THE ANATOMY OF THE BODY IN MOTION / Carlo Locatelli & SE.S.TA

performance length: 60 min
A lecture in motion – the history of man in bone, skin, and tissue.

An unconventional performance concept from France (conference dansée) in which a conference speaker’s presentation is mixed with life dancers and video projections. The performers also respond to the audience and reveal the functional beauty of the anatomy of movement through various historical images. The SE.S.TA Centre of Choreographic Development presents a lecture in motion with the aim of opening up dance to new audiences, developing interdisciplinarity, and educating. The performance is inspired by the „Une Leçon d’Anatomie Humaine“ concept, in which Italian choreographer and teacher Carlo Locatelli presents the body as a tool of everyday life and uses its anatomy in his search for human essence and identity.

The Anatomy of the Body in Dance explores ways of using our knowledge of the body – i.e., of anatomy – to understand ourselves. During the evening, members of the audience will have a chance to ponder basic questions such as “What does your body mean to you?”, “Are we really talking only about the body”, and “What body are we talking about anyway?”

The evening performance is built around a conference speaker’s presentation, combined with live dancers and video projections. The performers also work with the audience to gain a shared sensory understanding of experience and to sketch out their own skeletons. The audience thus becomes a part of the performance and helps to shape it.

Conference speaker: Zdenka Svíteková (SK)
Performers: Jana Novorytová (CZ), Florent Golfier (FR)
Concept, directed by: Carlo Locatelli (IT) & SE.S.TA
Music: George Cremaschi (USA / CZ)
Lighting: Lukáš Benda
Production: SE.S.TA. Centre of Choreographic Development
Collaboration: Motus, producers of the Alfred ve dvoře theatre
Website: www.se-s-ta.cz
Premiere: 1. 3. 2014
With support from / acknowledgments: Prague 7, Motus / Alfred ve dvoře


Carlo Locatelli (1965) is a choreographer, dancer, and teacher. He was born in Milan, and has lived in France since 1992. He began with martial arts, and through an interest in the anatomy of the body he arrived at yoga and subsequently dance. In 1999, he founded “Aventure di vita” in Paris and created the multidisciplinary educational art project A Lesson in the Anatomy of Man. In his teaching activities, this well-respected dancer and choreographer combines his knowledge of physical therapy, anatomy, and various somatic techniques.

Zdenka Svíteková is a dancer, performer, choreographer, and teacher. She graduated with a degree in dance pedagogy from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, and also studied at CND Paris, danceWeb in Vienna, and SITI Co. in Saratoga Springs (USA). She works in the fields of contemporary movement technique, improvisation, composition, somatic techniques, voice, and movement analysis. She is a co-founder of the ImproEvents Prague festival of stage improvisation and writes for various dance periodicals, including Vlna, Taneční zóna, and Salto.

Jana Novorytová is a dancer and teacher. She earned a bachelor’s degree in the theory and history of dance from Masaryk University in Brno, and later studied contemporary dance and movement theatre at the Duncan Centre in Prague. She has worked with various groups, including the NAU improvisational dance ensemble and the One Space/Place of Transformation project.

Florent Golfier (1990) is a French performer and dancers. He studied at the Janáčšk Academy of Performing Arts in Brno. His work mixes physical theatre, contemporary dance, and new circus. He has appeared in numerous performances, including Pisum Sativum (Karine Ponties, 2012), Out of Order (Vít Nezval, 2015) and "12" (Kitt Johnson, 2015). Along with Lukáš Karásek he is the co-author of the performance Tešlon and Frk, Les Fantômes, Pierer.