Background
I live in the North Pennines, an area of outstanding natural beauty and known as ‘the last wilderness in England’. This is my base as a freelance dance artist working in healthcare, education, and community settings.
My training was in classical ballet, gaining a degree at the Royal Academy of Dance and later, an MA in choreography at Middlesex University.
Injury left me unable to perform, but drew me into the field of dance education – a happy twist of fate. I have worked with a variety of dance companies including English National Ballet, London Contemporary, Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Royal Ballet School, Anjali and Corali, developing, leading and managing dance projects in schools, the community and health care settings. In each setting I have been – and continue to be – guided by highly experienced and generous dance practitioners.
Travels
On returning from six months of travelling in 2005, which included leading dance projects in rural areas of Uganda, I began to focus on my specific area of interest: dance and disability, and started work with Candoco Dance Company. Initially I held the post of Course Curriculum Leader for the groundbreaking Foundation Course in Dance for Disabled Students. In 2006, I was promoted to Course Director.
In 2008, I travelled for a year. Over this time, I worked with the Cambodian integrated arts company, Epic Arts advising on their development of training programs for disabled dance students. Until 2011, I lived in New Zealand where I embedded the role of Education Manager the country’s leading integrated dance company, Touch Compass. Additionally, I worked alongside sports/dance physiotherapists at Westmere Pilates on their pioneering dance conditioning programmes for young talented dance students.