Toni Jodar explains modern and contemporary dance

The dancer Toni Jodar, a representative of contemporary dance in Catalonia, puts forward this “dancing” lecture, in which he explains the history of dance, illustrated with his own body, across the 20^th century. Jodar uses experience and humour to put together a pedagogical performance which takes shape through a performance lecture based around avant-garde choreographic practices. By way of his movements, the artist demonstrates classical dance’s evolution towards contemporary dance, making reference to diverse genres and performing the work of figures such as Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, José Limón, Merce Cunningham, Mary Wigman and Pina Bausch, contact-release techniques and dance-theatre.

Toni Jodar (Barcelona) is a performer, dancer, choreographer and dance teacher trained in Catalonia and New York. Specialised in jazz dance, his practice encompasses the physical training of actors and postural awareness work, as well as different movement workshops he runs for students, professionals and artists from other spheres. Alongside Beatriu Daniel, Jodar created the project Explica Danza (Explaining Dance), specialising in the formation of audiences with a mission to professionalise activities aimed at spectators and to offer key readings which make knowledge of contemporary languages accessible. The initiative earned him a Special Mention of the Arts Escèniques del Premi Ciutat Arts de Barcelona 2002 and an Award from the Associació de professionals de la dansa de Catalunya in 2006. His pedagogical endeavours are for the public at large and have different applications presented in different places, for instance the Mercat de les Flors and Gran Teatre del Liceu, both in Barcelona, to name but a few. Furthermore, he has collaborated with artists and theatre companies like Cesc Gelabert, La Fura dels Baus and Comediants, and is assistant director of Gelabert-Azzopardi and a regular collaborator with Carlos Santos.