Where: Greenwich Dance Academy
When: 12th-16th September 2011
The teacher: Alesandra Seutin
Founder, choreographer of Vocab Dance Company Vocabdance Alesandra Seutin was born in Harare, raised in Brussels and moved to London where she has made her residence.
Alesandra trained at Laban and Graduated from Middlesex University in 2007. Alesandra was awarded the Trailblazers Fellowship 2009-2010 by ADAD and is supported by the Lisa Ullmann Travelling Scholarship Fellowship, which allowed her to train at L’Ecole des Sables (Dakar, Senegal) with Germaine Acogny, the mother of African Contemporary Dance.
Alesandra has performed and worked nationally and internationally with Germaine Acogny, Mavin Khoo, Beverley Glean (Irie! Dance), Kenrick Sandy (Boy Blue Ent.), Nora Chipaumire (Urban Bush Women), Tara Herbert (Dance United), Nii Tagoe, Pierre Doussaint, Carol Straker (Alvin Ailey), Rui Morera (Grupo De Corpo), Rafael Bonachela and Sharon Watson (Phoenix Dance Theatre)
The class: One week Afro Eclectic Contemporary with Alesandra Seutin/Vocab Dance Company Alesandra Seutin will lead you in a vibrant class where you will be introduced to her striking fusion of African dance aesthetics combined with contemporary technique and flow resulting in a modern class with a an exciting vibe. Accompanied by live drummer Mohamed Gueye, the class will require the dancers to consciously use musicality, attack and fluidity, to experience Alesandra’s unique use of full body undulations and polyrhythms.
My verdict: “Shake it, shake, shake it…” would be an apt way of describing this energising and engaging class. Seutin works with the ideas of drawing energy up from the earth, drawing it from others, and giving the energy you take right back again. It was a fast paced class filled with reverberation and action. The motivation of Seutin is contagious, this is a fantastic class to experience something just a little bit different, challenging, and releasing, all in a mere 90 minutes.