© Danza Duende is a training in all aspects of our lives, which allows us to appreciate and elevate our existence through dance. It is an approach to dance, movement, art and life in deep interdependence. It leads us to discover the art of being as we are and opening ourselves to the potential of our intrinsic, passionate, free nature. The Duende training is recommended to all artists who feel the need to deepen into their creative inspiration and intensify their ability to be present in the here and now, as well as their talent. It is a long-term training that allows us to visit the source of form within our minds and discover our intrinsic potential so that we can work in all aspects of our lives as if we actually danced our lives. We might describe Danza Duende as the art of creating "fields of wisdom", in which life, dance and art are approached in a conscious interdependence: life is seen as our greatest work of art. The art of creating fields of wisdom through dance. Founded by Yumma Mudra (Mudra Chorésophe) in 2004, the Danza Duende's practice has naturally transformed into an international network with unique characteristics in the world to date. The approach of this work is firstly based on a personal investigation on Art as a Way of Life. A community of people in whose personal research - both a solitary and a solidary one - dance is the common denominator. The physical trainings are non-conceptual and unformatted and are based on the direct experience of the body. Social development through the creation of specific projects constitutes a second phase of this study. Thus, for example, "Tempos de Mu-Dança 2016" (Times of Change), the 3rd International Danza Duende Gathering, organised within the context of the 17th "Noites na Nora" Festival, represented the first fruits of this new garden. Thanks to its non formatted principles, the Danza Duende tools remain thus at the service of both a personal (solitary) research and a collective (solidary) research, so as to cultivate an artistic dimension in the "work" which is one's personal life: our everyday lives, the stage, teaching, education, and the synergies between different cultures, philosophies, beliefs or origins. Dance opens the path for the Duende to manifest: to become and remain sensitive to mystery and its strength. The Duende opens the path to the Dance of LIfe: that which is manifested to us finds a source in our own heart and opens itself to others. There are 3 pillars which are fundamental to Danza Duende and that express the nature of the motivation behind the project. Therefore, although each teacher develops the Danza Duende network freely, according to his/her own work and experience, there is an essential common groundwork that permeates all initiatives. These pillars are: 1 | Freedom Danza Duende calls "freedom" to the physical presence of the body in consciousness, here and now. Time is now, space is here. Trainings focus on our clarity in the present moment, in order to develop an awareness of the infinite. 2 | Rigour Danza Duende calls "rigour" the direct physical experience of the mathematical aspects of space and time: rhythm and harmony. Trainings develop our rhythmic sense and geometric senses - until we eventually reach expertise - in order to harmonise our bodies with the different environments we find. 3 | Virtue Danza Duende calls "virtue" the art of balancing and uniting the two previous pillars and manifesting them into actions. It is an approach to the study of the paradoxes and opposites, both in anatomy and in nature, and finding how they complement each other, thus allowing us to understand contradictions and finding the value of the 'two'. An analogy to define the notion of "virtue" in Danza Duende is: "the head hears the voice of the heart" and vice versa. That which is the third and more important pillar of the three, proposes that we learn to listen to this "voice of the heart" and learn to integrate duality: men/women; you/me; day/night; visible invisible; emotions/wisdom; right/left; sky/earth; ahead/behind; inhale/exhale; reason/intuition; and so on. This pillar emphasizes communication between individuals, interchanges and the crucial importance of compassion in the artistic process. Trainings allow us to develop our brain's natural potential for empathy, listening, perceptual accuracy, sensations, and panoramic vision. To center ourselves, gradually, through an artistic quest is the discipline of the third pillar of Danza Duende; to become an "expert in ourselves" and recognizing the play of synergies in the collective reality. At present, all trainings have been restructured are reorganised in the University of Choreosophy, through three different retreats:
What are the current projects within the Danza Duende Network? The freedom that each certified student enjoys within the project has given rise to new "sub-projects" of the school. There are what we call the "original branches" within the network, but gradually Danza Duende Artists started creating their own "signature" branches, which they manage autonomously. The network of certified Danza Duende teachers offer workshops and regular classes in the following subjects:
Direct teachings from Yumma Mudra are:
Direct teachings from Michel Raji are:
The Danza Duende Network community is based in Europe and south America. In Europe, there are regular workshops and retreats in Belgium, Italy, France, Spain, Ireland and Portugal. The Italian dance school Metiss'Art - Danza e Bennessere, located in Milan, is the European headquarters of Danza Duende, with the support of the Association Mudriam ASBL, based in Belgium. Every 3 years, approximately, a Danza Duende Festival is organised in Serpa. After the pandemic, activities had a pause and are due to restart soon. More Info Danza Duende | The Content: danzaduende.org Danza Duende | The People: duendenetwork University of Choreosophy: rajimudra |
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