The Axis Syllabusⓒ (AS) is a collection of information about the human body in motion drawn from somatic science, anatomy and physics.

(re)discovering oneself in relation to…

The research contributing to the Axis Syllabus explores relationships between movement and the poly-axial nature of the joints.

At the heart of the AS are maps representing the structure, function, potential and limitations of human bodies in motion as well as strategies for conserving energy and a notation system. The pedagogical effort of transmitting the AS manifests through an embodied approach to learning, often through dancing. The aim of AS is not to instruct, but to inform, as a complementary support in dance training and performance, sports, the various movement disciplines and everyday life.

The AS was consolidated in the late 90s by the choreographer, dancer and teacher Frey Faust, initially in a quest for dancers’ health, then as a tool towards virtuosity and the pleasure of moving. With the contribution of the Axis Syllabus Research Meshwork (ASRM), an international group of artists, therapists, scientists and movement professionals who have come together over the years and continue to fuel research, the book The Axis Syllabusⓒ: Human Movement Lexicon is now in its 5th edition.

“Syllabus” is Latin for list or table of content, while “Axis” refers to through-lines that provide a referential grid for sensing volume and tracking movements through the kinesphere. It is our experience that the awareness of volume, direction and mass facilitate a more accurate perception of physio-dynamics, furnishing the basis of more appropriate reflexes and responses to the mover.”

The Axis Syllabusⓒ classes in Luxembourg

The Axis Syllabusclasses and workshops are events to meet, learn, and practice fundamental principles compiled in the AS archive. Anyone interested and fascinated by expanding the awareness of the body, movement efficiency, injury prevention and movement health is welcome to join: performing artists of any background, movement therapists, yoga teachers, sport practitioners, school teachers, movement lovers etc…

Get in touch by email – emanuela@vedanza.org – if you are interested in receiving information about the regular AS events led by Emanuela Iacopini, certified teacher.

Intensive workshops are also organised at VEDANZA STUDIOS every year. Link to our facebook or instagram page to get the infos.

Dates and Times:

Next workshops

10 Mar 2024 10am-4pm at VEDANZA STUDIOS with Emanuela Iacopini and Dominika Masnica

18-21 Mar 10-1pm  at Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg with Frey Faust

Venue:

VEDANZA STUDIOS, 18 rue Louvigny, L-1946 Luxembourg city. 

Contact and Registration

To register please send an email to info@vedanza.org. 

Link to our Facebook and Instagram to get fresh news!
Videos and books

You can now purchase recorded classes taught online by Frey Faust, author of the Axis Syllabusⓒ, covering some of its fundamental elements:: Axis Syllabus Basics: freedom of movement, The Healthy Knee, First step: Alignment, Basic training, Aligned Flexibility and more…

You can also purchase the book, The Axis Syllabus©: Human movement lexicon and more literature here

International links

To join the Axis Syllabus forum and the news visit www.axissyllabusforums.org

To find workshops, classes and teachers in your area visit www.axissyllabus.net

Emanuela Iacopini

Emanuela Iacopini is a dancer and choreographer active within the international artistic and scientific communities revolving around movement and somatics. She works in live creations, performances, film, video and in educational settings. She graduated in dance and chemistry and was certified as a bodywork, Reiki and Yoga practitioner and more recently as an Axis Syllabusⓒ teacher.  Continuing her post-graduate studies at Trinity Laban London she develops Dance Science oriented movement research, collaborates and performs with Florence Augendre, Annemari Autère, and Frey Faust. She created and leads the dance kinesiology course at the Conservatoire of Luxembourg city where she is also course leader in contemporary dance. She is founder of the Dance Science Net agency for the dissemination of theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of movement science with a focus on dance training and performance. She co-founded with Rajivan Ayyappan, VEDANZA – the company and it’s studios in Luxembourg – an artist-led space dedicated to the creation, training and performance of contemporary work. Her work is presented at international conferences, festivals and venues across Europe, the US and Asia. Her present focus is on the exploration of the connective tissue as a living matrix to re(de)fine training and performance.

Frey Faust

Born in 1960, Frey Faust began performing at the age of 8 with his family as a traveling troubadour. He is a second generation contact improviser and an alumnus of the 80´s New York dance scene. Some of his more important early influences came from: Shekhinah Mountainwater, Nita Little, Pavel Rouba, Rene Bazinet, and Janet Panetta. He has worked with and for a number of artists (order of appearance): Ohad Naharin, Donald Byrd, David Parsons, Gina Buntz, Howard Katz, Merce Cunningham, Meredith Monk, Randy Warshaw, Bob Een, Stephen Petronio, Danny Ezralow… to name a few. He founded or co-founded three dance companies, and has created or co-created over 40 choreographic solo and group works. Following an independent study of anatomy, biomechanics, and physics, he has been able to build a pedagogical approach that has made him a sought after teacher, personal coach and technical counselor. After fifteen years of research, he consolidated his findings in a book, ‘The Axis Syllabus – human movement lexicon’, which he continues to edit with the help of the Axis Syllabus International Research Network. Founded in 2009, the ASIRN is a rapidly expanding group of experts from many related fields in the human movement and education sciences. Recently, his work on the AS has been focused into the construction of a symbol set with the potential to streamline movement documentation and analysis. He also makes shoes, speaks 4 languages, continues to create and perform dances.