity, post-colonial issues, feminism and juxtapositions of European and African influences. She graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received her MFA in dance from Temple University in 2000. Also a scholar, she has penned several articles for publications such as Susanna Sloat’s anthology Making Caribbean Dance (University Press of Florida, 2010). Isaac is a former member of David Dorfman Dance, Urban Bush Women and Rennie Harris Puremovement. She has received grants from the Independence Foundation, Dance Advance, National Performance Network, Leeway Foundation, Harlem Stage Fund for New Work and is the recipient of a 2011 Pew Charitable Foundation Artists Fellowship. Her current work is a groundbreaking exploration of creative method she calls the “Open Notebook“ a way of turning a room into a laboratory of investigation and participatory dance. She developed this project during a 2006 Residency at the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography. Isaac has been faculty at Bates Dance Festival, Resident Artist at Painted Bride Art Center in Philadelphia, and a US/JAPAN Exchange Artist through Philadelphia Dance Projects, Dance Theater Workshop and the Japan Foundation. She has also taught and performed across the U.S