Miscellaneous

Teacher

Sebastian Abarbanell

There is movement in every body, regardless of age, background, or physical condition. The "Vibrant Body" workshop by choreographer and dance teacher Sebastian Abarbanell invites you to rediscover your own inner and outer movement. It's not about learning specific movements or perfecting an external form — it's about experiencing your own body.

After training in London and many years of work experience in New York, Abarbanell began teaching at the Tanzfabrik in Berlin three and a half years ago. This evolved into "Vibrant Body" — an improvisation-based course open and accessible to everyone. Inspired by Sidra Bell, Alvin Collantes, and his own choreographic work, Abarbanell deliberately avoids mirrors and fixed movement patterns. Instead, he uses music, words, and his own body to provide impulses for a profound physical and emotional experience. Without strict guidelines, everyone can find their own way to implement these impulses with their own body. Music plays a crucial part: The carefully curated playlist begins atmospherically and develops into tracks with stronger beats. The longer workshop duration at the Potsdamer Tanztage festival allows for the continuous physical movement to be framed with conversation. The practice is intended to be a collective experience: "There are always moments when the participants are focused on themselves, but then I try to bring them back together — with a shared bounce, for example."

Abarbanell is teaching for the first time in Potsdam, the city where he grew up. "Vibrant Body" stands for presence and experience in the moment — ​​an attitude that characterizes his entire work. "I can't easily separate my artistic and teaching activities," he says. What remains is the shared experience: bodies in motion, a vibrating space.

Alina Saggerer

During the Potsdamer Tanztage festival, 17, 18 May, Studio 2/Studiohaus,
www.potsdamer-tanztage.de