Working with Jozef from RootlessRoot

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At the beginning of June Jozef Frucek, one of the founders of RootlessRoot, worked for 2 days with the Stopgap dance artists. RootlessRoot are based in Athens and together with Linda Kapetanea (other founder) the company are developing their research of ‘Fighting Monkey’ – movement influenced by martial arts for dancers, actors and movement practitioners.

“A very different experience; physical, thoughtful, bizarre and generally enjoyable. At no point did I feel judged by Jozef during the workshop, which created a very open platform. It felt like I saw a little more of everyone; the raw part, not the considered part. The wrestling was fun (although I still have many a bruise as a result), physical and everyone went for it, yet it felt like there was no animosity, it was just about the task. The idea of performing for each other is such a simple idea but one I have rarely experienced and I think that it could be really useful as a learning/performance tool. There was quite a lot of talking/storytelling, which is always a great way to discover more about each other. The ‘saying goodbye’ was heart breaking and not an exercise I am keen to repeat. The task involved standing in front of each other to say our final goodbyes (more than once), it was very emotional and exposing, I felt thoroughly out of my comfort zone. Therefore, I suppose the task was successful on many levels. Jozef had an incredible energy and definitely got me thinking about my practice; although contradictory at times I felt like the ideas he intended to communicate were clear and thought provoking.” Amy Butler

“Jozef’s workshop was not so much a breath of fresh air (creatively) but more of a tornado, unearthing primitive reactions and a ‘back to basic’ mind set. Amongst the often brutal wrist locks and arm bars, was a cruel to be kind attitude towards one another. I realized just how tough we are and how tough we can be with one another… By being rough (safely) with each other, we grow mentally and physically to withstand. We evolve, with sore wrists, but we evolve none the less…” David Willdridge

“What I liked the most about Jozef’s workshop was the holding and gripping of each other and learning how to escape out of it with certain movements. Hearing and sharing stories with everyone was fun, as you found out little bits of new information about each other which you never knew before. I found when we had to improvise for 27minutes moving really over the top challenging as I didn’t feel very confident. But overall it was a fun experience.” Chris Pavia