Platform “Without Distance”

Educational platform “Without Distance” 2023 is part of the project “Life Long Burning – Future Lost and Found (LLB 3), and implemented with the financial support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, the “Culture” Programme of the Sofia Municipality, the National Culture Fund under the Programme “Recovery and Development of Private Cultural Organizations”, in partnership with the Goethe-Institut Bulgarien.

Everyone knows those moments when the mind becomes our dictator and challenges us to rethink the spontaneity and trust in our own intuition. Thus, participants in Simon Meyer’s workshop will surrender to the intelligence and wisdom in this “body-mind” alignment.  Due to its co-creation potential they will look for ways to the full creative and emotional expression, self-empowerment, with clear boundaries, flow and consciousness.

There are three practices that the Austrian choreographer will use: 

• The Art of Celebration: when the participants will enter the state of Being Moved by the power of celebration and the reconnection to joy. Participants will find own inner resources, discover personal warm up for the day (emotionally, physically and mentally) and get in contact with themselves so they are ready to meet others.
• Celebrating Connection: here the guiding principles are connection and interaction – with self, with other, with the group, with the unknown. Participants will first ensure inner stability, then expand their journey activating voice, breath and movement. They will use practices based on shaking, whirling, laughing, screaming, meditation, to which they will integrate drawing, writing, speaking. 
• Resilience: this practice gives access to an honest and deep listening to ones own needs and boundaries, to the needs of others, and allows a healthy relation to change.

Simon Mayer, born 1984 in Austria, is a choreographer, musician, performer, lecturer and curator. He studied at the Vienna State Opera Ballet School and at the P.A.R.T.S. in Brussels and was a member of the Vienna State Opera Ballet. As a musician and singer, Simon founded and played in various bands (Rising Halfmoon, C.O.P.), released audio performances of his stage productions, and continues to create his own music. As a dancer, choreographer and musician, he has been involved in productions by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker/Rosas (The Song), Wim Vandekeybus and Zita Swoon. His choreographic repertoire includes solos, duets, group pieces, operas, and socially engaged and immersive events. Simon curated the festival “Spiel”(Upper Austria) and was co-curator of festivals such as “Tanzplan Ost” (CH) and “The Ecstatic Body” Festival (Tanzquartier Vienna). 
Simon is a guest lecturer at international festivals and universities and holds seminars at HfMDK (Frankfurt), Impulstanz Festival, MUK (Vienna), RITCS (Brussels).