a unique opportunity to embark on a journey in to the heart of contemporary dance with the groundbreaking Professional Contemporary Dance Certification Program (PCDCP),

set to ignite Winter 2025 in the vibrant cultural hub of Berlin.

Delve into five weeks of immersive exploration at Studio 300, Eden Studios, under the visionary guidance of esteemed choreographer Judith Sánchez Ruíz.

Unleash your artistic essence, challenge convention, and shape the future of dance alongside a select cohort of passionate movers.

join us as we craft a new era in movement and meaning.

the program

The Professional Contemporary Dance Certification Program is dedicated to equipping artists who have completed intensive study programs at the diploma and B.A. level or sufficient dance intensive practice not shorter than 5 years. It is designed for passionate artists with an interest in continuing their professional path to become performers and educators of the highest quality in the contemporary performance field. The opportunity gives participants the rare experience of intimate training with a world renowned choreographer, performer and teacher who’s 30 years of international experience champions a non-western perspective. 

  • Judith Sánchez Ruíz Company’s Professional Contemporary Dance Certification Program will award a Certificate of Completion to participants of each 5-week program. Those seeking certification are assessed on their pedagogies, methodologies, ability to structure a class effectively, and interest in progressing education research.

    All participants in the 5 Week Intensive are eligible to become certified as teachers of Functionality and Perspective in Dance, and Your Own God, as well as the possibility to license repertoire from the JSR Company for a limited period of time. Certification is offered based on the oversight and agreement of members of the JSR-PCDCP Artistic Advisory Board, who are in place to ensure quality and integrity for JSR methods and repertoire.

    Certification affirms your ability to teach these specialized practices, either in future iterations of Judith Sánchez Ruíz Company’s Professional Contemporary Dance Certification Program or elsewhere.

  • Proof of completion of contemporary dance education program, B.A., or equivalent is required.

    Selection criteria will focus on the applicant's artistic individuality, improvisational talents, intellectual enthusiasm, and a keen interest in exploring movement.

  • Location: The Eden Studios, Studio 300, Berlin, Germany

    5 Week Intensive: January 6th - February 7th, 2025

    Showings and Presentations: February 6th & 7th, 2025

    Trial Classes: February 6th & 7th, 2025 *

    *offered to the community from students seeking certification

  • The PCDCP will maintain a comprehensive archive of all research, debates, presentations, and classes, ensuring they are accessible online exclusively for students in the program. PCDCP is committed to keeping all materials related to the investigation of improvisation, technique, partnering, and methodologies easily available to our students. By archiving this material, we will guarantee the preservation of knowledge offered as artists and researchers to this program.

we want to ensure that new, effective methodologies, techniques, and research become permanent contributions to the dance community…

while also supporting other significant pedagogical approaches within the community such as Susan Klein Technique™ and Janet Panetta’s functional ballet methodologies. Ensuring a continued progressiveness and nuanced understanding of movement is the mission of the PCDCP. 

The program will function as a practical space dedicated to the preservation and sharing of research systems, by promoting discussion, archiving and the transmission of these practices and knowledge to future generations among its dancers and educators.

the curriculum

These trainings aim to awaken individuals' innate movement potential from a functional standpoint, laying the groundwork for an artistic platform where movement possibilities are continuously refined for original compositions. Through a transformative methodology, participants explore new avenues in mind, body, and spirit, fostering a desire to contribute meaningfully to performance and pedagogy. By embracing discomfort and vulnerability, our approach challenges conventional wisdom, allowing for the emergence of diverse movement approaches. The journey is documented, making the composition process both enjoyable and urgent when shared with others.

A note from our founder: “As a performer of over 30 years, I believe Release is one of the most formative techniques for performers. Why? Release is healthier, fostering a deeper connection to our humanness. It strips away unnecessary tension, creating a more open and organic mind-body connection. Release, along with improvisation, becomes the perfect doorway for performance artists in the contemporary world to discover their unique voice and path.” - Judith Sánchez Ruíz

  • These classes are based on more than 15 years of investigation by Judith Sánchez Ruíz on the release techniques. Functionality & Perspective give dancers many ways to understand movement’s initiation in the body, allowing them to understand the functionality from a creative approach, leading to specific organic movement qualities while working with the imagination. Participants will focus on the importance of being grounded, creating an understanding of the shifting of weight, clarity of movement, attention to detail, precision, and dynamics in a multi-directional approach.

    These sessions will encourage the body to question and practice task-oriented exercises, equations, and scores.

  • Your Own God's research is based on JSR's choreographic process and experience as a performer of diverse techniques and styles throughout her long international career. This class triggers the uncomfortable zone, breaking habits effectively.

    Your Own God's tools, sourced methodologies and practical exercises aim to unlock the mind from imitative academic dogma (that imposes a mainstream style and decorative content). It focuses on each participant's individual awakening and exploration of our functional and artistic potential. The dancers practice how to reset the mind through radio exercises, ramifications, and associations of vocabularies that will guide a much deeper connection.

    Improvisation exposes dancers to a different perspective on performance, where vulnerability is part of the artist's sense of being. The class presents an opportunity to fully engage in our own creative practices, moving from a casual point of view to a more compositional approach. Thus exploring the relationship between set material and Improvisation in relation to space, time, and other bodies, students learn how to redirect their knowledge and tools to the flow while discovering new ways of practicing and developing scored and structured performance.

  • This class focuses on partnering development and improvisational composition. Through exercises that explore off-balance, counter-balance, light-dependent weight, slides, resistances, and roller coasters, dancers will gain a deeper understanding of partnering mechanics.

    The class aims to hone skills in giving, taking, and shifting weight, while using resistance, slides, manipulation, and off-balance as creative tools to build dynamic structures in improvisation.

    By supporting and guiding students in their exploration of being both makers and performers, this class helps elevate the quality and diversity of their artistic expression.

  • Our teaching methods are crafted in response to the diverse requests of students from around the globe. The program facilitates collaborative learning—you will discover techniques for creating structured exercises and lesson plans. We engage in a collective exploration of class formats and teaching methods, co-create innovative exercises within a workshop environment, and engage in meaningful discussions about teaching strategies, educational theories, and the creation of optimal learning environments.

  • You will delve into our repertoire and engage in artistic mentoring within intimate peer groups, uncovering the latent potential of movement from a functional lens.

Sánchez’s pedagogical contributions include problem-solving methods that promote student advancement, uncover individual performativity, and deconstruct Eurocentric biases within educational frameworks.

meet the founder

Judith Sánchez Ruíz boasts a distinguished reputation for crafting captivating and groundbreaking choreography, culminating in her historic role as the inaugural commissioned guest choreographer for the Trisha Brown Dance Company in its 53-year legacy. Her profound impact on the realm of dance and choreography resonates globally, shaping the contemporary arts scene with her innovative vision. Since 1993, she has embarked on a journey as an independent choreographer, meticulously honing her craft through extensive research in improvisation, drawing inspiration from her illustrious performance career with esteemed international companies such as Trisha Brown Dance Company, Sasha Waltz & Guests, Mal Pelo, and an array of pioneering collaborators across diverse disciplines.

Since its establishment in 2010, the Judith Sánchez Ruíz (JSR) Company has disseminated Sánchez’s pioneering approach to improvisation, technique, performance research, and composition to institutions, festivals, and companies worldwide. Illustrating her extensive global reach, she conducted intensive workshops at Ecole des Sables, Senegal, in the summer of 2023, and this spring, she is set to serve as a commissioned guest choreographer at the Ballet of the City of São Paulo, unveiling a new creation at Teatro Municipal in Brazil during the summer of 2024.

Sánchez has solidified her position as an influential pedagogue and choreographer within prominent dance institutions worldwide. Her discerning feedback and dedication to maintaining studio equilibrium underscore her meticulous attention to detail in composition and training methodologies. Continually advocating for equality and inclusivity among her students, she has resolved that the time has come to certify others to embrace and impart her expert perspective.

Since 2016, the JSR Company has hosted private educational workshops both internationally and within Berlin, Germany, where it has been based since 2011. For over five years, JSR Company has consistently offered scholarships to everyone, with a particular focus on supporting underrepresented groups, including people from Latin, Asian, Arab, Black, and African American backgrounds, as well as members of the LGBTQ community. The company further fosters inclusion by organizing events and performances that create platforms for diverse voices and perspectives to be heard.

The JSR Company, through its commitment to diversity and education, remains dedicated to expanding knowledge and welcoming students from all backgrounds and cultures.

  • A) For performers and improvisers

    B) For educators seeking to create innovative teaching methods. Each day starts with collective sessions, groups work together in the first part of the day, and in the second, separate into specialized groups receiving customized mentoring and peer support.

  • Individuals who aim to become accredited teachers of Judith Sanchez Ruiz's methodologies, including Functionality and Perspective & Your Own God, must successfully complete an evaluation after participating in two or three sessions of the JSR-PCDCP program. Certification is awarded with the endorsement of the Advisory Board.

    This certification is particularly beneficial for artists with a background in organic functional training and a release-based approach, as well as improvisational skills and experience.

    As the program nears completion, PCDCP invites local dance institutions and the Berlin community to participate in sample classes during presentation weeks. All outcomes of these engagements are documented systematically, creating an archive that becomes a valuable resource for certified instructors seeking future reference or engaged in research on these pedagogical approaches and techniques.

  • Immerse yourself for five weeks in the dynamic disciplines of improvisation and release techniques as part of our initial program. Beyond the comprehensive schedule of practical classes and rehearsals, participants will have the chance to select a repertoire solo piece of JSR Repertory to work on; culminating in a performance showcase in the program's final week.

  • Selected standouts from Group A will be honored by the Artistic Advisory Board with a one-year JSR Company license, empowering them to perform acclaimed works from our repertoire.

  • Comprehensive mentoring support is provided throughout the program, covering repertory learning and teaching methodologies. Our team will offer continuous support in addressing any individual needs that may arise during your study with us. To this extent, participants are supported in the big picture questions and the fine detail of their experience in the program.

  • We will host spirited discussions on pressing dance, art, or research topics, all within a nurturing community that champions inclusivity and equal opportunity for learning.

  • We promote engaging exchanges with local dance institutions through community trial classes and public presentations. Our suite of activities is purposefully crafted to strengthen communal ties and foster collective wellbeing, enriching your journey beyond the confines of technical proficiency. During the 5 Week Intensive, members of the local dance scene will be invited to engage with the program through performances, trial classes, and public discussions.

FAQs

requirements:

  • Proof of completion of contemporary dance education program, B.A., or equivalent is required.

  • Selection criteria will focus on the applicant's artistic individuality, improvisational talents, intellectual enthusiasm, and a keen interest in exploring movement.

Application

Please submit a detailed artistic curriculum vitae, a concise introduction letter outlining your personal motivation, a photograph, and a video link (YouTube or Vimeo) that showcases an improvisation in one sequence shot based on no music.

Application must be submitted by

july 15, 2024

Selection Process & Fees

Once the artistic committee has evaluated your materials, those selected will be contacted to schedule an online interview to be held between July 18th to 27th, 2024. 

FEES & PAYMENT OPTIONS: 

Total Fee: €1,700 19% VAT € 323.00

Total amount: € 2023.00

Inscription Fee: A non-refundable payment of €900 is required by August 1, 2025. This ensures the finalization of enrollment if completed before December 2024.

how to apply

Dare to dream, to create, and to redefine the boundaries of expression.