(with Alexander Miller joint artistic director of the Dresden dance company Miller de Nobili)

Artistic Master Class 2023

"After finalising the Master of Choreography at the Palucca University for Dance Dresden, I felt the need to continue studying and researching in the field of dance, to nurture my interests even further, and enrich my work as a choreographer. Since long, I have been interested in the way acting methods can influence the choreographic research, and the Artistic Master Class study program proofed to be the perfect format to support my individual research. The program is self-organised, it offers a safe space and a lot of freedom for in-depth research, and provides enough time, resources, and the support of a mentor to guide you through the two years of studies. Sometimes the research process can be quite demanding as it needs constant reflection and reevaluation of the discoveries. Therefore, it can be overwhelming to be alone in the process. That is why the figure of the mentor is very important. My mentor, Prof. Katharina Christl, has helped me by questioning my choices and procedures to define the focus of the research more precisely. As a professor, she has guided me in the communication with students and performers. She has supported my writing and has often encouraged me to find different ways and tools to get to the core of the research.

My research focuses on the development of an experimental method to implement acting practices in the choreographic research. The method is aimed at eventually helping both students and professional performers to make their way into a working environment that tries to further develop the relationship between movement, voice, physical expressions and character generation processes.

The result is supposed to allow them to get easier access to multidisciplinary creative processes and aesthetics. Thanks to the Artistic Master Class, I have made many enriching experiences. Among the most amazing ones, I could study acting with Frédéric Coupet, I could participate to the very first workshop of one of my favourite companies combining dance and acting practices (Peeping Tom), and I had the chance to research with the talented bachelor students of the Palucca University of Dance Dresden. Together, we created a series of exercises including the voice, emotion-driven movement generation, and character development. The studies also gave me the opportunity to teach at the Tanzwerk101 (School for Urban Dance in Zürich), and to develop a series of choreographic works to put the experimental method into practice. I was invited to create for the Think Big 2022 organised by the Staatstheater Hannover, and I produced the full-length work “Don’t you dare!” (with Alexander Miller), which premiered at HELLERAU, fully created on the basis of acting tools implemented into movement improvisation techniques. In May, I will present a choreography as the final examination of my studies, linked with a supporting academic paper of the research. I am really looking forward to create again in collaboration with the bachelor students of Palucca University of Dance Dresden. Even though I still have one semester left, I can say that the Artistic Master Class will have a great impact on my future as a choreographer. Therefore, I am happy to recommend the program to anyone who would like to take the time and resources for individual artistic growth."

Chiara de’Nobili

Contact:

Instagram: @denobilimariachiara | @millerdenobili

Website: millerdenobili.com