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EMPOWERmental
ABOUT
EMPOWERmental project focuses on developing our mental and physical balance, using embodied techniques, art tools and creative play. We believe in the wisdom of our bodies, the authenticity of movement and body-based methods, the power of art and an integrated approach to physical and mental well-being… We are inspired by performing arts (dance, theatre, music) as well as other fields such as yoga and breathing techniques, free creation and drama pedagogy.
Our aim is to share tools and experiences that will help us to maintain balance in our daily lives, strengthen our resilience and prevent emotional burnout.
We value the sustaining power of community bringing a long-term positive change not only individually, but also in group and in the society.
In this approach, we organise stress management workshops, intensive retreat programmes, professional trainings and international collaborations, and create art projects focusing on social and individual well-being.
Members:
Eszter Sarlós Flóra – choreographer, yoga teacher
Flora’s work has focused on contemporary dance and body awareness for the last 10-15 years. She graduated in Paris (MA, 2017) and completed a Hatha (2020) and Women’s Yoga (2021) teacher training course in Budapest. For 10 years she was the artistic director and choreographer of the Ziggurat Project. Since 2019 she has been interested in the relationship between performing arts and mental balance. She regularly holds workshops in Hungary and abroad, where she approaches stress relief through body-centered methods (yoga, dance, breathing exercises).
Fanny Hajdú – drama teacher, actor
Fanny is a drama teacher, facilitator and has been working with self-awareness focusing on playful tools for eight years. She is most interested in creating a safe, trusting space when working with people. Since 2014, she has continuously participated in international professional trainings to expand her toolbox with non-formal tools. Since 2019, she has been involved in training professionals and developing social art methodologies.
Tímea Szőke – art manager, yoga teacher, researcher
For more than 10 years Timi has been working on the relationship between performing arts, public spaces, built heritage and urban communities through various events, festivals and conferences. Since her own burnout, physical – mental well-being has also been a major focus of her work. She completed a Hatha teacher training in 2020 and a Flow Yoga teacher training in 2022. She is currently a PhD fellow at the International University of Catalonia in Barcelona. In her research, she seeks to understand how the city around us influences our well-being and how we can create sustainable and resilient urban communities.
PROJECTS FOR TOURING
YOGA WALKS
YogaWalks is a community experience and participatory performance, reflecting on the built environment without words. During a silent walk, we stop, observe, and through yoga poses inspired by our surroundings, we collectively discover the little details that we can easily overlook in our daily rush. Moving lightly, we explore our relationship with ourselves, each other and our environment. We see our surroundings from a new perspective, finding ourselves in places and poses we might never have thought of before.
We invite participants to look for stillness in movement through dance, yoga, mindfulness and breathing exercises.
YogaWalks is a reinterpreted outdoor continuation of the Ziggurat Project’s AHAM project. It is inspired by the current trends in self-awareness: the ever-present biometric technology around us as one way, and the influx of spiritual and yogic trends from other cultures as another. The dual challenge of the production was to confront the competitiveness of self-awareness and technological developments.
In YogaWalks, this duality is embodied in the urban chase and the inner calm based on Eastern philosophies. The piece draws attention to the longing for a clearer, slower path, while we are completely engulfed by the accelerated world around us.
Everyone can join the performance at their own pace. No prior yoga experience is necessary. There are poses and variations available for everyone.
The yoga walk will last about 2 hours and will be followed by a discussion and picnic.
Minimum 6 people, maximum 20 people.
Concept and movement:: Tímea Szőke, Flóra Eszter Sarlós
Yoga instructor performers: Tímea Szőke, Flóra Eszter Sarlós and other invited yoga instructors
PROJECTS FOR DEVELOPING
Community performance on stress management
How do you manage stress? Do you let it out? Do you cry? Do you sing? Do you breathe? Do you sweat? Dance? Do you speak about it? Do you have a strategy to break the stress cycle?
No, we’re not going to do a workshop, this is a participatory presentation! We will jump into the deep water or that energy circle. Don’t worry it won’t be very spiritual, it will be anatomically based and based on scientific facts. We will move and breathe. We can shout, but we don’t have to. The point is for YOU to find what works for you.
Contribution:
residency, financial contribution