GENNADIY OSTRENKO
Gennadiy Ostrenko - movement director, teacher and stage designer. He received his first education in Fine Arts. After graduation he started to work at theatre, starting his career from a stage designer to a movement director.
He has carried out several lines of creative projects in the field of performing arts in Ukraine and Russia. In the framework of IUGTE he took part in different international multidisciplinary projects in Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Latvia and Malta.
Gennadiy was a movement director in many international performance productions in Russia and Ukraine. For example, in the International Shakespeare Performance Project, he worked on movement for performance “Passions of Romeo” with actors from Greece, Ireland, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, UK, USA.
In another performance production of the International Shakespeare Performance Project, he was assistanting director during the performance production, called "Rehearsing Richard" based on Shakespeare's "Richard III" premiered at Lugansk Russian Drama Theatre (Ukraine).
He was, also, a stage designer and movement instructor in the performance "Lullaby for Hamlet" created in the framework of the international collaboration between Stavropol Academic Drama Theatre, "ArtUniverse" Agency and "IUGTE".
In 2015, Gennadiy was invited to take part in the great project between Saratov Kiselev Youth Theatre, “IUGTE” and “ArtUniverse” in a position of a movement director during the creation of a performance "Love and Death in Verona" based on "Romeo and Juliet" by Shakespeare.
Gennadiy Ostrenko's passion in the movement has resulted in a newly designed program for performers - "Theatre Biomechanics". This program is mainly based on Vsevolod Meyerhold investigations of techniques for performers training. Gennadiy based his program on elements of classical Meyerhold's biomechanics, which go in conjunction with contemporary methods of performers' preparation.
Another important part of Gennadiy's teaching approach is improvisation. Improvisation is an important part of training for actors, as it is related not only to bodywork, but also to work with imagination and images. The researches in improvisation brought him to a deeper study of M. Chekhov's technique, as well as to the study of the animal movement.
Gennadiy says: “My professional interest lies in researching the training based on animals' dance and improvisation, as it is the constant work with your body, you constantly explore new body possibilities and work with a partner. At some moment, your intellectual mind just switches off and you start just to understand everything without words. After several years of practicing contact improvisation, I discovered that just one touch of your partner can give you the whole history of partner’s life, full of emotional content. The most important thing for me in performance practices is work with a partner/s, feeling and communicating with partner, even without words… Words could not pass the information about you, your life and your emotions, as it does a dance. This is what I am passionate about…”.
OSTRENKO BROTHERS METHOD
Ostrenkos' approach is a systematic approach to performance, which generates innovative productions utilizing concepts, ideas, and existing play-texts. It introduces some of the effective techniques and approaches towards contemporary performance practice in the context of the short rehearsal time and multicultural aspect of the creative team.
Ostrenko Brothers method can be also described as a valid combination of history pedagogy and theatrical practice. It’s a very practical approach to the performance making process from the performers' perspective, as well as from directors'. The Ostrenkos' approach generates innovative productions, utilizing concepts, ideas, and discoveries of K.Stanislavski, Vs.Meyerhold and M.Chekhov, the Mechanics principles of Physics, theatrical experiments of J.Grotowski and E.Barba, to the educational philosophy of T.Suzuki and the martial arts experience of Taichi Chen style.
Ostrenkos' method of work relies on the performer’s physicality and physical action. The key to unfolding the actor’s creative nature underlies in the body. Through the body and physical actions, actors discover form, emotional colors, and feelings. Actor’s relationship with artistic space, his freedom in improvisation and spontaneity play an important role in the creative process. As a result, intangible becomes tangible. Atmosphere and style are born inseparably from this creative process.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR?
Gennadiy has been teaching in many institutions, has staged movement for dozens of performances; has made extraordinary scenic designs and costumes, he has students and followers in different countries.
MOVEMENT
Gennadiy started his career in theatre as a stage designer too. He has been working on stage design, costume design and visual concepts of performances at the professional theatres of Russia and Ukraine.
Since 1980s, he became interested in different movement techniques for performer. He devoted several years of studying Tai Chi Chen style which now became part of his daily training. It also greatly influenced him, through acquaintance with traditional performing arts, such as Chinese Opera, Noh theatre, Butoh, Commedia dell'arte he came in touch with Meyerhold's Biomechanics.
THEATRE BIOMECHANICS
In 1990s, Gennadiy started to research Russian avant-garde of 1920's of past century, in particularly Theatre Biomechanics of Vs. Meyerhold. And it became his specialization.
For past decades, he teaches students around the world practical Theatre Biomechanics. Moreover, he has developed and enriched traditional Theatre Biomechanics with his gained knowledge from other techniques.
For instance, he teaches the biomechanics of working with firearms for the camera.
Through a practical research of different techniques, which includes tai chi, butoh, contact improvisation, animal transformation techniques, stage combat, Gennadyi enriches Theatre Biomechanics and he is keen in sharing his discoveries with you
PERFORMANCES
Since 2004, Gennadiy is a very valuable member of the performance production team at IUGTE and NIPAI.
His experience, capabilities and skills encourage young actors and performers to reach their new limits and go beyond them.
His movement directing assistance to the artistic leader of the team, inspires spectators, makes performances physical, full of content and story.
When Gennadiy takes in hands the brush and paint, his visual concepts always amaze us with radical stage and costume design ideas!
