UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Big Picture
Ensemble Thinking, CI and Rewire Movement States
with Nina Martin
BurdÄ…g 2025 Residency in Polish countryside
July 20-26 2025 (15hrs over 7 days)
To register: visit sytuacje.com​
Ensemble Thinking
with Margaret Paek
WHEN: July 12, 2025, 10:00 am-5:30 pm
WHERE: Primrose Retreat, 1261 County Rd. U, Verona, WI 53593 (30 minutes south of Madison)
WHO: This is for people with a movement practice who are interested in working with improvisational, compositional, collective performance scores/practices. No previous Ensemble Thinking experience required.
FEE: sliding scale $75-$120
$30 deposit required by July 1 to reserve your spot; balance due at event. Directions on how to pay in registration form. Deposit is refundable only before July 1.
LUNCH: Potluck lunch break from 1:00-2:30. Please bring a dish to share.
THINGS TO BRING: a water bottle, journal, layers of clothes to move in, potluck dish. (If you would like to go on a nature walk during the lunch break, also bring bug spray, sunscreen, outdoor layers, etc.)
THINGS TO KNOW: Space is limited. Maximum 20 participants.
Post-pandemic protocols: We prefer that COVID-19, flu vaccinations and boosters are up-to-date prior to attending. Please bring a rapid test and mask in case of symptoms. COVID precautions are subject to change in the event of changing community spread rates. Currently, masking is not required but is welcome.
HOW TO REGISTER: Fill out the form - https://forms.gle/EiMfqLAJhLc48vcy8
QUESTIONS?: email lowerleftcollective@gmail.com
FACEBOOK EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/683404434301117
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Spend a day taking a dive into Ensemble Thinking (ET) – a continually developing system of improvisational, collaborative, group dance performance practices founded by Dr. Nina Martin and developed by Lower Left collective. These specific, compositional scores refine the individual’s ability to perceive, initiate, and support collective action in real-time. During this six-hour lab, a few of the foundational scores will be introduced. We will approach our time in the studio as a dance laboratory, using ET to research collaborative composition, power, awareness, and clear choice-making. We will investigate, play, observe, discuss, and re-investigate. ET’s conceptual foundation creates space for equity of access regardless of background, aesthetics, or physical capabilities.
Let’s dance together!
Marfa Live Arts
presents
Ensemble Thinking at dance ranch marfa
With Nina Martin, Leslie Scates, Kelly Dalrymple-Wass and Andrew Wass
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August 4-8, 2025
This performance lab is a rigorous investigation of the relationship between the self and the group in an art-making context. The workshop is intended to provide dedicated spaces for collective/individual learning and exploration. We use this time in Marfa to work, investigate, and collectively widen compositional, sensorial, and performance skills. Using Ensemble Thinking, ReWire Movement States, and Contact Improvisation as points of departure, we will investigate the intra-relationships of the solo body, the weighted body and the ensemble.The days consist of two blocks of time in the studio. The performance lab will end with a performance that is open to the public.
Location:
Marfa TX
USO Building
302 S Highland Ave, Marfa, TX 79843, United States
Cost:
400$ Early Bird rate until July 4th
450$ there after
For local Tricounty participants, contact ninamartinperformance@gmail.com for discount information
Refund Policy:
if you ask for a refund before July 18, we keep 50$ handling fee
between July 18-July 25, we keep half of the fee
after July 25, no refund, but you can find someone to take your place
Register: Email a short bio, paragraph about your artistic process, and contact info to lowerleftcollective@gmail.com
Payment, whichever method works for you:
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Venmo @Nina-Martin-9 with note - Marfa Dance
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Paypal via Marfa Live Arts
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Check/Money Order to Marfa Live Arts PO Box 1365 Marfa TX 79843
Schedule
Morning sessions:10-1pm
Lunch: 1 - 2:30
Afternoon sessions: 2:30-5pm
Free pilates mat class mornings: 9-9:50, open to the public
Performance July 5 5 - 6 pm, open to the public
Performance July 8, 5 - 6 pm open to public