Nr. 1 Theatre course "Over 60" (morning)

08.–12.07.2019

The new course of theater for students over 60 is designed for those who have found within themselves the desire to explore their physical expression, improvisation, and the stage. With gentle movements and a comic approach, the participants will share moments of exploration and presentation. Open to anyone over 60.  

Shahaf Michaeli

After earning her bachelor’s degree at the Accademia Teatro Dimitri in 2012, Shahaf Michaeli has continued to organize and teach workshops dedicated to theater and clownery, for different sectors and in various projects. Her master project in physical theater, completed in 2017, was focused on the application of physical theater and clowning in social settings.

Nr. 2 Pantomime

15.–19.07.2019

Throughout the week of the course, students will discover and explore the physical ego in all its forms – gesture, emotionality, pantomime – paying particular attention to researching the principles of physical communication. The workshop aims to research the active and passive power of physical communication and it’s own expressiveness.

Roberto Gerboles

Roberto Carlos Gerbolés, mime, actor, author, and director, graduated in 1996 from the Accademia Teatro Dimitri. He is currently continuing his artistic career with the company Teatro Blu (Italy), of which he is vice-president and for which he writes, directs, and interprets various shows in collaboration with several prominent artists. He collaborates with the RSI and with the OSI in various productions.

Nr. 3 Clowning

15.–19.07.2019

The course offers students a chance to reestablish contact with the world of children, and rediscover the joy of play. Each participant will cultivate their own lack-of-skill in manipulating objects in order to reveal the tragicomedy of the resulting situations. Defects, stupidity, ingenuity, imbalance, failure, insufficiency, but also authenticity… all of these qualities will be encouraged!

Emmanuel Pouilly

Emmanuel Pouilly is an actor, director, and teacher. He trained and graduated from the Accademia Teatro Dimitri in 1991 and was later a member of the Compagnia Teatro Dimitri. In 1997 he co-founded “Le Théâtre de Minuit”. For more than a decade he has directed the International Street Artists Festival of Ascona with Masha Dimitri. He is currently coordinator of the Teatro Dimitri in Verscio, and teaches clowning at the Accademia Teatro Dimitri.

Nr. 4 Clowning FULLY BOOKED

22.–26.07.2019

In this workshop, students will explore the presence and condition of the clown, the pleasure of play, the possibility of being foolish, and the beauty of simply being. For actors, clowns, and non-artists of all levels.    

David Melendy e Céline Rey

Céline Rey and David Melendy, both graduates of the Accademia Teatro Dimitri, are performers in the Swiss and International scene with their production “Les Diptik”, with appearances in various circuses and variétés of Europe, including the Swiss Circus Monti, the GOP Varieté Theater in Germany, and Cascade in the Netherlands. Currently, their show “Hang Up” is enjoying great success in various Swiss locations.

Nr. 5 Introduction to the training of the Accademia Teatro Dimitri

22.–26.07.2019

The course is designed for anyone interested in training in the physical theatre. The focus is on the perception of space and theatrical time, improvisation, movement and its dramatization. The aim is to promote awareness of the body and its language, the desire to play, and the exploration of one’s own imaginative potential.  

Marco Cupellari

Marco Cupellari graduated in history of theater from La Sapienza University in Rome. He holds a bachelor and master in physical theater from the Accademia Teatro Dimitri. For years, he has worked as an actor and director, both in Italy and in Switzerland. Founder and co-director of the “Perpetual Mobile Theater”, he has presented his shows in Europe and the United States. He regularly conducts improvisation and theatrical composition workshops and laboratories.

Nr. 6 Theatrical improvisation (morning)

29.07.–02.08.2019

Through specific exercises, participants will take a personal and collective journey into their own hearts. By freeing physical tensions and limiting judgments, they will make room for the creative and expressive potential that resides in everyone. Improvisation is a means of emancipation for the actor, but it also offers an opportunity to connect to one’s inner fire, confront one’s own obstacles, and of course, have fun! Everything is already there, one must only visit this magical place where everything is possible. Confidence, simplicity, and silliness will be at the center of the work.

Fanny Krähenbühl

Fanny Krähenbühl graduated from the Accademia Teatro Dimitri in 2014. She later worked as an actor, dancer, and performer in her company, the “Cie Neurone Moteur”, and for other companies in Switzerland (“Thank you for the compliments”, “Peter & Pan”, “Glitzer Fabrik”).
She teaches theater and movement arts in various contexts and, through internships around the world, constantly renews her skills and reflections on what the theater brings to light in human beings. She practices direct, sincere, and authentic art, works in a collective, and loves to juggle with the expressive means at her disposal, creating works between dance, theater, performance, and documentation.

Nr. 7 Rhythm (morning)

29.07.–02.08.2019

In the beginning there was rhythm Rhythm is easier to perceive when accompanied by movement: movement is always rhythm (ex: different walks), but rhythm is not always movement (we move with different rhythms and dynamics). Rhythm is not always music; it can be silent; the noises, if arranged in an order, can become rhythm (from random noises to rhythmic noises). Music requires rhythm; it is a part of dance in all its aspects. The spoken word, language, can be used rhythmically (see Sprechchor and Rap). Rhythm makes us MOVE!! Students will explore creating rhythmic order by arranging sounds in sequences, periods (in 3, 4, 5, etc.) Rhythm influences a theatrical action. Material that participants will use: hands, feet, voice, everyday objects…to be chosen in the moment.

Oliviero Giovannoni

Oliviero Giovannoni is a percussionist, drummer, teacher, and composer in the field of theater, circus, and music. He graduated in 1985 from the Swiss Jazz School in Bern with Billy Brooks. He has worked at the Accademia Teatro Dimitri as a musician since 1976 and as a rhythm teacher through movement since 1982. He was a member of the Compagnia Teatro Dimitri as a musician / actor, performing in Switzerland and in other European countries. He collaborated with Dimitri and other Swiss and international directors, as well as with dancers, and jazz and rock musicians, in Switzerland and in other European countries. Since 1985 he has composed music for the Compagnia Dimitri and numerous sound designers for the theater and circus. In 1998 he received the ASTEJE award for his work and teaching in young people’s theater.

Nr. 8 Voice and movement

05.–09.08.2019

The laboratory combines the use of spoken and sung vocals to body movement: a part of the course will be dedicated to vocal technique and another part to its expressive potential. The aim is to explore multidisciplinary theatrical performance, breaking the barriers of style, and developing the depth of content to pure virtuosity. Everyone can work in their own language.  

Tommaso Giacopini

Tommaso Giacopini earned his bachelor in physical theater at the Accademia Teatro Dimitri; afterwards, he specialized in performance with a master’s degree at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Dance in London. He currently lives and works in London and Switzerland, presenting his personal creations or collaborating with other companies; he also works as a poet and singer-songwriter.

Nr. 9 Dance and acrobatics

05.–09.08.2019

The workshop is divided into two distinct parts: Physical / mental conditioning: the goal is to develop the mental and physical resilience of the performer. This is done through intense training that puts resilience to the test, through the continuous and repetitive exercise of movement patterns that combine strength, dynamics, explosiveness, flow, and flexibility, for the duration of an hour and a half, non-stop. The idea is to explore and develop the limits of the mind and body, maintaining a high level of energy so that it is unnecessary to stop the movement; it is possible to go beyond fatigue, and enjoy the strength of the body! Floorwork, balance, and acrobatics: the second part begins on the ground, exploring fundamental principles such as spiraling, coordination, and isolation of parts of the body, then moving on to learning a dance sequence that combines floorwork with acrobatic movements. The goal is to combine acrobatics and dance, in a single flow of movement, so as to make the acrobatics applicable to dance and theater. Choreographic exercises will also include the elements learned during the technical parts of the workshop.

Mirabelle Gremaud

Mirabelle Gremaud (Le Mirabellier) is a young, multidisciplinary artist, active in dance, theater, circus, and music. She graduated from the Accademia Teatro Dimitri and received her postgraduate advanced diploma from the Trinity Laban Conservatoroire of Dance in London. She recently created a solo piece which she presented at the Resolution Festival 2018 at The Place in London, later at the Fun Fatale Circus Festival in Prague, and finally at the Teatro Dimitri. Since then, she has worked with the companies Acrojou and Urban Conceptz Theater, and with the artist Georgina Starr; currently she is working in the production Wise Children directed by Emma Rice.

Nr. 10 Clowning

12.–16.08.2019

The course brings together many characteristics, similar to the polarities in ourselves: strength and vulnerability, intelligence and stupidity, dignity and clumsiness. Sometimes we appreciate one and fight the other. How can we accept our “imperfect” side? For us, the art of clowning consists of playing with these polarities, giving space to everything that comes, without judgment. This course will help to explore the perfection of one’s “imperfection”, the strength of one’s vulnerability, and the joy of failure.

Polina Borissova e Igors Narovskis

Polina Borissova received her bachelor in physical theater from the Accademia Teatro Dimitri in 2013, where she discovered her passion for the figure of the clown. She worked for 5 years as an actress in the traveling theater “Ton & Kirschen Wandertheater”, traveling between Germany, France, and Austria. At the same time, she worked as a singer, musician, and composer in various musical theater projects. Since 2016 she has worked as a clown in “Clowns Without Borders” and “Red Noses Germany” in hospitals, refugee camps, and hospices, traveling in crisis areas such as Greece and Ukraine. In 2017, she received a master in clown with Slava Polunin and Jango Edwards. She has participated in various clown-theater creations from Germany to Russia. She has also taught clown and vocals in Latvia, Ukraine, and Germany.

Igors Narovskis holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Baltic University and has qualified as a Gestalt doctor at the Riga Gestalt Institute, already with the aspiration of combining therapy and art. He then discovered the new hospital clowning movement in Latvia and became one of the first clown doctors in association with “Dr. Klauns” in Riga. With the aim of cultivating his skills in health clowning and theater, he attended a training program at the theater studio “Art platform STADIA” in Riga, where he has performed in various productions. In addition, he trained at the “Doctor Clown School” in Moscow and held two internships at “The Dream Doctors” foundation in Israel, where he worked as a health clown in Israeli hospitals. Thanks to this experience, he was able to begin working as a health clown in Latvian prisons and as a trainer for clowns and therapists in the art of clown-therapy. More recently, he has become interested in a therapeutic approach to theatrical creation, in particular, in the healing function of the clown figure in the theater.

Nr. 11 Pantomime

12.–16.08.2019

The course is aimed at anyone interested in physical theater, mime, and body expression in general. Participants will practice the “classical” mime techniques, such as dynamic rhythm, isolation, fixed point, steps (on the spot, against wind, slow motion…), the creation of invisible objects, the illusion of the wall, the staircase, etc. Emphasis will be given to making the body as aware as possible of its essence and the different parts involved in the development of an imitated action. Participants will work on the different qualities that can be given to an action, to a gesture, later moving on to the release of the torso, to the body that manipulates or is manipulated by an external force or object. Other techniques that allow the creation of illusions will be discussed, such as zoomorphism and various bodily states. Thus, with pockets full of all these “tools”, students will be able to play, improvise, shape the space, shape themselves, and make the invisible inner-world visible.

Florian Albin

Florian Albin started making theater in 1997 and has not stopped since. He trained in classical and contemporary theater and musicals at the “ATREE Théâtre du Jour” and at the company Pierre Debauche. He graduated in physical theater from the Accademia Teatro Dimitri and then studied physical acrobatics at the Cascades University Campus. For several years, he worked as an actor, dancer, and acrobat with various companies throughout Europe. He continues to direct and perform his creations.