Epic Imbalance – Gözde Atalay’s Intensive Clown Workshop for professionals 22.–25.3. (in English)

Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth is organising a professional course in clownery as part of the Red Pearl Clown Festival in March 2025.

Course information:

• 4 days (Sat-Tue) 22.3.–25.3.2025
• Classes every day from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (1 h lunch break)
• Location: Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth, rehearsal studio, 5th floor (Helsinki, Cable Factory, A staircase)
• Course fee: 220 €, invoices are sent by e-mail before the start of the course.
• Teaching in English.

Enrol for workshop 1.3.2025 at the latest: miia.pajarinen@hurjaruuth.fi

Workshop participants are selected by the Red Pearl Clown Council.

Epic Imbalance – Intensive Clown Workshop

The clown journey starts when you immerse yourself into the unknown aspects of your personality, connecting with your untamed‘other’inside – the one who enjoys the chaotic and unpredictable nature of life.

The clown follows his/her impulses and is eager to find his/her own unique solution for any problem that emerges through his/her poetic journey. He/she is a playful being existing in the HERE and NOW, full of surprises for us and for himself/herself. The clown does everything with pleasure and a sense of joy!

In this workshop we will develop the ability to accept chaos, failure and the completely unknown as vital elements within our creative process. We will awaken our bodies, our playfulness, our awareness, our simplicity and we will free ourselves from fear and judgment through games, movement exercises, improvisation, method of three sec. and collective singing. We will bring out our hidden, unlived qualities and create a playful dialogue with them. The red nose, which is the smallest mask in the world, will guide the individual clowns to emerge.

“Think about yourself at least once in your life otherwise you may miss the best comedy in this world.”

― Charlie Chaplin

About Gözde Atalay

Gözde Atalay is a physical theatre facilitator, director and actress born in Turkey and based in Athens. She has been performing since 2000 and graduated from the department of Istanbul University in 2004.

As a clown, she first trained in 2009 at EMCA (Municipality Circus School) in Spain, also engaging actively with other circus techniques. From 2011–2012 she taught in the social circus school for children “Cabuwazi” in Berlin.

As a physical theater performer, she studied with Hernan Gene and Gabriel Chame Buendia at “Chame and Gene Estudios Teatrales” in Madrid and with Thomas Prattki at the London International School of Performing Arts, where she completed the new full-time professional development program in 2014–2015 with a scholarship. She also trained with Mario Gonzalez, Giovanni Fusetti, Matej Matejka and Patrick Van Den Boom.

At the moment she is touring with her new show Nomad in Europe. She performed at the Ballhaus Ost in Berlin and at the Camden People’s Theatre in London in the show No Way Out with the company Flight of Escales from 2018–2019. She directed Queens at the festival Mujeres Que Cuentan in Santander in 2017, performed Nasreddin Hodja Tales at the 3rd Storytelling Festival of Athens 2016 and A Quiet Voice in the International Athens & Epidaurus Festival 2014. From 2012–2013 she was a performer in ZirCouplet -Variete Shows in Berlin and in a street performance for the International Festival Carnival of Cultures Berlin 2012 – to name just some of her performances. She is currently working with the company La Volada on a new show. Since 2006, she has been living and working in several countries, where she is performing, directing and teaching in various international projects.

gozde-atalay.com