MPC Classroom / Alexandra Madsen: Dance in a Film Frame

MPC CLASSROOM 2025
Dance in a Film Frame – a two-day workshop of bodily imagination and composition
Educator: Alexandra Madsen
Saturday, 18.10.2025, 16:30 – 19:30
Sunday, 19.10.2025, 10:00 – 12:00
Mediterranean Dance Center

We invite teachers from art and general education schools, educators, leaders of playrooms and extracurricular activities, as well as all those working with children and young people, to join this year’s MPC Classroom led by Alexandra Madsen.

 

This two-day program explores how film principles – frame, cut, zoom, and atmosphere – can inspire dance and creative expression. Through movement tasks, improvisation, and group composition, participants will discover how to “think in film” through movement, without the need for a camera or recording.
For teachers and educators, the workshop provides practical tools that can be applied in working with children and young people, for example:
- Frame: observing the body within a defined space (an imagined film frame) helps develop focus and concentration.
- Cut: changing movement “on cue” creates opportunities to play with rhythm and dynamics in group work.
- Zoom: shifting attention from the whole to detail, or from the group to the individual, changes the perception of movement and scene.
- Atmosphere: exploring moods and genres encourages imagination and emotional expression.
The workshop stimulates sensitivity to space and rhythm, nurtures imagination, and offers new ways to spark children’s and young people’s interest in dance and attending dance performances.

ABOUT APPLYING 
Participation is free of charge, with the option of a recommended donation.
No prior dance experience is required – participants should bring comfortable clothing and an open mind! Registration is mandatory at rezervacije@mediteranskiplesnicentar.hr
 no later than Thursday, 16.10.2025.
The number of places is limited; selection will be based solely on the order of applications received.

ABOUT ALEXANDRA MADSEN
Alexandra Madsen (b. 1978) is a dramaturge, performer, choreographer, educator, and curator. She graduated in Performance Dramaturgy and completed a BA in Contemporary Dance – Teaching Track at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb. She furthered her knowledge and skills in Croatia and abroad, studying with renowned international dance pedagogues and through various contemporary dance practices, including training at the Laban Centre in London and the ImPulsTanz Festival in Vienna.
From 2009 to 2016 she was a member of the Zagreb Dance Company, collaborating with numerous international choreographers. Alongside performing, she has developed her own artistic practice, exploring expanded forms of performance and choreography. Together with Ognjen Vučinić, she founded the artistic organization MasaDanceCompany, within which she created a series of acclaimed works, including TI, ONA, RAVE (ON)! and Parallel Campaigns.
Her artistic achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally. She is a three-time recipient of the Croatian Theatre Award: in 2024 for Best Dance and Choreographic Achievement (Parallel Campaigns) and in 2014 for Best Dance Performance (Hermaphrodites of the Soul by Žak Valenta). International awards include the Critics’ Award at the Festival of Choreographic Miniatures in Belgrade (2011) and the Grand Prix at the 6th International Contemporary Dance Festival in Algiers (2014) for TI, co-authored with Vučinić.
Madsen has initiated numerous projects focused on the decentralization of dance in Croatia, promoting artist mobility and strengthening the dance scene in local contexts such as Pula, Poreč, Vinkovci, Požega, Rijeka, and Osijek. She currently serves as Artistic Director of the Zagreb Dance Center, where she develops diverse international collaborations, networks, and artistic exchanges, significantly contributing to the advancement of the Croatian dance scene and its international visibility.
In addition to her artistic and curatorial work, Madsen is an active educator, teaching contemporary dance, partnering, improvisation, and theoretical courses. She has taught at the Secondary School for Contemporary Dance (Franjo Lučić Art School, Velika Gorica), and collaborates with the Institute for Artistic Dance in Belgrade, the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb, and Alma Mater Europaea in Ljubljana. She also regularly writes articles, reflections, and reviews for dance journals and portals. Madsen is deeply engaged in film art and production as well: she worked as the first intimacy coordinator on the HRT series Shame, and has collaborated on numerous films as choreographer and movement advisor. As an author and director of experimental dance films, she cultivates an interdisciplinary artistic expression that intertwines dance, visual imagery, and narrative.
She is a member of the Croatian Dancers Association, where she serves on the board, and of the Croatian Screenwriters and Playwrights Guild. She is currently completing her doctoral studies at the Institute for Artistic Dance in Belgrade. She lives and works in Zagreb.