The
Workshop in Chile
in January 2007
was booked out!!
!
When: 2007-01-15 till 2007-01-21
alltogether 7 days
Schedule:
9:00 till 10:15 am Breathing
and Meditation
with Elias Cohen (Theatro la Tempest, Chile)
10:30 till 1:30 pm Butohtraining
with Minako Seki
Lunch & Break
4 till 6 pm Butohtraining with
Minako Seki
6:15 till 7:30 pm Breathing and
Contact Dance
with Elías Cohen
Valparaíso
is an important Chilean seaport and
an increasingly vital cultural center. The city is located in
central Chile, where it is capital of the Region of Valparaíso.
Valparaiso is also home of the National Congress. Built upon dozens
of steep hillsides overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Valparaíso boasts
a labyrinth of streets and cobblestone alleyways, embodyng a rich
architectural and cultural legacy. Valparaíso is protected as
a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is often considered to be one
of Latin America's most intriguing urban areas.
In 2003, the Chilean Congress declared Valparaíso to be "Chile's
Cultural Capital" and home for the nation's new cultural ministry.
Although technically only Chile's 6th largest city, with 263,499
inhabitants (2002 census), the Greater Valparaíso metropolitan
area, including the neighboring resort city of Viña del Mar, is
the second largest in the country (803,683 inhabitants).
Valparaíso played an important geopolitical role in the second
half of the 19th century, when the city served as a major stopover
for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by
crossing the Straits of Magellan. Always a magnet for European
immigrants, Valparaìso mushroomed during its golden age, when
the city was known by international sailors as "Little San Francisco"
or "The Jewel of the Pacific." Examples of Valparaíso's former
glory include Latin America's oldest stock exchange, the continent's
first volunteer fire department, Chile's first public library,
and the oldest Spanish language newspaper in continuous publication
in the world. The opening of the Panama Canal and reduction in
ship traffic, dealt a staggering blow to Valparaíso, though the
city has staged an impressive rennaissance in recent years.
Valparaíso is located in central Chile, 120 km to the northwest
of the capital Santiago. The city is an important educational
center with nine universities. Major industries include tourism,
culture, and transport. Valparaíso stages a major festival attended
by hundreds of thousands of participants on the last three days
of every year. The festival culminates with a "New Year's by the
Sea" fireworks show, attended by a million tourists who fill the
coastline and hillsides with a view of the bay. Approximately
50 international cruise ships call on Valparaíso during the 4-month
Chilean summer. The port of Valparaíso is also an important hub
for shipping of container freight, and exports of wine, copper,
and fresh fruit.
Travel between Valparaíso and Santiago currently takes some 70
minutes on a state-of-the-art toll road.
The Chilean Congress meets in a modern building in the Almendral
section of Valparaíso, after relocation from Santiago during the
last years of the military rule of general Augusto Pinochet. Although
congressional activities were to be legally moved by a ruling
in 1987, the newly built site only began to function as the seat
of Congress during the democratically-elected government of Patricio
Aylwin, who followed Pinochet, in 1990. The historic quarter of
Valparaíso was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
