Jarek Cemerek’s Contemporary Dance Class Description:
This class is designed to cultivate body awareness, strength, and efficient movement through foundational exercises that prepare the body for daily activity. Emphasis will be placed on healthy body mechanics, ensuring that each participant moves in a way that minimizes risk and maximizes effectiveness. Through a combination of strength-building exercises and technique-focused drills, we will explore the principles of physical laws—such as the efficient use of weight, gravity, and momentum.
The class will begin with simple exercises to build a solid foundation of strength and flexibility, allowing participants to engage more effectively in dynamic movements, such as falling, jumping, and transitioning smoothly between various positions. Special attention will be given to understanding how to move with control, using proper alignment and awareness to optimize performance while reducing unnecessary strain.
Jarek Cemerek
JAREK CEMEREK is a renowned choreographer, teacher and dancer working all over the world. He studied classical dance at the Ostrava Conservatory, choreography and dance pedagogy at HAMU. Although he began his artistic career as a classical dancer (including solo roles), he later focused on contemporary dance (he danced, for example, at Tanztheater Wien, Compagnie Thor in Brussels, Willi Dorner in Vienna, Stadttheater Bern, at the Royal Opera in London and collaborated with choreographers such as Hofesh Shechter, Alexander Ekman, Cathy Marston, Crystal Pite, Jo Strømgren). His choreography Void for BalletBoyz was performed by Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. (J. Cemerek was selected from 160 choreographers who applied.) He also choreographed for the graduating class of the Juilliard School in New York. In 2011, he won both awards at the Czech Dance Platform - Dancer of the Year and Dance Production of the Year. As an author, director and choreographer, he participated in the creation of the new circus performance Loser(s) in the Czech Republic (2014). In 2015, he won an international competition for a teaching position at the New Zealand School of Dance and in 2017 won a professorship in contemporary dance at the Ant. Bruckner University in Austria. In 2020, he created a full-length choreography for the Balettakademien Göteborg via Zoom and another choreography online for the Boston Conservatory in the USA. As a teacher, he has worked in many companies, schools and dance festivals, including DV8, Carte Blanche, The Juilliard School in New York, Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris et de Lyon, New Zealand School of Dance, New Zealand Dance Company, Gothenburg Opera Dance Company, Korea National University of Arts, Dance School of Shangai Theatre Academy, KHiO Oslo, Skånes Dance Theater (Sweden), Codarts Rotterdam, Steps on Broadway, Dance New Amsterdam and Peridance in New York, Palucca Schule in Dresden, Balettakademien Göteborg, The Hartt University USA, The Place in London, Marameo in Berlin, Stadttheater Bern, Royal Ballet School in Denmark, Willi Dorner Cie in Vienna, Universiteter in Stavanger (Norway), Iceland Dance Company, NorrDans (Sweden), Laterna magica in Prague, Masterclasses in Prague Darja Klimentová, ProART festival.
