b12 summer | main event
research or die.
© arnaud falchier
© kirk donaldson / showing jason cianciulli
b12 summer main event
— // —location: eden***** studios
shannon gillen & jason cianciulli
VIM VIGOR | former dancers with Johannes Wieland / PUNCHDRUNK / Sleep No More
physical maniac
Push your physical and creative limits in this high-intensity workshop fusing raw physicality with deep, dynamic connection, led by VIM VIGOR co-directors Shannon Gillen and Jason Cianciulli. Each session begins with an physical progression designed to build heat, strength and stamina, preparing your body for mind-bending phrase work that has you navigating unexpected shifts in size, direction, tone, texture, perspective, and imagined scenarios. keeping up with VIM’s choreographic work, you will dive into space-eating actions that move seamlessly onto and out of the floor, blending acrobatic techniques with contemporary movement. we will find internal and external engines for our explosive physicality, combining raw athleticism with complex gestural work that taps into layered rhythmic and energetic qualities. moving into partnering work, You will hone in on the skills needed to read your partner’s body and energy, learning when to release control and when to direct the flow, finding perfect moments to transfer weight, judge distances, and ride shifting trajectories through space. It’s a high-stakes game of listening, responding, and connecting — both with your fellow movers and with the deeper, unexplored parts of yourself. Collectively, we will create a space where robust physical research fuels a living, breathing fantasy — a kind of wish fulfillment in motion. Effort, surrender, transformation, and full-bodied research are waiting. come get lost and found and lost again.
the description reflects an artist’s idea which was developed at the time it was submitted to b12. it may have changed by the time the workshop or the performance project is starting. please stay flexible. thank you!
biography / shannon gillen
Shannon Gillen is the artistic director of VIM VIGOR (US). Her creative work has been commissioned across the USA, Canada, Central America, South America and Europe. Projects include commissions by L.A. Dance Project, dance.films for BAM, NY Fashion Week, Danceworks at the Lobero Theatre, Hubbard Street 2, Gibney Dance Company, over het lj in (NL), Jacob's Pillow, agnes varis (NYC), arthur miller (mi), BDT at the ICA in Boston, Ruvuelo (Chile), Mainfranken Theater Würzburg (DE), Arts Umbrella in Vancouver (CA), the International Solo-Tanz Theater Festival in Stuttgart (DE), TIF theater in Kassel (DE), de dansers (NL), as a think big choreographer-in-residence at Staatsoper Hannover (DE) and at Princeton, where she was a choreographer in residence. notable festivals and venues include Springboard Danse, New York Live Arts, Prisma Festival in Panama, Judson Church, PULSE art fair/Art Basel, Bryant Park, NYC's River to River festival, Perry Mansfield, and The Joyce. In 2024 Gillen created work for the IUA in Iceland, and in 2025 she will create work for The University of Limerick and the IAB in Barcelona. Gillen is an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Michigan. she is a graduate of The Juilliard School and earned her MFA from Tisch School of the Arts, NYU.
biography / jason cianciulli
Jason Reese C. is a Psycho-Physical Theatre Artist whose research is grounded in Floorwork, Partnering and Physical Theatre. He is a teacher, performer, bodyworker, and creator who aims to make worlds, sculpt space and tell stories. As an international performer he has worked throughout the United States and many other countries, including Canada, Panama, Germany, and Romania. He holds a License in Massage Therapy in both Michigan and Pennsylvania, working in Swedish, Deep Tissue, Craniosacral, and Myofascial Release Techniques. Jason is a co-choreographer with VIM VIGOR. He holds a BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase and an MFA in dance from the University of Michigan. Jason also trained in Meisner technique at Maggie Flanigan's Studio in NYC. After receiving his BFA, Jason returned to SUNY Purchase to teach as a lecturer. He now teaches as a LEO in the dance department of the University of Michigan. With VIM he has taught at various institutions throughout the globe, creating work and teaching VIM’s Physical Dance Theater Methodology. most recently, he was teaching at the University of Iceland. Jason was a Performer and Rehearsal Director with the iconic immersive show, Sleep No More, in NYC.
company info
vim vigor
VIM VIGOR is a physical dance theatre company under the artistic direction of Shannon Gillen and co-choreographer, Jason Cianiculli. Founded as a collaborative think tank, VIM brings together innovative and profoundly gifted artists from around the world to create original, cutting edge, dance theatre. since its founding, VIM has performed and taught at renowned venues and festivals across the USA, Europe, Canada, Central America, South America, and in nordic countries. in tandem with building new works, vim established an education platform in 2015, dedicated to supporting the professional lives of artists of all ages with ongoing classes, workshops, and annual winter / summer intensives. as in-house artists at the university of michigan, vim recently launched michigan movement performance project, a program that runs seven weeks, embedding participants with two professional companies, where they will train, create and perform new work, audition for companies, and deepen their choreographic voice through on-going mentorship. this program is open to all professional artists 18+. additional details on this and many of the exciting new projects that vim is creating are available on the company's website.
please be aware of our early bird special offer for this workshop! you can apply for this offer up until the 24th of march 2025. after the 24th the regular workshop fee applies. applications are accepted up until one day before the workshops starts.
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