“Not to be afraid”
Kenan Dinkelmann is an amazing dancer, choreographer, and teacher. As a freelance dancer, he worked with Johannes Wieland, Marion Sparber, Ivan Perez, Unterwegstheater, and Anton Lachky. From 2015 till 2017 he joined the dance company of Stadttheater Bielefeld where he danced in works by Wim Vandekeybus, Simone Sandroni, and Sharon Fridman. He is also leading workshops of “Flow Acrobatics” all around the world, combining his various backgrounds.
-How can you describe what is “Flow Acrobatics”?
“I call my workshops Flow Acrobatics but it's not a new method or technique. It's rather a combination of my various backgrounds such as capoeira, contemporary dance, and acrobatics. The aim of the workshops or my research is to develop a movement language that implements acrobatic elements in a way that they don’t seem like “tricks“ anymore but become a part of my dance.”
-How were you able to combine in such a beautiful way different disciplines (Yoga, Contemporary, Judo, Floorwork, Acrobatics...)?
“Thanks!
First of all, I need to say I had really good teachers in contemporary dance, which is basically already a mix of many different disciplines. Also, I just love to move, it's by far my most favorite thing to do and there are so many different ways to move. I really enjoy diving into different disciplines and getting inspired by them. What I realized after some time is that there are more similarities between the different disciplines as you might think. The way you use your shoulders efficiently in ballet is the same as in Yoga, weight lifting, or acrobatics. Each discipline just has different focus points. In Yoga, you pay attention to the breath, in ballet on establishing balance and coordination in the vertical axis, and in acrobatics on generating momentum for example. The great thing is that you then can apply what you learned about breath in yoga also in your ballet class and so on.”
-How did your work experiences influence your dance today?
“I had the luck to work with many amazing choreographers, which all influenced me in one way or another. For example, I was working with Robert Clark during my time in SEAD and he introduced me to a specific way of being present on stage. I remember we would sometimes meditate at the beginning of the rehearsal and he would ask us to take this state of mind also onto the stage. So rather go on stage to produce we would be in the moment and observe what is already happening. I connect to his approach and apply it when I perform or research.”
-You can do really incredible stuff. How were you able to overcome your limits in the mind and body?
“I think the trick is to start and then never stop to do things you are afraid of. From a young age, I was doing martial arts and just generally, moved and jumped around a lot. I remember once my teacher in primary school kicked me out of the classroom and forced me to run the staircase up and down because I was doing cartwheels during class. So now I have not so many mental limits when it comes to acrobatic movements. Because the fear of acrobatic movements is totally justified and also important I always work with progression when I want to learn a new movement. First I try an easier version on a soft floor, then I go for the full movement but still on a soft floor, and in the end, I execute the movement on a normal dance floor or concrete.
If you really struggle with fear and it keeps you from trying new acrobatic movements you can make it your habit to go over your fear in other areas of your life and if you manage that probably it will help you to overcome the fear of trying new movements. Taking a cold shower every morning would be a good and safe exercise for that.
The same goes for the limitations of my body if I can not do something. I look for the version or progression of the movement I actually can work on and go from there. I also learned a lot about this process of build-up during my recovery from my knee surgery back in 2018.”
-When you execute some skills, they seem really easy, but in practice they are really really difficult. What is, for you, the secrecy for reaching complexity?
“Thanks! If I compare my skill to the one of a breakdancer or an acrobat I really think mine is not that difficult. I guess what people enjoy about my movement is not the complexity of the skill itself but more the way I execute it. Softness and fluidity are something everyone can connect to but it is difficult to obtain if you don’t have it naturally. I am not sure how much my genes or the fact that I was moving already intensively as a child play a role in that but for sure they are a big part of it.
Apart from that, I think it helps me to imagine that I don’t produce movement but what I do is just happening to me. And to let go into the movement and trusting that gravity will work for me. And of course, you need to work a lot and practice as much as you can.”
-Do you think that every type of body can reach the incredible things you do with the practice? Or is it necessary to have a precise body type like in ballet?
“Yes, I definitely think everybody can learn the skills I have. Many of my movement patterns are based on back bents so you really need to have great mobility in your shoulders back and hips but this is something everybody can work on. When you look at the best of the best in floor work and acrobatics you will find that almost all of them have rather short and compact body types, which helps immensely. But my friend Joshua Smith for example is tall and has an amazing fluidity and understanding of momentum on the floor.”
Thank you, Kenan, it was such an honor for us to interview you!
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