WAHE: Urban Styles - Modern folklor in USA
The lecture and workshop will focus on understanding urban styles as modern folklore and a specific movement vocabulary shaped by cultural, social, and historical aspects of the USA. In the theoretical part, we will focus on the origins, development, and principles of urban styles. The practical part immediately translates these principles into movement: how to work with them consciously, adapt them to different contexts (battle, stage), and maintain one's own identity. Emphasis is placed on clarity, decision-making, and the dancer's responsibility.
Studio of ARCHA+: Zlatnická 8
Wahe Akopjan is a Czech dancer, choreographer, and instructor of Armenian descent who ranks among the most successful representatives of urban dance in the Czech Republic.
He was born in the Armenian city of Abovyan on July 25, 1983. In 1993, he moved to the Czech Republic. He lives in Prague, where he works as a choreographer, dance event organizer, and co-director of the BRWNS dance company. Wahe specializes in urban styles, especially house dance, hip hop, and other street dance styles. He is the winner of the prestigious international SDK 2016 meeting in the House Dance category and a three-time finalist in the Juste Debout competition. He collaborated on the creation of the eight-part educational program StreetStarDance for Czech Television, where he worked as a screenwriter and expert supervisor. Together with J.K. Sanchez, he founded the comedy dance-theater project The Clowns and is a founding member of the creative group Team diVize. Together with his wife Zuzana Akopjan Veselá, he runs the dance company BRWNS, which focuses on creative production and the education of young talent.
Wahe Akopjan has contributed significantly to the development of the Czech urban dance scene and the international recognition of Czech dancers. As the organizer of the international festival Tancesraz, he brings world-class artists to the Czech Republic and connects the Czech scene with the international context. His teaching activities and workshops help shape a new generation of dancers. Thanks to his work on television projects and choreography for major events, he popularizes street dance culture among the general public.