Idio Chichava
“Upload the Rhythm”
August 4 – 8, 2026
9.30 – 11.30 H
All Levels
Muffathalle Studios
Zellstraße 4
Studio E
In English
The workshop teaches methods for expanding body awareness and combines the language of dance, aesthetic perception, and creative processes. It draws on elements of traditional Mozambican dances such as Makwaela, Xigubo, and Mapiko. Their principles of energy, rhythm, and repetition form the basis for exploring movement, presence, and expression.
After Mozambique’s independence, Makwaela evolved into a voice of the working class and addresses social themes such as tradition, family, and politics. The Makonde mask dance Mapiko is part of initiation rituals and explores the transition to adulthood as well as the contrast between good and evil. Xigubo, a traditional warrior dance, symbolizes community, historical memory, and resistance to colonialism.
The workshop focuses on the relationship between the body and space, as well as between inner perception and outward effect. Through improvisation and spontaneous choreographic composition, participants explore different qualities of movement and develop their own forms of expression. This approach also forms the choreographic foundation of Idio Chichava’s piece “VAGABUNDUS”, which will be presented as part of the TANZWERKSTATT EUROPA performance program.
Participants will practice basic movement patterns such as bending, stretching, turning, and moving. The focus will be on musicality, rhythm, breathing, the conscious use of energy, and the interplay of bodies in space. In addition, endurance and physical stability will be strengthened.
Basic concepts for the acquisition of expressive movement are developed:
- Body awareness
- Concept of presence, improvisation and composition of spontaneous choreography
- Concept of movement – elements of movement analysis
- How much energy or force is used during the movement? Emphasis on respiratory control
- Main movements performed by the human body (flexion - extension, elevation - lowering, inclination - flexion, rotation, circular movement, twisting and moving)
- Auditory perception: musicality and rhythm
Idio Chichava is a dancer, choreographer, and director of the Converge+ Dance Company in Mozambique. After a successful career in France, he returned to his home country. There, he advocates for free dance classes in local communities, using this approach to create multidisciplinary productions and collaborative works in which everyone can explore their own inner world. His work combines choreography, music, and performance, creating spaces for encounter, expression, and shared experience.
In addition to his work as an artist, Chichava is active as a curator and producer of various cultural initiatives in Maputo, including the KINANI platform and the Raíz Traditional Music Festival. Among his best-known works are productions such as “Veridicidade,” “Inkino,” and “Yellow Fat Chaos!”
Internationally, he has collaborated with numerous renowned artists from Africa and Europe and has participated in residencies and tours in over 30 countries. Since 2005, he has also been a member of the French company Kubilai Khan Investigations and currently divides his time between Mozambique and France.
His dance piece “VAGABUNDUS” will be performed on August 7 and 8 as part of the TANZWERKSTATT EUROPA performance program at the Muffathalle.