ISH Residency
Table of Contents What is ISH? 2 What is the ISH residency? 2/3 Workshops 4 Local Artists 4 Summary of ISH residency schedule 5 1
What is ISH? The energy of hip-hop, the competition of break-dance and the airiness of acrobatic stunts in theatre. ISH brings a crossover of street culture disciplines to the stage to make dynamic and inspiring shows. Dancing on inline skates, martial arts, street-dance, crumpin, spoken word, a live DJ, beatbox and even bungee jumping are all part of the ISH vocabulary, with the different disciplines flowing into one another to make a unique performance. Is it dance? Or is it theatre? Or maybe music? It can t be pigeonholed; it s a way of life it s ISH! The name comes from the suffix ish, which is added at the end of a word when something cannot be precisely defined because it s both one thing and another. Everybody is different and ISH stand for this versatility. Under the leadership of artistic director Marco Gerris, ISH has developed a unique identity, producing dynamic shows with an emphasis on humour and spectacle. ISH performs at festivals, in theatres and schools in the Netherlands and abroad. The ISH shows reach kids who have never seen a theatre performance before. ISH was founded in late 1999 by Marco Gerris, and the first show premiered in January 2000. The ISH shows are enthusiastically received by both the press and the public because of their vitality and their crossover mix of new contemporary urban street cultures. With the production StormISH who the f*** ISHakespeare (2010), ISH took a new artistic challenge upon itself. For the first time in its history, the company adapted a classical play. Here, ISH is confronting established cultural forms with street culture. Knowing that new forms of art can arise from contrariness, ISH faces this challenge with confidence and enthusiasm! What is the ISH residency? The ISH residency is a two-week intensive program for youth between the ages of 12 25 years old. ISH instructors travel from Amsterdam, Holland to the host venue to create a show with the youth that incorporates the ISH disciplines. The objective of the ISH residency is to give youth the opportunity to work with international artists and learn new skills in several different areas of stage production. ISH encourages the youth to take an active part in creating their own show by using their unique talents to express themselves on stage as well as of stage. Consequently, the youth feel ownership and a great deal of responsibility for the project which can be seen in their creativity, dedication, cooperation and interest in making the show a success. It encourages the exchange of cultural and artistic skills between ISH, the youth and local artists. In addition, the residency establishes relationships between the Presenter, local artists, the youth, local organizations such as schools or after-school programs that will continue to grow after ISH leaves. These relationships will give the youth the opportunity to continue developing their skills with professionals in their own community. Creativity and art: To have young people actively involved in learning new art forms close to their own experiences. To develop young people s interest and participation in stagecraft. To develop young people s creativity. 2
Social Behaviour: To promote a cultural and social integration among the youth. To promote social contacts, social skills and cooperation among the young. To promote self-motivation, self-initiative, self-confidence and self-discipline and selfreflection. To promote self-reliance, feelings of responsibility and self-assurance. To promote respect and understanding for others such as teachers, young people from other neighbourhoods, local artists, parents and foreigners from abroad. To promote international relations and cultural exchange between ISH and all those involved in the residency. Physical: To encourage youngsters to participate in physical exercise. To encourage youth to appreciate exercise without competition. To improve young people s physical condition and muscle control. And in all 3 categories to challenge the young to reach a next level in all these skills. The ISH instructors can teach the following disciplines in the workshops. Which workshops will be given by the ISH instructors is always in consultation with the Presenter. 1. (Street) Dance The dance form we offer mostly comprises energetic movement with every possible rhythm and is usually choreographed to R&B, and Hip Hop music and house. Depending on the skills of both ISH teachers and youth we also use some influences of jazz, modern or even classical ballet but all in an urban way. 2. Breakdance A form of dancing that involves rapid acrobatic moves in which different parts of the body touch the ground. The instructor teaches Old School and New School breakdancing moves. 3. Martial Arts (Hollywood Style Kung Fu) The youth will learn the art of simulated fighting based on a variety of ancient combative and defensive techniques. 4. Theatre Expression Acting and presentation on stage. 5. Acrobatics The youth will learn how to combine acrobatic movements such as cartwheels in a dance and how to build acrobatic human freezes to end the show with. Optional we provide lessons for the whole group which begins with the acquisition of tumbling techniques such as the cartwheel, the Arabian and other acrobatic movements. The youths will also work together to create human pyramids. 6. Scratching/DJ Techniques * optional The ISH DJ will teach the youth a diverse range of DJ techniques, which will include scratching and mixing. One or two youth(s) will DJ the residency performance. 3
7. Basketball * optional The youth will learn how to dance and do tricks with a basketball. 10. Production The youth assist the ISH Company Manager produce the show by helping him/her with the organization, promotion and design of the show. The Presenter s marketing department can also assist in this discipline. They will learn how to produce the show by creating the name of the show, designing the flyer and logo, write text for flyer, press and program book, work on stage set and clothing and also film and edit the process of the whole project into a five minute documentary which will be showed on the final night of the residency. 11. Film The youth film the entire residency experience and help edit a five minute documentary which will be presented after their show on the final night of the residency. 12. Technical Production * optional The Presenter s lighting technicians teach the youth how to create a lighting plot for the show. The youth may also have the opportunity to help hang some of the lights for the show Film The Presenter is also responsible for getting parental permission for each youth to be filmed and film the residency. Local Artists The involvement of local artist are an important part of the project. Local artists should have expertise in an area that will merge well with ISH s disciplines. However, if a local artist is an expert in a distinct discipline that is novel to the city/town then it would be beneficial to incorporate it into the residency especially if the youth is interested in this specific discipline. The local artist will lead a workshop. The maximum number of artists that can be involved in the residency is three and could be: 1. A musician who teaches percussion and body rhythms. 2. A visual artist who designs and creates costumes with the youth and ISH staff. 3. A dancer who teaches Traditional Dance. A teacher who gives stepping. 4. A graffiti artist who creates the show s décor with the help of the youth and ISH staff. Each local artist teaches one to two hour workshop and is required to attend an evaluation with ISH after his/her lesson. The local artist is also required to attend an introductory meeting with ISH on the first day of the residency and to observe at least one rehearsal prior to his/her workshop. The date and time of the workshop will be arranged when the local artists meet the ISH company at the introductory meeting. Hopefully there will be a connection between the local artists and ISH which will encourage the local artists to participate in the project when they are not scheduled to be there. 4
Summary of ISH residency schedule: First week: ISH meets the Presenter, the local artists, the youth and possibly school/local organization staff The residency begins with an ISH demo Auditions are held to discover the talents and abilities of the youth ISH Workshops every night/day Lunch and/or dinner every day/night of the week except on days off One or two workshops with local artists Youth create a name and logo for their company Youth create a theme for their show Youth create and distribute flyers to promote their show Youth and ISH attend a theatre performance if possible Parent demo afternoon ISH visit different involved schools and local organizations as their outreach project ISH attend media interviews and promotional events Youth film the residency if the Presenter agrees to do this activity Second week: Youth working in different groups on different disciplines Lunch and/or dinner every day/night of the week except on days off One or two workshops with local artists ISH visit different involved schools and local organizations as their outreach project ISH attend media interviews and promotional events Youth design and create the décor and costumes for the show ISH and youth rehearse the show ISH Artistic director, Youth and technicians design lighting plan for the show Youth performance show to an audience Goodbye Party for everyone involved in the residency Youth film the residency if the Presenter agrees to do this activity ISH and youth edit film footage to show a making of movie after the youth s show 5