Countertechnique Workshop with Charles Slender-White

Friday, September 13th: 3PM - 7PM, Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 14th & 15th: 10AM - 3PM 

Location: ASU Campus, Nelson Fine Arts Center, Studio/RM #122 | Address: 51 E 10th St, Tempe, AZ 85281

Pricing Options: 3, 2 or 1 Day Participation Options - See Pricing by clicking on "Tickets" 

This program is partially funded by the Tempe Community Arts Wavemaker Grant - Please contact for Work Trade/Scholarship opportunities for this Workshop - info@thirdspacedanceproject.org

Payment Plans Available: You can make 2 payment installments for the 3 or 2 day option. The 2nd payment installment must be paid no later than Thursday, September 12th. If you paid the "Early Bird" pricing, please select this option for your 2nd payment.

Workshop: Over 3 days, dancers will be offered a comprehensive introduction to Countertechnique with FACT/SF Artistic Director and long-time Countertechnique teacher, Charles Slender-White. Developed by Anouk van Dijk, Countertechnique is a contemporary dance technique that integrates intellectual intention with physical activity, strengthens and stretches the body, and enables dancers to move bigger, more fluidly, and more spatially. In addition to daily Countertechnique classes, the workshop will include discussions about and physical investigations of the Countertechnique Toolbox. Each of these sessions will help dancers deepen their Countertechnique practice while facilitating the application of Countertechnique to other dance forms and modalities.​ The day will include a short break.

About Charles: Charles Slender-White (he/him/any) is a contemporary dance artist, educator, instigator, organizer, and the Artistic Director of FACT/SF. He believes that artists deserve a living wage and that artists’ labor should be recognized, and he utilizes FACT/SF as a framework to realize these values, make art, and engage community. Slender-White is one of 50 Countertechnique Teachers worldwide, on faculty at the American Dance Festival, and recently served as a Guest Curator and Resident Strategist at ODC Theater from 2021-2023. He has worked as a dance artist throughout North America, Europe, and Russia, and in Hong Kong and Australia. Slender-White began his career with Provincial Dances Theatre in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and graduated with honors from UC Berkeley with degrees in Dance & Performance Studies and English Literature.

About Countertechnique: The Countertechnique® class is a contemporary dance technique class. By continuously and sequentially directing and counter directing parts of the body through space, Countertechnique allows the moving dancer to work with an ever-changing dynamic balance. This dynamic balance reduces the pressure on the overall body structure and can be changed at any given moment. The consistent use of the counter direction in all movements is key to the technique; both the awareness and application of this principle is trained throughout the Countertechnique class. It involves directing and counter-directing parts of the body away from each other in space, which creates a dynamic sense of balance. This balance can be changed at any moment, reducing pressure on the body's structure and allowing for quick changes of direction and fast problem solving. Countertechnique can also help dancers move more fluidly, spatially, and bigger. It stretches, coordinates and strengthens the body, making the dancer sweat, build stamina and really move. The class starts with a recurring set of exercises, allowing dancers to investigate the Countertechnique® principles in detail. The technique was developed by Anouk van Dijk, a dancer, choreographer, and teacher, over the course of her 25-year career.
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Housing/Accommodations for out of town participants: Airbnbs, Hostels, BnBs, and Hotels near ASU campus would be great options for housing! If you choose to stay further away from campus, Uber/Lyft/Waymo are great options for getting around the PHX Valley and to ASU campus. Please keep in mind that the further away you go from ASU Campus and downtown Tempe, public transit to campus will be more cumbersome. 

Parking: We recommended you park close to the ASU Gammage Performing Arts Center, or in the Gammage parking lot OR any on or off campus parking garages on ASU Campus. There is also metered and free street parking nearby. We recommend that you plan ahead where you are going to park, but finding parking on the weekend should not be difficult. Plan to arrive 30 minutes before the workshop your first time to ASU so you have time to park, and walk to the Nelson Fine Arts Center.

Photographer Credit for flier: Alina Fejzo