context

"There comes a time where we have to take out the knives. That's a fact. Strictly technical. (...) The knife is the only way to define yourself as oppressed. The only audible communication. Don’t matter the character, the personality, the motives of the oppressed. This is the first step out of the circle. It's necessary.”
(Christiane Rochefort: Definition of the oppressed) ​
The School of Disobedience is our knife. Our tool for confrontation, protest, opposition and revolt. Our voice that shouts loud and proud, our gaze that challenges, our weapon that manifests, our body that fights. This school is our knife that strengthens us, that gives us courage and the hope that together it's possible.
The time has come and we are ready.

history

The "School of Disobedience" is a "travelling school", pop-up and nomadic, always on the move, because this is the only way to think and act locally, to share and care. At the invitation of artistic and cultural institutions (museum, theatre, art gallery, residency, artist run space...) we 'dislocate' the school, transforming its 'hard' structure into a 'soft' community space of radical care and empowerment. 
Our first class took place in July 2014 in Yerevan, Armenia. 
In the last two years we have opened the doors of the "School of Disobedience" within the Abbaye de Maubuisson Centre d'Art Contemporain (France), Art Cologne (Germany), Dance City Theatre Newcastle (UK), Le BAMP (Belgium), Autumn Festival (Hungary), ISBN Gallery (Hungary), A4 Theatre (Slovakia), Klara i Rosa (Serbia), Institut Français (Sénégal), to name but a few, for periods ranging from one day to two months.

results

Using both theory and practice, the School of Disobedience builds students' confidence, fosters their creativity and critical thinking, and gives them the support, knowledge and tools to resist, defy, protest and take action. The programme develops participants' originality and out-of-the-box thinking by providing them with a non-hierarchical and non-judgmental space where they can express themselves freely: questioning social norms and expectations, challenging conventions and traditional canons, confronting stereotypes, rules and systems in which they are socialised and familiarised. Participants are also encouraged to free themselves from their fears, challenge their boundaries, go beyond their limits and step out of their comfort zones.

organization

  • At the intersection of creation, research, education and community activism, the School of Disobedience was dreamed up and founded by Anna Ádám.
  • The School of Disobedience is legally represented and administered by the performance company Gray Box.
  • The School of Disobedience reserves the right, at any time and without prior notice, to modify or replace all or part of the content of the Site and the services, programs, events offered through the Site with alternative content that is consistent with our values.
  • Cancellation policy & Refund Policy: Cancellations made 0 – 1 months before the start date of the program will be entitled to a 0% refund. Cancellations made 1-5 months before the start date of the program will be entitled to a 50% refund. In the unlikely event that School of Disobedience unable to fulfill a program we will refund 100% of your payment or offer you an alternative arrangement.

staff

The "School of Disobedience" classes are led by "unlearning facilitators" with different educational and socio-cultural backgrounds. Artists, musicians, choreographers, dancers, designers, playwrights, researchers, theorists, cultural workers from different fields (sociology, ecology, anthropology, psychology, literature, art...) are invited to offer participants an immersive and transdisciplinary experience, opening them up to new ideas, viewpoints, forms, fields, aesthetics and inspirations, stimulating their curiosity, encouraging them to identify and follow their dreams. Classes create countless valuable human connections, physical and emotional interactions, intellectual and cultural exchanges, friendships for further collaboration. An online "alumni platform" allows participants to stay in touch, reconnect with each other, build a small sustainable community and grow a empathetic network of disobedient people.