Craig will teach class beginning with basic floor work, nerve lengthening (stretches) and preparation. He will be looking at the fluidity, release and ease of movement across, and in and out of the floor. Using an holistic body approach to dance warm up, Craig will look at alternatives to an isolated body parts warm up. Throughout class dancers will discover the dynamic shifts and impetus, what drives the movement, knowing what initiates the movement and the authentic reaction of the rest of the body avoiding any muscled effortful momentum pathways.

As a lot of my material is in and out of the floor, dancers will discover folding and releasing in the limbs to find a sense of ease into the floor and practising safe pathways to prevent injury when moving fast and with more risk. The use of functional pathways to help with accelerated movement. What drives us through space, how we can ground our energy into the floor and use that to propel us into and across the floor, to lift us into the air when jumping. Something I find is often forgotten about in the class environment is performance practise. We will end class with a phrase that we build over the period, to think about the use of the space and open up awareness to the room and beyond.

BIOGRAPHY

Craig Bary was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand, 1977. At the age of six he started his first dance class with Marilyn deBurg School of dance in Bulls. After five years he moved on to study with Raewyn Trotter in Fielding for four years. Craig then intensified his studies of Ballet and modern dance with Gwenda Britten in Palmerston North until the age of 18. In 1995 at the end of his high school years he auditioned for the New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD) where he was consequently accepted into the three year course.

In 1996 and 97 he was the recipient of the Poul Gnatt Scholarships covering the fees for his first two years at the NZSD. Then in 1998 he was awarded the Anne Rowse Scholarship for Modern Dance for his final year.

In 1997 while in his second year at the NZSD he was seconded to the Royal New Zealand Ballet, for their season of ‘La Fille Mal Gardee’, where he danced as a corps de ballet member. This experience gave Craig the opportunity to realize a dream of working with a full time company and also realize that he was interested in a more integrated role inside the creation of dance. After his work with the ballet company he elected to major in contemporary dance for the remainder of his studies.

While in his third year, 1998, he was employed by Footnote Dance Company, one of New Zealand’s only full time contemporary dance companies. While there he had the privilege of working with Jeremy Nelson and Michael Parmenter two of New Zealand’s most recognized choreographers. He was utilized greatly by both choreographers and toured with the company throughout New Zealand as well as Performing in both Korea and in the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Australia.