WAHE: Urban Styles - Modern folklor in USA
The lecture and workshop will focus on understanding urban styles as modern folklore and a specific movement vocabulary shaped by cultural, social, and historical aspects of the USA. In the theoretical part, we will focus on the origins, development, and principles of urban styles. The practical part immediately translates these principles into movement: how to work with them consciously, adapt them to different contexts (battle, stage), and maintain one's own identity. Emphasis is placed on clarity, decision-making, and the dancer's responsibility.
Studio of ARCHA+: Zlatnická 8
A music lover with a passion for dance, director, and choreographer originally from Armenia, now living and working in Prague. He currently works as a promoter, movement director, and lecturer. During his active dancing career, he won many prestigious dance battles, including Juste Debout East, SDK Housedance Final, Dance Floor Attack (DFA), and Druhá Šance. Thanks to dance, he has traveled the world and invited world-renowned artists to the Czech Republic through dance workshops. He has established collaborations that have resulted in theater projects and choreographies that redefine the view of urban dance in the Czech Republic. He organized the Hejbejse dance battle, which brought new perspectives and concepts to the Czech dance battle scene. He is currently involved in organizing and creating the international dance festival Tancesraz, which connects and evaluates all his previous experiences. He has performed on theater stages and podiums with leading musicians and artists. As a movement director, he has participated in many significant projects, including the successful show DYKUVZDÁNÍ at the O2 Arena, which he created together with his wife Zuzana Akopjan Veselá. Together, they also run the dance company BRWNS, which focuses on creative work and education.