Martyn James Garside / CREATIVE LAB

Creative lab “How to build solo piece” / A+B, B+C

Exploring movement improvisation and task based formats as a way to research and develop a concept and feelings Martyn will guide you through choreograph and structure for building a solo piece to music. Expanding on a poem that he previously wrote, starting each session with lead improvisation, folding, extending and rotating skeleton. Activating the muscles and flesh and examining the ways in how the body, mind and breath move together. 

On classes focus goes on how we can maximise a dancers movement potential with a focus on speed, dynamic, level, shape, size, space, articulation and habitual patterns. 

We will use certain parts of our daily improvisations to further explore movement improvisation and task based work and formats as a way to research and develop choreography and how  to structure movement for a dance solo to music. 

 

AMOK.

I killed love so I could live

Only dead in my head

So sing a sad song and cry

What does it mean to die?

 

Ash in the wind

It chokes my throat and stings my eyes

So sing a sad song and cry

What does it mean to die?

 

I held your funeral in my heart

Nobody came but I

So sing a sad song and cry

What does it mean to die?

 

I killed the memory of you so i could live

Too many thoughts in my head

I live not dead

I love again.

– Martyn. 

 

BIOGRAPHY

Martyn James Garside (UK) trained at The Royal Ballet School and since 2003 spent 12 years working with classical and contemporary dance companies mostly across the USA, Europe and U.K.

Retiring in mind from the role of a dance artist, he spent 4 years living and working in Edinburgh, Scotland. During this time he studied at Edinburgh college and worked in mental health as a recovery worker, supporting people in crisis, through alcohol recovery and with people that are homeless.

As a dancer working in the arts for many years he adopted skills and channelled his creativity in different flows and formats, so between 2017-2019 he became an associate artist for Dance Base, Edinburgh under the mentorship of Bush Hartshorn. During this time researching and developing his own movement-based practice and created contemporary performance work that is multi-disciplinary in form using poetry, song, calligraphy, installation and movement for both film and live performance. As an independent artist he has performed and showcased works throughout the UK, Germany, Spain, Cyprus and Italy.

Martyn also teaches ballet, improvisation and creative classes in schools, companies and studios, such as Dance Base Edinburgh, Royal Conservatoire Scotland, Dancenter Vietnam, Dance Academie Goteborg and Phoenix Dance Theatre. He is currently the head of the ballet department for SLP college, Leeds. 

Martyn desires to find a sustainable flow in his life that will enable him to create art, teach, move and to share knowledge and his experiences openly with hope to connect with people.