GUTS
EYES
BONES
BOUND
ARIES
[d | intensifying]
BONES | experiential anatomy
BOUNDARIES | self-care consensual practices
GUTS | mere improvisation technique
EYES | gazed-at as spatial & performance practice
9 month in-studio course in Athens/Greece
WHAT DOES GEBB [d|intensifying] stand for
In GUTS | EYES | BONES | BOUNDARIES [d|intensifying] BONES stand for experiential anatomy, BOUNDARIES signify our hands-on work approaches, self-care & consensual practices, GUTS stand for mere improvisation technique, and EYES refers to being gazed-at as spatial & performance practice. GEBB6 (2025-26) spiraling structure consists of five modules of classes, practice & mentoring, culminating into a two-week residential horizontal laboratory by the sea. But why d|intensifying? Post-MeToo & post-COVID movements have shone new light onto a performing-arts culture of urgency, normalized violence and chalenged boundaries. At GEBB we do not aspire to teach, criticize or reproduce our own aesthetics; instead, we foster a culture of consent that embraces self-directed learning through the organic & the relational, holding a space for each years' participants to navigate personal & collective trajectories. Therefor, following the circles of rest and reset of the program is highly relevant. We strogly advise participants to do as little as possible during the half-term and seasonal holidays of the course, as well as take personal time away from the group. For this reason, GEBB warmly welcomes previous participants to join future cohorts tuition-free for specific weeks they missed or wish to repeat. GEBB is a life-changing experience, and change does not happen under pressure or in fear of missing out.
A LITTLE MORE ON GEBB6
GEBB d|intensifying is structured into five modules, leading to a two-week residential horizontal laboratory by the sea. Modules typically consist of (1) one week of experimental anatomy classes, (2) one week of post-MeToo post-COVID hands-on practices, (3) one week of contemporary theory on body, gender, movement & space, (4) one week of improvisation technique, and (5) one week of witnessing, performing & creative practice, leading to (6) a week of studio practice gently held by three mentors, including one-on-one sessions and self-directed time working alone-together in the studio, to rest, digest, reflect and transition towards a decompressing half-term or seasonal break. Half-term and seasonal breaks organise the academic year into the modules running from September to June. GEBB6 concluding weeks (1-12 June 2026) will be spent off-Athens, where participants are invited to fascilitate a residential horizontal laboratory. UPDATE ⫸ We are thrilled to announce that COCHLEA studia & GEBB have secured an exciting residency collaboration with a renowned music and performing arts festival. Based in the picturesque mountainous villages of mainland Greece, at an altitude of 600 meters and just 12 kilometers from the sea (official announcement tbc) is where GEBB6 horizontal laboratory will happen in June 2026. More info below.
WHO IS GEBB FOR
GEBB d|intensifying offers a unique opportunity for young & mid-career artists to deepen their embodied research, dive within the poetic inviroments of experiential anatomy, and explore connections between organic learning pedagogies, performing practices, relational choreography and theory. GEBB provides an empowering environment of nurishing continuety for those taking a break from formal learning, preparing their BA, MA or PhD proposal, aspiring to create a journal-portfolio, or navigating a self-directed practice. GEBB welcomes performing, mixed-media, and/or visual arts trainnies and professionals, as well as hands-on practitioners interested in grounding their practices within the fields of movement, dance, consent, and self-care practices for the performing arts (somatics). Daily housekeeping is primarely ran by the participants, with two group-representatives per module, and workstudy participants (two greek-speaker -90% discount scholarship reciepients). Classes are offered in english, with some greek translation if absolutely necessary. Hosting GEBB for a third year, COCHLEA studia is an artist-run space that aims to create a safe and inclusive inviroment for bodies of age, bodies with disabilities, bodies of colour, parents bringing their young ones in class, immigrants, and bodies with gender identities beyond the binary. Furthermore, the space is home to three gorgeous tortoiseshell cats (Winnie, and her daughters Marrie & Sarah) who welcome touch but might not always respect others' personal boundaries. If you are a kind, independent indivisual with no cat-allergies, have experience with working in groups, and are ready to embrace the responsibility of your own growth with gratitude and respect for your studying & teaching colleagues, GEBB is ideal for you. Please apply here.
WHAT TO EXPECT ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS
Weeks at GEBB begin on Mondays. The studio opens at 09.30, class starting at 10.00. Morning class typicaly finishes at 11.30, followed by a 45min brunch break. Afternoon workshops runs from 12.15 to 15.15. With the exemption of Wednesdays when studio closes at 12.00, studio closes daily at 16.00. Teachers rotate on a weekly basis; please find this year's calendar & last year's content below. GEBB6 participants are also welcomed to join the studio's weekly evening classes. These typically include weekly Skinner Releasing Technique classes, Alexander, Feldenkrais & Pilates classes, as well as dramaturgy workshops and book clubs. Tuition fees for these additional classes are redused for GEBB participants (discount varies between -10% and -60%). Get intouch for more info.
PROGRAMME CONTENT
2025-26 PROGRAMME NOW LIVE
including half-term breaks, studio practice weeks,
and classes/workshops organised in modules
please be advised this is a first draft
subject to minor changes
TUITION 2025-26 includes
- all taught, practicing & sharing opportunities
(please see previous year content below).
- travel expenses from Athens to our rural destination*
- shared premises at our rural destination*
(shared rooms for 2-3 for 13-15 people in total
plus shared wooden-floor studio for extra sleeping bags)
- shared use of bathrooms & breakfast-kitchen (coffee, friedge, toaster)
TUITION does NOT include
- travel expenses to Athens/Greece
- housing & meals in Athens for the lenght of the course
- meals at our rural destination*
(our rural destination offers a number of eat-out options
of high quality in very reasonable prices
plus mini-market to buy own groceries)
*RURAL DESTINATION 2025-26 UPDATE ⫸ We are thrilled to announce that COCHLEA studia & GEBB have secured an exciting residency collaboration with a renowned music and performing arts festival. Based in the picturesque mountainous villages of mainland Greece, at an altitude of 600 meters and just 12 kilometers from the sea (official announcement tbc) is where GEBB6 horizontal laboratory will happen in June 2026.
TUITION SLIDING SCALE explained
GEBB & COCHLEA studia are artists-ran organisations, with the majority of incoming tiution being payed to our teaching collaborators, 30% is spend on amenities, and only 10% are payed as administration fees to colleagues offering their services at our office. As concluding the enrolement period allows us to return to our making, teaching and research endeavors, we are since 2023 applying a sliding scale tuition policy that encourages participants to commit to GEBB early.
TUITION SLIDING SCALE applied
applications received before 15 December 2024 tuition 3.800 euro
applications received before 15 January 2025 tuition 4.000 euro
applications received before 15 February 2025 tuition 4.300 euro
applications received before 15 March 2025 tuition 4.500 euro
applications received before 15 April 2025 tuition 4.800 euro
applications received before 15 May 2025 tuition 5.100 euro
APPLICATIONS & REGISTRATION
Applications are considered once a month,
on the next working days of each sliding-scale dead-line.
Prospective participants will be invited to an interview
with two teaching members and/or course director, Georgia Paizi.
Notification of acceptance, waiting-list, or deferral
is typically sent within three working days from the interview.
Letter of admission & invoice are typically issued within the next week.
Once letter of admission & invoice are issued,
applicant is typically expected to cover tuition within a week,
and/or before the opening of the next sliding-scale application dead-line.
Overall, form each application dead-line to enrolment,
applicants have a period of about 30 days to cover tuition and book their place.
GEBB 2025-26 is expected to accept 6 to 14 participants.
CALENDAR
module a | mon 22 sept - fri 31 oct
module b | mon 10 nov - fri 19 dec
module c | mon 5 jan - fri 13 feb
module d | tues 24 feb - fri 3 apr
module e | mon 20 apr - fri 5 jun
▶︎ incl. off-athens res. lab mon 25 may - friday 5 june
please note greek or local non-working dates for 2025-26 also include:
tuesday 28 october
monday 17 november
saturday 6 decembrt
tuesday 6 january
monday 23 february
wednesday 25 march
friday 1 may
A FEW THINGS TO CONCIDER BEFORE APPLYING
• COCHLEA studia might bring participants intouch with the local artists-community regarding housing and/or collaboration opportunities, depending on our resourses, but participants solely are responsible for organising their travel, persuing all legal documents where needed (VISA) & securing their housing.
• COCHLEA non-profit is registed with the Greek Ministry of Culture. In the event that you are applying for a professional developement VISA, please include this information in your application, in order to receive your admition letter and receipt of tuition as soon as possible.
• Please note, participation in inducation week is mandatory. Please do not apply for this program if you are not available during induction week.
• COCHLEA studia is home to three gorgeous tortoiseshell cats (Winnie, and her daughters Marry & Sarah) who might not always respect your boundaries. Please consider any cat-allergies before applying.
COLLABORATIVE AGREEMENT
DIFFERING & REFUNDING POLICIES
ELIGIBILITY & STRUCTURE
GEBB is a curated and mentored program designed for mature adults who are experienced in group settings and can constructively respect the program’s structure, the shared spaces, the cats, and their teaching and working colleagues. GEBB aims to foster a self-directed approach to study. Participants are encouraged to progress through teaching and practice weeks at their own pace, provided that it does not disrupt the collective rhythm of the course. To support this, past participants are expected to rejoin future GEBB cohorts at no additional cost to cover any missed weeks, as well as repeat one-to-one sessions at a discounted rate depending on availability. The course welcomes mid- and early-career artists, generally aged 21 and older, with no age-limit, and fully welcoming mature artists over 60 years old. However, if you are between 18 and 20 and feel this program is right for you, your application may be considered as a special case. In such instances, you may be asked to attend an introductory workshop before final enrolement and provide two reference letters.
INDUCTION WEEK
All participants, without exception, must attend induction week. Please refrain from applying if you are unavailable during this time. COCHLEA reserves the right to defer students who miss induction week to a future cohort. Returning participants retain their original tuition rate, though any previously awarded discounts may require reapply and are subject to availability of each years resources. No refunds are issued after 15 May of 2025.
TIMING & ATTENDANCE
The space opens at 9:30 am, with classes beginning promptly at 10:00 am. The doors close at 10:30 am unless 24h notice has been sent to the class coordinators about late arrivals. Participants arriving after 10:30 am without 24h notice, are kindly asked to join the class during the lunch break. If you plan to miss a day, please avoid missing Mondays, as they set the foundation for the week’s work. The program, while kind in pace, brings change that may impact your physical and nervous system energy. To support participant well-being, Wednesdays are half-days, while the program also includes a half-term break every six weeks. Participants are encouraged to listen to their physical and emotional needs, taking rest days as required, rather than using holidays for additional intensive activities. COCHLEA reserves the right to defer students who consistently struggle to meet attendance requirements, to a future cohort. Returning participants retain their original tuition rate, though any previously awarded discounts may require reapply and are subject to availability of each years resources. No refunds are issued after 15 May of 2025.
CONTEXT & SELFCARE
Some techniques in the GEBB program are widely used in both creative and therapeutic settings. While both applications are valid, each requires a distinct environment and skill set to ensure safety and effectiveness. If you are processing recent trauma, please communicate your needs openly and seek support from a therapist of your choice outside the program. Although GEBB strives to be a trauma-informed space, it is designed primarily for artists and practitioners focused on professional development, not as a form of therapy. Participation assumes readiness to commit to a year-long program. COCHLEA reserves the right to defer participants whose needs cannot be fully supported within the program, to a future cohort. Returning participants retain their original tuition rate, though any previously awarded discounts may require reapply and are subject to availability of each years resources. No refunds are issued after 15 May of 2025.
PARTICIPATION & ACCOUNTABILIYY
GEBB aspires to cultivate a learning environment based on respect, collaboration, and care. Participants are expected to engage with generosity and professionalism. COCHLEA reserves the right to defer participants that are persistantly uncooperative, disruptive, or behave in ways that undermine the working atmosphere, show hostility, disregard, or inappropriate conduct. No refunds are issued after 15 May of 2025.
DEFERRAL & CANCELLATION POLICY
If you have paid your fees and later decide or realize you are not able to attend, you always have the option to defer your full (100%) tuition to a future cohort, no extra tuition expected independently on when you decide to return. Returning participants retain their original tuition rate, though any previously awarded discounts may require reapply and are subject to availability of each years resources. No refunds are issued after 15 May of 2025.
If defferring is not a viable option for you and you do choose to withdraw, the following refund policy applies:
• Withdrawal before February 15, 2025: 70% refund (minus any bank fees)
• Withdrawal before March 15, 2025: 50% refund (minus any bank fees)
• Withdrawal before April 15, 2025: 30% refund (minus any bank fees)
• Withdrawal before May 15, 2025: 10% refund (minus any bank fees)
• Withdrawal after May 15, 2025: no refunds are issued after May 15, 2025; participant shall concider differal to future cohort.
Full tuition refunds are issued only if the program is canceled due to failure to meet the minimum number of participants, unforeseeable circumstances that make program implementation extremely difficult or impracticable, or force majeure. In the event of program cancellation, prospective participants will be notified by June 1. COCHLEA does not assume responsibility for any other financial losses incurred by prospective participants due to program cancellation, such as travel or accommodation expenses. GEBB 2025-26 program requires a minimum of six full-paying participants to proceed.
Participants are expected to adhere to these guidelines to ensure a smooth and high-quality experience for everyone involved. By applying to this course, you acknowledge and agree to abide by the standards outlined on this page. No refunds are issued after 15 May of 2025, exept incase of program cancelation.
PICTURE a dance-program where technique is an investigation in anatomy, proprioception, imagination, motivation, availability, and efficiency. Picture a palimpsest of internationally acclaimed methods that are continually updated and refined by their teachers' associations. Picture a dance-program that embraces agency, supporting mid-career & less experienced dance-artists to bloom in their own pace along each-other. Imagine a year in central Athens, five minutes from the Lycabettus forest hill, on our lovely solid, unfinished, oak-wood floor.
Picture GUTS | EYES | BONES | BOUNDARIES [d|intensifying] former SYNASKi, a nine-month international in-studio course, offered for the sixth year by COCHLEA res in central Athens/Greece, organised in five accumulative modules where somatic and hands-on practices, contemporary theory and contemporary choreography intersect.
The daily program includes certified-technique morning-classes (10.00 - 11.30), followed by making & researching strategies workshops (12.15 - 15.15), taught in english, by renown members of the greek & international dance-artists community, including certified teachers of the Alexander Technique, Body-Mind Centering (SME), Contact Improvisation, Contemplative Dance Practice, Cranial-Sacral Therapy, SPP Fascia, Feldenkrais Method, Franklin Method, Klein Technique, Rolfing Structural Integration, Skinner Releasing Technique, ViewPoints, Body-Weather, as well as theorists & practitioners of dramaturgy, improvisation, relational choreography, and more.
GEBB is curated and supervised by Georgia Paizi, Alexander Technique teacher (2017), Skinner Releasing Technique teacher (2024), and one of the few dance professionals in the EU trained as an Intimacy Coordinator. More about Georgia here.
At COCHLEA studia we recognize the systemic inequalities within which we survive and through which we also often benefit. Through our working and collaborative relationships, through the content of our programmes, but also with our daily behavior, it is our constant aim to actively contribute to the deconstruction of the ways in which cultural representations, public space, working conditions, but and individual behaviors reproduce these inequalities. It is our priority that our spaces remain safe, accessible and inclusive for both working people and people attending our classes and performances. Harassing behaviors, insults, and micro-aggressions in the spectrum of gender, motherhood, racism and/or ablism are not tolerated. If you have received or observed any such behavior in our studio or living room, please speak to us immediately, or write to us on facebook.com/cochleastudia