Teaching Approach

Teaching and facilitating are core aspects of my artistic practice, offering me the chance to share and expand on everything else I do. I work with professionals, those in training, newcomers to dance, adults, older people and young people. I tailor make one-off workshops, one or two week intensives or I lead courses over the longer term.
I am developing Choreographic Practice and Physical Training strands of my teaching but at the heart of my approach to both of these is the cultivation of:
- Robust physical and emotional empathy between everyone in the room, so that we might ‘feel into’ each other’s movement and ideas. This allows us to develop sensitivity and a broader understanding of and from one another, even if we don’t always agree or share someone else’s thoughts or experiences.
- Authentic presence, bringing ourselves as fully and honestly as possible to each session. Making space for one’s own incompetency, vulnerability and naivety is as important as embracing one’s own talent, strength and knowledge. It can be confronting but creates a deeper connection to other people and to what we are doing.
- Positive and inclusive attitude towards everyone in the session. I believe that everyone has the capacity for creative expression and growth, so long as they feel accepted and commit to what they are doing. This allows for each of us to be challenged without losing all our confidence and to feel safe enough to explore new things.
I have lead Choreographic Practice and Physical Training courses at The Place, Siobhan Davies Dance, GDA, TripSpace, Tanzhaus Zürich, OperaEstate Festival Bassano del Grappa, Paso a 2 Madrid, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Brighton Dance Network, ProDance Leeds and on a freelance basis in many other contexts.