SCHOOL OF DISOBEDIENCE
context
"There comes a time when we must draw our knives. It's a fact. Purely technical. (...) The knife is the only means to define oneself as oppressed. The sole form of audible communication. It doesn'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 blade, a tool for confrontation, protest, opposition, and revolt. It's our voice, bold and resounding, our gaze that challenges, our weapon of manifestation, our body in combat. This school serves as our blade, fortifying us, instilling courage, and fostering hope in the possibility of collective action. The time is now, and we stand prepared.
what is disobedience?
Don't misconstrue our name! In the School of Disobedience, we don't advocate disobedience to the external world, nor do we teach how to defy the system, disrespect rules, or act inappropriately in public. Not at all. Because that would be the simplistic solution! In our school, disobedience is directed inward. We learn to defy ourselves, to challenge old patterns, automatic responses, and societal or familial conditioning. We learn to disobey low self-confidence, break free from old habits, and challenge the inner voice that says "you can't do it." Because you can.
history
At the gentle crossroads of creation, research, non-formal education, and community activism lies the School of Disobedience, lovingly envisioned and nurtured by Anna Ádám. In a world often marred by brutality and aggression, our school strives to be a serene haven of hope, offering a gentle response to life's harshness and embodying the belief that alternative ways of being are indeed possible, expressed through the language of tenderness, softness, and care. Amidst the storms of suspicion, hostility, and competition that rage outside, we cultivate a universe filled with cooperation, kindness, and trust. Here, we embrace hope over defeatism, cultivate friendships instead of strangers, and delicately tame the unknown and doubt.
The "School of Disobedience" operates as a "travelling school," characterized by its pop-up and nomadic nature, constantly on the move to foster local engagement and community care. Through collaborations with various artistic and cultural institutions such as museums, theaters, galleries, and residencies, we transform rigid structures into inclusive soft spaces of radical tenderness and empowerment.
Our inaugural session took place in July 2014 in Yerevan, Armenia. Over the past two years, we have hosted sessions at prominent venues including 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), and Institut Français (Sénégal), spanning durations from one day to six months.
The "School of Disobedience" operates as a "travelling school," characterized by its pop-up and nomadic nature, constantly on the move to foster local engagement and community care. Through collaborations with various artistic and cultural institutions such as museums, theaters, galleries, and residencies, we transform rigid structures into inclusive soft spaces of radical tenderness and empowerment.
Our inaugural session took place in July 2014 in Yerevan, Armenia. Over the past two years, we have hosted sessions at prominent venues including 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), and Institut Français (Sénégal), spanning durations from one day to six months.
results
Through a combination of theory and practice, the School of Disobedience empowers students to build confidence, cultivate creativity, and hone critical thinking skills. By providing support, knowledge, and tools, the program equips participants to resist, defy, protest, and take action. It fosters originality and out-of-the-box thinking within a non-oppressive and non-judgmental space, allowing students to freely express themselves. This includes questioning social norms, challenging conventions, and confronting stereotypes, and addressing rules, and systems. Moreover, participants are encouraged to overcome fears, push limits, and step outside their comfort zones safely and securely, without risking harm.
organization
- 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 – 3 months before the start date of the program will be entitled to a 0% refund.
Cancellations made 4-6 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.
Enrolled students who have already started the program for which they have enrolled are not entitled to a refund if they withdraw from the program at their own request.
staff
The classes at the "School of Disobedience" are facilitated by "unlearning facilitators" hailing from diverse educational and socio-cultural backgrounds. Artists, musicians, choreographers, dancers, designers, playwrights, researchers, theorists, and cultural workers from various fields such as sociology, ecology, anthropology, psychology, literature, and art are invited to lead workshops, offering participants an immersive and transdisciplinary experience. This approach opens them up to new ideas, viewpoints, forms, fields, aesthetics, and inspirations, stimulating their curiosity and encouraging them to identify and pursue their dreams. The classes foster numerous valuable human connections, physical and emotional interactions, intellectual and cultural exchanges, and friendships that often lead to further collaboration. Additionally, an online "alumni platform" enables participants to stay connected, reconnect with one another, establish a sustainable community, and cultivate an empathetic network of disobedient individuals.