©Palo y Piedra
workshops
frame for freedom /
choreographic tools
In this workshop, participants will explore the balance between structured movement and creative freedom. The first part focuses on developing a strong technical foundation, expanding the movement vocabulary while heightening body awareness and its relationship to gravity.
Cristiana Casadio’s style is highly physical and dynamic, drawing strong influences from ballet and release techniques, while being reshaped through her personal movement research. Floor work is central—not only for technical development but also for fostering efficiency through the support of the floor. This awareness leads to cleaner, freer movement quality, even in upright work. Dancers will engage with shifting dynamics, suspensions, off-balance moments, spirals, slides, and falls, all while playing with physical momentum.
The movement material is designed to improve agility and coordination, playing with a wide and complex dance vocabulary.
Cristiana always emphasises that technique is a just tool - an important one - but ultimately a means to enhance the joy of movement and broaden the dancer’s physical expression.
In the second part of the workshop, the choreographic material developed will be transformed in various ways through clear tasks and creative games. Participants will personalise the movement, working individually or in small groups to create distinct scenes. They will experiment with how the same sequence can evolve into something entirely new through compositional shifts - becoming duets, trios, and larger group formations. As the material transforms, it will take on new meanings, textures, and emotional tones, allowing it to tell different stories and express a range of emotions.
Throughout this process, dancers will investigate intention, imagery, and sensory input to deepen their movement quality, resulting in more authentic and expressive performances. The goal is to provide participants with a "frame for freedom" - a structured approach to discovering their own artistic voice, while mastering technical skills and creative versatility.
©Pippa Samaia
body conversations /
choreographic partnering
Cristiana Casadio & Emmanouela Dolianiti
Through a series of dynamic games and exercises, this workshop invites participants to explore various ways of interacting with other bodies in movement. Together, we will develop essential technical skills that enhance our ability to listen, respond, and connect with our partners.
Key concepts such as weight, balance, and spatial awareness will guide our exploration, helping us cultivate a deeper understanding that goes beyond the boundaries of individual physicality. By sharpening our sensitivity and communication, we will discover how to move in harmony with others, crafting dynamic and expressive dance partnerships.
This workshop is ideal for dancers eager to expand their partnering skills and experience the joy of collaborative movement. Come prepared to connect, communicate, and unlock the endless creative possibilities of dancing together!
©Palo y Piedra
dance meets objects
Cristiana Casadio & Stefan Sing
This workshop is designed for anyone fascinated by the interplay between movement and objects and interested in merging the two to develop a personal artistic language.
It emerged as a natural outcome of the extensive research process behind the creation of our duet, “Tangram.” In “Tangram,” we developed strategies to integrate our two disciplines (dance and objects manipulation) seamlessly, discovering how profoundly each could influence the other.
The workshop will delve into the intrinsic connections between objects and body movement—specifically, how objects can inspire dance and how dance can, in turn, reshape our perception and approach to objects.
Using the language of contemporary dance, as well as improvisation tasks and games, participants will explore various ways to interact with objects. They will develop a movement repertoire both with and without objects. These practices will culminate in solo and partnering work, focusing on nurturing each student’s natural creativity and highlighting how relationships with objects can deepen and enrich personal expression.
