teaching work
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With excellent schooling at Arts Educational School and then the Royal Ballet School I began as a classical dancer for several years then moved into the contemporary scene after training at LCDS. I then joined Cullberg Ballet in Sweden where I had the great opportunity to work with very diverse contemporary choreographers such as Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin and Carolyn Carlson. Our daily training was still in classical ballet thus bridging and interconnecting the classical and contemporary mechanisms allowing me to experience, integrate and comprehend first hand how weight, release and working with opposing forces such as rotation and directional space are necessary to all movement be it simple, complex, classical or contemporary.
Since joining Compagnie Humaine in 2008 here in France I have been immersed in spontaneous improvisation, contact improvisation, release technique and floor work. During this time I have taught advanced, intermediate and elementary levels in both classical ballet and contemporary dance and it has become more and more clear how the notions mentioned above are not only essential to all movement but, once understood and mastered, enable all movement to become accessible.
I have had the privilege to perform professionally worldwide. Over the last 15 years it has also been my fortune to teach children and adults ranging from 10 to 65 years old in diverse environments from professional dance schools, academic schools, actors and laymen thus widening my teaching capacities, methods and terminology not only for the experienced dancer but also for the novice. For the lesser experienced dancer I am confident in being able to transmit the complexity of the classical technique in simple terms and stages, accessible and comprehensible whilst maintaining the sense of organic movement through the work with weight, release, opposing forces and opposing directions.
Complimentary Work
Annual intervention as part of the Baccalaureate option Dance. Working with students from 15 to 17 years old on the rewriting of the classics by choreographer Mats Ek, namely ‘Swan Lake’ and ‘Giselle’.
Collaboration with the Cannes Regional Orchestra where the entire orchestra is invited inside the walls of the school. The students volunteer to be part of the event and the performance is prepared by means of workshops during which notions of movement, awareness of space, awareness of each other, states of mind and body, interaction with the other and improvisation are explored. The performance with the students takes place in front of family and school staff.
Works performed: ‘West Side Story’ with the Lycée Pro, Gap, France,
Beethoven Symphonie nr.2 with Lycée Estienne d'Orves, Nice, France
‘Apollon Musagete' with Lycée Les Eucalyptus, Nice, France,
‘Symphonie Fantastique’ 100 children from 5 different schools 10-15years old. Five choreographers. Performed at Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France.
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I have found this work extremely challenging and equally rewarding. The children and young adults are confronted with the heavy gaze of their comrades, which can be daunting at the beginning. The emphasis put on rigour and the importance of individual responsibility within the group as well as the medium of guided improvisation acts as a support bringing them all onto the same platform no matter where their starting point was, consequently creating a neutral in which they are safe to express and interact as unique individuals.
‘Les Utopistes' Project based on the subject of May 1968 in collaboration with The National Theatre of Nice and Compagnie Humaine. A group of 14 non-dancers and amateur dancers of ages ranging from 16 to 52 years old who have auditioned by means of a video self portrait to participate in this project. We have been working with them in the form of weekly workshops since October 2017 enlarging their movement vocabulary through improvisation, individual and contact, plus work with text and specific music bringing more consciousness to the state of mind and how it influences the state of the body, the quality of the movement and so on and so forth. This piece will be performed in May 2018 at The National Theatre of Nice.
Open class for non-dancers. Facilitating the immediate joy of moving to a variety of different music with accent on breathing, spatial and physical awareness and having a really good time!
Rosella Hightower School the mounting of Holden C by Eric Oberdorff, a 20min piece for 12 dancers.