Explore and identify different parts of the body through guided improvisation with a playful and non-judgemental approach. Move through different movement qualities, create shapes and patterns, and develop tasks that require interaction with and awareness of the entire group. This workshop is welcome to absolute beginners to improvisation. Cost $20.

Russell, Columbus native, is returning after 11 years of working domestically and abroad as a professional dancer. He was drawn to theater and dance at an early age and left home at 17 to join Houston Ballet II. While in Houston, he had the privilege of seeing Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal perform “Minus One” by Ohad Naharin. Fascinated by a form of contemporary dance he’d not previously been exposed to, he was compelled to audition and succeeded in obtaining a position in their company. During his years in Montreal, he had the honor of working personally with internationally regarded choreographers Mats Ek, Jiri Kylian, and Ohad Naharin, among others, and was able to participate in extensive international touring. In his third year with the company, he encountered German choreographer, Stephan Thoss and, after an exciting collaboration, he was invited to join Thoss’s company in Wiesbaden, Germany. There he tested the limits of his body, dancing an extensive repetoire by Thoss, as well as, collaborations with choreographers like Johan Inger. In this period, Russell developed a profound appreciation for the practice of yoga as a means of self-care and an interest in creating healthier environments, physically and mentally, for dancers. Searching for a director with more humanity and a company that offered more range creatively, he had the fortune of being connected with Karl Alfred-Schreiner, based in Munich’s Gärtnerplatztheater. He spent the next three years exploring his range, and rediscovering his passion for theatricality with choreographers William Forsythe, Alexander Ekman, Jo Strømgren, and Erna Omarsdöttir among others. The most rewarding experience of his time in Munich, however, was meeting his husband and collaborator Filippo. Desire to build a family and to be close to home, while sharing their passion and creativity led to the creation of Flux + Flow.