giant steps lab
a pedagogical project founded and curated by alina sokulska since 2018. it is a dance school, a movement research laboratory, a space for learning and creative experiments.
The main focus of the sessions of the Giant Steps Lab is to provide the students with the tools that would help them to find and express their individual voice within the collective dynamics of the shared space, as well as accompany them in their journey. on the courses of the Lab we explore the potential of improvisation and spontaneous composition through social jazz and contemporary dance techniques, as well as navigate the spaces between them.
current courses
[ drop in sessions only until the end of 2024 ]
JAZZ TECHNIQUES
[in-person]
Thursday, 21.11, 19:30-21:30
Friday, 22.11, 19:30-21:30
Thursday, 28.11, 19:30-21:30
Thursday, 19.12, 19:30-21:30
BODY MOVEMENT
[in-person, online in Zoom]
Saturday, 16.11, 10:30-12:00
Saturday, 23.11, 10:30-12:00
Saturday, 30.11, 10:30-12:00
REGULAR courses [upcoming]
Body Movement basics
start of the next: February 20 / 2025
online in Zoom / group / 8 weeks / 1,5 hour sessions
one of our student’s most popular and favourite courses: where we go back to the very root of the movement and practice the development of its smallest quants. body isolations technique that go together with rhythm and musicality, go together with somatic practices that take human anatomy as the principle source of the movement mechanics.
Duration: 8 weeks
Schedule: Saturdays 10:30-12:00
Mode: Zoom with no recording
Level: open (experience doesn’t matter)
jazz techniques
start of the Zoom modality: January 16 / 2025
start of the in-person modality: February 20 / 2025
in-person / online in Zoom / group / 8 weeks / 2 hour sessions
a course on how to develop your dance expression through a hybrid style of jazz dances and contemporary dance approaches to movement. here we will be learning a certain technical aspect of movement (jazz vocabulary, footwork, coordination, body isolations, musicality, rhythm, etc.), and then apply it to an improvisation strategy that Alina will be proposing to you. the peculiarity of this course is that you can discover the freedom of your movement, organizing it in space and time, based on the improvisation principle of jazz, and the movement technique which is a hybrid between social jazz dances and contemporary dance, Alina’s unique research in both social and contemporary dances.
>> IN-PERSON MODALITY <<
Duration: 8 weeks (February 20 – April 10)
Schedule: Thursdays 19:30 – 21:30
Mode: in-person
Level: open with previous experience in any dance technique
Languages: English & Spanish
>> ZOOM MODALITY <<
Duration: 5 weeks
Schedule: Thursdays 19:30 – 21:30 CET (January 16 – February 13)
Mode: Zoom, without recording
Level: open with previous experience in any dance technique
Thinking the Dance
start of the next: march 03 / 2025
Telegram chat / group sessions / 5 weeks / individual flexible schedule / 30 minutes of individual daily work
On this course students are offered to learn the dance and critically think about it, from various perspectives and practices that help me to shape my dance, message and mission, and keep it nurtured daily. My proposition is to create a space where we think through the movement, and do it independently, everyone at its own rhythm according to their needs, coming together for a group discussions in the chat.
Throughout the course I will guide you and accompany you in the chat through a thoroughly prepared and structured dance and thinking practices: video tasks to dance, texts to read and reflect upon, texts to write, dance pieces and other inspirational video footage to work with consciously, movement fundamentals and anatomy materials to familiarize with and contribute to the consciousness of how you move, audio messages with necessary explanations, music to listen and to practice to, emotional support and accompaniment from me in the chat throughout all the month. The tasks are given to you daily or once in 2-3 days, depending on how much effort and time the task demands. I will go through all the tasks with you and live this experience together with students.
Duration: 5 weeks
Level: everybody, open with dance experience, teachers of social dance, amateur social dancers, beginners and advanced.
IMPORTANT: If you sign up for “Thinking the dance” course, make sure you make time to be actively involved in the courses’ activities and group discussions.
>> the course is in English only.
the polyrhythmic body [at CC Barceloneta]
start of the next: January 22 / 2025
in-person / group / 1,5h sessions / wednesdays / regular course / 10 weeks
A dance workshop that places rhythm and musicality as a central topic of the movement research and construction of the improvisation flow. With 14 years of experience of collaborating with live jazz music, Alina has developed her method to approach the rhythm through choreographic decisions of spontaneous composition. Alina is going to introduce her approach to train rhythms and develop polyrhythmic relations through the individual body movement as well as group dance expression.
Duration: 10 weeks, start 22.01.2025
Schedule: Wednesdays, 18:00 – 19:30, 1,5 hour sessions
Level: everybody, open with dance experience, teachers of social dance, amateur social dancers, beginners and advanced.
INTENSIVES
COMPOSITION [tba]
in-person / group / intensive 3 hour sessions / details tba
aimed at beginning creators and dance professionals, as well as teachers of social dances. on three 3 hour sessions we will practice the ways of composing a dance piece through spontaneous composition, as well as will work profoundly on pedagogies of dance improvisation. the knowledge that you will get from this course is applicable to your showcases and scenic creations, as well as teaching.
Duration: tba
Schedule: tba
Mode: in-person
Level: beginning professionals, professional social dancers, dance teachers
individual mentorship
in-person or online / individual / 4 classes minimum / 1 or 2 hour sessions / individual schedule
applications open all year
personalized lessons according to the student’s request. if there is any specific aspect that you want to work on, or prefer individual classes to group, then this format is for you. the content of the lessons is designed specifically and accordingly to the student’s needs, level and rhythm of learning. the advantages of personalized courses is individual feedback and flexible schedule.
Duration: 4 classes, 5 hours
Schedule: to be agreed individually
Mode: in-person in Barcelona, or online in Zoom
Level: any