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From Lab-India (Casa de la India's Performing Arts Laboratory), in co-production with Compañía Mónica de la Fuente and Residui Teatro 

Praana: From the Sanskrit prāna, vital energy or breath. It traditionally refers to the breath that is exhaled (from 'pra', movement outwards, and 'an', that which is animate).

Within the framework of creation, training and research of LAB-India, the performing arts laboratory of Casa de la IndiaThese workshops are presented within the framework of the project PranaA multidisciplinary meeting space for the performing arts, centered around the vital act of breathing. This is also a matter of great relevance in these times of pandemic, with a virus transmitted through the air we breathe.

Ancient India offers a wealth of material for exploration in this regard, having delved deeply into the wisdom of the people.raana in its many facets. We consider the prana A vital aspect of artistic processes and a field of research to be developed. We find ourselves at a moment in which it seems crucial to put culture and art at the service of society as a tool for achieving a healthy world; art oriented towards the creation of social awareness, towards a search for vital energy for the common good.

Alongside this project, the Cine Estudio del Círculo will house IndiaIndie, an exhibition that aims to bring the new independent cinema being made in India closer to the Spanish public.

Workshop I | Pranayama: Conscious breathing, the art of breathing. Yoga

Breathing exercises in yoga practice to improve our lives.

Aimed at students and professionals of performing arts and yoga practitioners.

Date: March 15th, from 18:00 PM to 20:00 PM (in person)

Place: Ramón Gómez de la Serna Room

Price: €20 (€18 for CBA members and friends) / €55 (€50 for CBA members and friends) if you register for all 3 workshops

Taught by: Gopala, yoga and meditation teacher

In-person students: Minimum 10 / Maximum 20

Requirements: comfortable clothing and a yoga mat

Registration:

Prana is the universal principle of energy, the all-pervading life force. Prana is supplied through food, water, air, and solar energy. We absorb prana through breathing, and any excess is stored in the brain and nervous system. Through breathing, asanas (postures), relaxation, careful diet, positive thinking, and meditation, we store an immense amount of prana. Pranayama begins with the regulation of breathing to control internal life forces. It is the fourth stage of Ashtanga Yoga, and in his book The science of pranayama, Swami Sivananda offers the keys. The practice of this wonderful science brings us closer to understanding how energy is transmitted: conscious breathing allows us to live the present moment fully.

We will practice breathing, silence, and mindful movement techniques based on the yoga techniques of the Sivananda School. We will share words and silence through mindful poetry to activate and balance our prana.

Workshop II | The wisdom of the body. The physical and expressive principles in classical Indian dance and theatre

The study of movement and the expressive capabilities of each part of the body. Training techniques from Bharata Natyam and Kathakali and the application of their aesthetic principles to our own movement language.

Aimed at students and professionals in the performing arts.

Date: March 16th, from 18:00 PM to 20:00 PM (in person)

Taught by: Mónica de la Fuente, dancer and actress

Place: Ramón Gómez de la Serna Room

Price: €20 (€18 for CBA members and friends) / €55 (€50 for CBA members and friends) if you register for all 3 workshops

In-person students: Minimum 10 / Maximum 20

Needs: comfortable clothing

Registration:

Bharata natyam It is one of the oldest dances originating in India and is linked to the worship of devadasis, or sacred dancers, in temples as part of the liturgy of the gods. This dance is generally presented as a solo, alternating between sequences of abstract, non-representational dance and expressive, mimetic dance. The dancer performs complex rhythmic sequences and describes, or rather suggests, through a codified body language and mudras, emotional states and dramatic situations.

Kathakali literally means “acted story” and refers to a form of dance theater written by playwrights/composers in a Malayalam dialect heavily influenced by Sanskrit. It remains one of India's most complex and spectacular art forms, closely linked to temple festivals, and thus represents a great artistic legacy for humanity. Of all the classical performing arts, Kathakali has placed the greatest emphasis on dramatic aspects, mimetic gestures, and characterization. However, it can also be said that Kathakali is pure dance in the sense that every part of the body responds rhythmically and with all its expressive capabilities to create a magical and aesthetic space where the invisible becomes visible.

Workshop III | Bridges from training to stage creation. Theatre-dance

The workshop is aimed at students and performing arts professionals interested in creating stage material based on the principles of theatre anthropology.

Aimed at students and professionals in the performing arts.

Date: March 18th, from 18:00 PM to 20:00 PM (in person)

Taught by: Gregorio Amicuzi, theater director

Location: María Zambrano Room

Price: €20 (€18 for CBA members and friends) / €55 (€50 for CBA members and friends) if you register for all 3 workshops

In-person students: Minimum 10 / Maximum 20

Requirements: comfortable clothing and learning a Haiku by heart about the prana.

Registration:

The workshop is divided into 4 parts: theoretical premises of Theatrical Anthropology with reference to the theoretical and practical work of Eugenio Barba; theoretical premises on the physical score of the actor-dancer and its implementation in Khatakali, No, Peking Opera or Kabuki; psychophysical and vocal training exercises for the actor-dancer of the international laboratory Residui Teatro; technical principles for the actor-dancer of theatrical anthropology; creation of stage material based on the proposals of the participants.