Michael Jahoda
Michael Jahoda is a highly respected and experienced teacher, dancer and choreographer from New York. He currently is based in both Boston, Massachusetts and Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Michael has been teaching classes, giving workshops, and restaging repertory internationally since 1989. He is currently on the guest faculty of Boston University and since 1993 a guest faculty member of Codarts (de Rotterdamse Dansacademie).
As a young dancer Michael received a full scholarship to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York City. In addition to his freelance dance career he was a member of the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, was a principal dancer with Jennifer Muller/the Works in NYC, was a soloist with Tanz-Forum Köln, and was a long time company member of the Amsterdam-based anoukvandijkdc.
The Muller Technique is a highly refined modern dance technique developed by Jennifer Muller in New York City in the 1970's. It was designed to serve “the dancer” with an in- depth training method that strikes a unique balance between conscious, healthy dancing and extreme virtuosity. Attention is brought to the development of a constant dialogue between the dancer and the dancing, and places equal value on individual process and performance potential.
The Muller Technique technique is known to increase technical skill, develop a powerful individual performance presence and prevent injury through the holistic use of the body as a living instrument. It is a dynamic, organic, energetic and inspirational approach to dancing which focuses on breath coordination, energy efficiency, and natural placement and movement principles to expand technical proficiency.
Framed within a formal, logical, and transparent class structure, the 3-Part class consists of a dynamic range of integrated *Center work, *Barre work, and *Phrase Work. Throughout the classes students are provided with a consistent point-of-departure (breath) and tangible reference points (core movement codas).
The *Center Work consists of simple breathing and movement exercises that focus on developing a keen awareness of breath, body placement and coordination. These exercises steadily increase in speed,complexity and dynamic range as upper body coordinations (codas) and lower body coordinations of the *Phrase Work are introduced. These coordinations are further developed in the *Barre Work which consists of a range of lower body movement vocabulary (Plié, Battement tendu, Battement dégagé, Rond de jambe, etc.) and upper body movement vocabulary, and expands into more technically challenging and virtuosic movement material in the *Phrase Work and Jump Combinations.
*The class is designed for a 2 hour time frame, but can be adapted to a more conventional 1 1/2 hour training session, as well as expanded into a longer, more in-depth workshop situation. When taught within the framework of a week-long series a robust combination of repetition and new material are employed as exercises, core movement concepts and phrase material meld together and increase in complexity over the course of the week. Structured improvisation is sometimes employed in both workshops and a longer series of technique classes.
Michael was the Artistic Director and curator of the Gloucester New Arts Festival (MA/USA) in 2008, and is the founder and Artistic Director the white box project, a Boston-based performance and collaboration initiative which was recently nominated for “Best Dance Troupe” in Boston by the Boston Phoenix magazine. He is the co-founder and creative force behind of the Phillip Series; a unique multi-media collaboration project which produces an ongling series of inter-related performace events and installations. Episode 16 - “Heaven” is newest chapter in the series and premiered in June, 2010 in Amsterdam