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KATIE ARMSTRONG  (dancer / The Chosen)

Katie trained at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance.  During her third year, she performed and toured with Rambert Dance Company in Itzic Galilis' A Linha Curva.  Following her training, Katie has worked throughout the UK with artists and companies including Rosie Kay Dance Company, National Theatre Scotland, Company Chordelia for Dance Derby, with Jack Webb, for R&D with V/DA and with Tamsyn Russell, with Simon Fildes/Wyn Pottratz for Pilgrim, with Tai Shani and most recently with Eowyn Emerald and Dancers. 

Katie has also choreographed work in collaboration with ZENDEH Theatre Company, for the Oran Mor/Byre Theatres' Play Pie and Pint, in collaboration with Tereza Antonin Dvorjak for Wiltons Music Hall and Secret Garden Party, and in collaboration with Central St Martins School of Art.  She has also created her own work which has been shown at festivals and events including Hidden Door Festival, Scottish International Storytelling Festival, Manipulate Visual Theatre Festival, Solas Festival, Merchant City Festival and most recently for The National Theatre Scotlands' Just Start Here Festival.

Katie is thrilled to be working with Company Chordelia on The Chosen.

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THOMAS J. BAYLIS  (dancer / The Chosen)

Thomas received formal training at New English Contemporary Ballet School and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. His choreographic credits include Oceans for the Edinburgh Choreographic Project in 2013, All Blether for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2015 and a collaboration with composer Claire McCue, GAME? performed at the Cottier Dance Festival in 2016. He has worked in choreography/movement direction roles in productions for the National Theatre of Scotland, Oran Mór, Scottish Opera/RCS and the Royal Court, London. 

 

Thomas has performed with companies including, the National Theatre of Scotland, National Dance Company Wales, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Croatian National Ballet in Zagreb, David Hughes Dance and Scottish Opera.  He first appeared with Company Chordelia in Lady Macbeth: Unsex Me Here.  Thomas has performed in works by choreographers and directors including Lies Pauwels, Rosie Kay, Ashley Page, Matthew Bourne, Cathy Marston, Al Seed, Rafael Bonachela, Steinvor Palsson and Andrew George. 

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AMELIA CARDWELL  (dancer / The Chosen)

Amelia studied at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. After graduating she joined Company Chordelia Dance Theatre under the director Kally Lloyd-Jones.

Amelia now works as a freelance theatre director & choreographer based in London. Her work as a director and choreographer include: Cage in Motion (Roundhouse Camden, Britten Theatre), One Is The Loneliest Number (V&A museum, Dalston Old Boys Club, Cochrane Theatre, St Barnabas Church), We Had A Black Dog (Theatre de Menilmontant), Elephant Angel (Scottish Opera UK Tour), Warrior (West Yorkshire Playhouse), By Your Side (Bermondsey Street Festival), Sea of Love (The Yard Theatre), Transfigured Night (Cadogan Hall), Trouble in Tahiti (Kino-Teatr, UK Tour).

Music Video and Film: Emma Hamilton Seduction and Celebrity (Royal Maritime Museum), Oxford Blood (Autoheart), It’s Good to Be Alive (Imelda May), Two Devils (Dog is Dead), House (Cool Fun), Five Letters (The Clover).

Amelia is currently developing an Operatic production of Tennessee Williams's Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let me Listen with Stage Left Project due for release in 2020.

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GIULIA MONTALBANO (dancer / The Chosen)

Graduated with a First-Class Honours Degree and Postgraduate from London Contemporary Dance School. Giulia is a full time dance teacher of ballet , floor-barre and contemporary dance, including Cunningham, Release, floor work and Skin release, Contact Improvisation and Partnering work.

Her current teaching experience includes teaching to the physically impaired and children from 0 to 11 years, youth groups and adults as well as with companies training for professional dance in Scotland. These include: 

Dance House Glasgow; Scottish Dance Theatre; Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; Macrobert Stirling; YDance, Horsecross; Nurseries and Primary Schools around Scotland; Dance Base; CityMoves; Fife Youth.

Her career has been enriched with additional international experiences as performer including: Cora Bissett (Grit); Scottish Dance Theatre; Rambert Dance Company (Dane Hurst); Alan Danielson (Limon Dance Company); Jo Strogmen (Sweden); Victor Qujada (Canada); Hofesh; Liv Lorent; Fleur Darkin; Maura Morales (Germany); Shumpei Nemoto (Japan); Matthias Kass (Switzerland); Eliot Smith Dance; Janice Garrett (USA); Company Idem (Switzerland); Rep of Shioban Davies (London); Richard Alston (Ceremony of Carols); Rob Heaslip; Henri Oguike and Shaper/Caper.

Giulia worked with Rosie Kay as dance leader for 5 soldiers and as a choreographer for the premiere of the new show from Marc Brew, as choreographer for Youth engagement, in Dundee.

She is currently Dance Development Officer for Aspire Dundee,Dance Lecture at RCS in Glasgow.

She is the Artistic Director of Fuora Dance Project(Dundee).

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LEWIS NORMAND (dancer / The Chosen)

Lewis is a Scottish Dance Artist, working across performance, choreography and education. He graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a BA in Modern Ballet in 2014. 

Lewis’ own work is currently supported by Dance North’s Regional Artist program and he is an alumnus of Scottish Ballet’s Choreographic Mentoring project. 

Lewis works closely with Scottish Ballet’s engagement department, where he has held positions as Education Officer and Creative Associate, as well as delivering across a wide range of their classes and projects.

As a dancer Lewis has worked for Artists and Companies like David Hughes Dance, Errol White Company, Diana Loosmore, Steinvor Palsson, Tamsyn Russell, Kate Haughton, Ashley Page and Scottish Opera. Lewis is thrilled to be returning to work with Company Chordelia on the The Chosen.

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JACK WEBB (dancer / The Chosen)

Jack is an award-winning dancer and choreographer who for over a decade has worked internationally with numerous companies and choreographers as a performer including Liz Roche Company, Irish National Opera, Coisceim Dance Theatre, Company Chordelia, Damien Jalet and Hussein Chalayan for Sadler's Well's, London, David Hughes Dance (works by Kylie Walters), Curve Foundation Dance Company (works by Hofesh Schecter, Henri Oguike, Jonathan Watkins), Alan Greig Dance Theatre, Croiglan Integrated Dance (works by Adam Benjamin and David Bolger), Jose Vidal Company, Dance Theatre Luxembourg, Lucy Suggate, Charles Linehan, Ben Wright, Simon Vincenzi and Matthew Hawkins amongst many others.

As a choreographer his work has toured internationally to audience and critical acclaim, recent projects including a creation for Scottish Ballet, a BBC commission, new work for Maiden Voyage Dance, Belfast, and co-productions with Tramway, Glasgow and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art amongst many others others. In 2016 Jack was the winner of the 'One to Watch' award at the Sunday Herald Scottish Culture Awards and was also nominated for best dance performer. Jack was an associate-artist at Tramway, Glasgow, 2016-17.

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LADY MACBETH: unsex me here

THOMAS J. BAYLIS  (performer and Associate Artist)

Thomas began his dance training in his hometown of Nottingham and studied at the New English Contemporary Ballet School. In 2012 Thomas competed his studies, graduating from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a BA in Modern Ballet. He was also awarded the School of Dance and Drama Program Prize for Modern Ballet.
Thomas has performed in a wide range of mediums including devised theatre, narrative ballet, opera, film and contemporary dance. He has worked with companies such as the National Theatre of Scotland, National Dance Company Wales, Glyndebourne Festival, the Croatian National Ballet in Zagreb, David Hughes Dance and Scottish Opera. He has performed in work by renowned choreographers, Ashley Page, Rosie Kay, Matthew Bourne, Cathy Marston and Rafael Bonachela.
Upon graduation from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Thomas was employed by the National Theatre of Scotland for a new piece, My Shrinking Life. This work was devised by the cast and Thomas took responsibility for much of the movement. Subsequent to this Thomas has been in the creative team of a number of Productions and has made his own work. In 2015 Thomas returned to the Conservatoire to create All Blether, ​which he choreographed for the graduating students of the Modern Ballet programme to music composed by Conservatoire professor of composition Rory Boyle. All Blether was revived by the Conservatoire in November 2015.
Based in Glasgow, Scotland Thomas is currently developing a number of new works. He is collaborating with a range of artists with expertise in various disciplines. 

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JACOB CASSELDEN  (performer)

Jacob is a dancer, drummer and actor, most recently seen playing Peter in the Sebastian Armesto film, 'For Grace', winner of several International Film Festival Awards. Amongst other credits Jacob has most recently been seen in 'A Kind of Silence' (Solar Bear), 'Tribes' (Royal Court Theatre), and  'Pride and Prejudice' (BBC). Jacob is widely recognised as one of the most experienced and successful male D/deaf actors/performers both here in the UK and abroad, having gained multiple awards for his work.

Jacob is delighted to be working with Company Chordelia and Solar Bear on Lady Macbeth: unsex me here and to be sharing the magic of dance and Shakespeare with D/deaf and hearing audiences.

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JACK WEBB  (performer)

Jack is one of Scotland's leading dancers, choreographers and teachers who has worked and performed internationally with various companies and choreographers, most recently with the world renowned fashion designer Hussein Chalayan and choreographer Damien Jalet on the major production 'Gravity Fatigue' at Sadler's Well's, London. Other companies David Hughes Dance Scotland (works by Kylie Walters and Tanja Leidtke), the Curve Foundation (works by Hofesh Schecter, Henri Oguike, Jonathan Watkins), Alan Greig Dance Theatre, Croiglan Integrated Dance (work by Adam Benjamin and David Bolger), Dance Theatre Luxembourg, Via Negativa, Company Chordelia Dance Theatre, David Bolger, Simon Vincenzi, Ben Wright and Matthew Hawkins amongst many others. He has appeared in British Vogue for Hussein Chalayan and has worked on major TV and film projects including RTE's 'Centenary', Ireland and Sunshine on Leith, UK. As a choreographer he has created an acclaimed body of choreographic work which has been presented extensively in the UK and Europe including Wilton's Music Hall. London, Tramway, Glasgow, Nottdance, Nottingham at Nottingham Contemporary, Dock 11, Berlin, New Territories, Glasgow, the Place, London, the Arches, Glasgow, All 1 Forum, Hamburg, Edinburgh Fringe at Dance Base, the Traverse, Edinburgh, Dance Live, Aberdeen amongst many others. Jack is an associate artist at Tramway, Glasgow.

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K. Yvonne Strain  (BSL Interpreter & Advisor)

Yvonne was born in Glasgow, Scotland. British Sign Language (BSL) has been her second language from a young age and she progressed to study formally, beginning an Interpreting career at age 20, becoming fully registered in 2000. Yvonne gained 7 years’ experience in a general agency, moving into television, theatre and the Arts before becoming freelance.

Yvonne’s first experience of theatre interpreting was at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1995. Since then she has interpreted over 300 different performances ranging from community theatre to full scale professional productions, including Improvisational, Comedy, Opera, Shakespeare, Pantomime etc.

Inspired by Deaf audience feedback Yvonne developed her performative interpreting style, integrating with performances and consulting on performance aesthetics and equity of experience. Yvonne works with dance, choreography and acting to integrate BSL and choreograph timing onstage as part of multi-disciplinary productions. This can be for small or full scale productions.

While being kept busy with a young son, Yvonne continues to be committed to personal and professional development. Having worked in the development and ongoing support of the BA Performance (BSL/English) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, she also continues to gain skills in International Sign and knowledge of Arts relating to the Deaf community Worldwide.

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Georgina Bell Godolphin  (voice of Lady Macbeth)

Georgina Bell Godolphin is an actor, writer and director whose work includes: voice over 'Miranda', Company Chordelia; director and writer, 'Snow Sister', Axis Performance; dancer, 'Sweet Love", Janice Claxton Dance; director and actor, Mover Mouther Shaker, Axis Performance. Workshop facilitation, research and training work includes projects with Positive Mental Attitudes, NHS, and Edinburgh International Science Festival. She trained at Glasgow University; Fooltime Centre for Circus Skills, and Guildford School of Acting. She is also a high school teacher of Drama, and has two children with Jesse Godolphin. 

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LAURA HAWKINS (lighting designer: Lady Macbeth: unsex me here / Nijinsky's Last Jump / Dance Derby)

Laura graduated with a degree in Lighting Design from Rose Bruford College. After working as the resident Technical Manager for several venues Laura now works as a freelance Lighting Designer and Production Manager. Recent design credits include: Netting (Morna Young/Allie Butler) 30:60:80 (Amy Conway) Nijinsky’s Last Jump, Dance Derby (Company Chordelia) Torn (Faux Theatre) Tribes, Birthday of the Infanta, Smokies (Solar Bear) La bohème, L’elisir d’amore (Edinburgh Grand Opera) La Tradegie Comique, By The Seat of your Pants (Plutot la Vie) King Lear, Tartuffe (Firefly Arts) Face It (Cotton Shed Theatre Company) Dalgety, Fragile (Theatre Uncut) The End of the World, For One Night Only (Red Note Ensemble and Summerhall) and Some Other Mother (AJ Taudevin) Technical credits include work for Firebrand Theatre Company, Imaginate Festival, Frozen Charlotte, Catherine Wheels Theatre Company, Traverse Theatre and Pitlochry Festival Theatre For images of Laura’s work please see https://www.flickr.com/photos/51559440@N08/

 

 

NIJINSKY’S LAST JUMP

DARREN BROWNLIE (performer)

Darren trained at the Dance School of Scotland, musical theatre course & The Arts Educational Schools London, completing his training at The RCS. Theatre credits include; Witness for the Prosecution Dundee Rep, Nijinsky's Last Jump, Dance Derby Company Chordelia, Sleeping Betty, Miracle on 34 Parnie Street, Peter Panto and the Incredible Stinkerbell, Cannibal Woman of Mars, Aganeza Scrooge, Flo White, Ya Beauty and the Beast, The Winter King Tron Theatre, Tin Forest National Theatre of Scotland, Bard on Broadway, A Midsummer Nights Dream Bard in the Botanics Company Insideout Productions/Cottiers Theatre Whisky Galore, From Paisley to Paolo, Mull Theatre Side by Side by Sondheim, Ivor Novello Theatre, Feather Boy The National Theatre. Film and Television Credits include, Wiseguys, My Barmy Aunt Boomerang, Love Me Tender BBC/CBBC The James Gang, Polygram Films, Meet The Magoons, Channel 4, Being Victor ITV.

 

JAMES BRYCE (performer)

James Bryce has two hats. As an actor, he has appeared in over 100 plays all over the UK for such companies as Communicado, the Royal Lyceum, Vanishing Point, and The National. He has recorded almost 300 BBC radio broadcasts, nearly 100 talking books, 30 Television and film productions. This year, he will be orating in Latin in BBC4's “Six Wives (of Henry Eighth)” As a composer, he has written for numerous theatre companies (Benchtours, the Young Vic, Perth, The Lyceum, Musselburgh etc), BBC radio and the concert hall, and can be heard strumming his idiosyncratic songs in the Central Belt. He was composer of the musical element of “Whisky Kisses”, which was Pitlochry’s showcase production in 2014. He has written scripts for BBC Radio Education, and is badly in need of a secretary.

 

MICHAEL DAVIOT (text)

Michael has been acting and writing professionally for over thirty years. His plays include 'The Knight From Nowhere', 'A Vision' and 'Ultimate Islands' (about Henry Irving, WB Yeats and Robert Louis Stevenson).  Favourite roles include Henry Higgins, Elyot Chase, The Big Bad Wolf, Prospero, Leontes, Mercutio, Falstaff, WB Yeats, RLS, Scarecrow & The Jew of Malta. He played Giles Ralston in The Mousetrap for a year and has toured with Derek Jacobi.  His self-penned solo piece 'Hyde & Seek' received rave reviews at Fringe 2014('Spellbinding' 'Magnetic' 'Superb'). This year he will be performing his new solo piece, Nosferatu's Shadow, about the life of Max Schreck ('Frankly electric....captivating.'), at Sweet Venues from the 4th to the 28th of August. 

 

MARIAN SHARKEY (stage manager)

Marian is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, with a BA in Technical and Production Arts. Since graduating she has worked with Scottish Opera as an ASM on productions of Ines de Castro, Jenufa, The Devil Inside and Rusalka, as well as DSM on touring productions of Macbeth and Cosi fan Tutte. She has also worked for companies such as British Youth Opera, Blackheath Opera and Cryptic Theatre, and on Company Chordelia’s 2013 Fringe show, Dance Derby. Marian was Stage Manager for Nijinsky’s Last Jump at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe and joins the team again for the 2016 spring tour. 

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DANCE DERBY

DAVID HIGHAM  (music director / Dance Derby 2014)

David Higham is a freelance Musical Director who currently lecturers in Musical Theatre at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He works as a musical director, conductor, arranger, vocal coach and currently co-ordinates the MA Musical Directing and BA Music strands.

David’s musical directing credits include Betty Blue Eyes, Little Shop Of Horrors, Into the Woods, Notes to Self (RCS), Jack and the Beanstalk (The Beacon, Greenock), Cinderella (Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline),Jerry Springer the Opera, In Touch, Spring Awakening (The Fringe, Edinburgh, One Academy Productions), MD/Orchestrator on The Wizard of Oz(Citizen’s Theatre, Glasgow), Once on this Island (RSAMD, Dramaworks), 3hree, Far from the Madding Crowd, Iron Curtain, Confessions of Julian Po, The Jonah Boyand Zanna, Don’t (The Fringe, Edinburgh), the Fabulist, Like You Like It and About Face (International Musical Theatre Festival, Cardiff)

Musical Supervision credits include The Addams Family, Avenue Q, Company, Sunday in the Park with George, First Lady Suite and Rocket Science,(The Fringe, Edinburgh, One Academy Productions). Workshop MD credits include Some Singers (Citizen’s Theatre, Glasgow) the Jonah Boy, Spitfire Grill, E-bay-the Musical (RSAMD), Tiger Tamer and RiZen: a Zombie musical (Perfect Pitch/RSAMD)

Keys experience includes Wicked (Apollo Victoria, London and UK Tour), Mamma Mia! (Prince Edward Theatre, London), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK/International Tour), West Side Story(UK tour) and MD for Little Shop of Horrors (Pitlochry Festival Theatre)

 

KENNEDY AITCHISON (music director & arrangements / Dance Derby 2013)

A native Glaswegian and graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama, Kennedy has worked for over twenty-five years as a musical director, pianist, keyboard player, producer, orchestrator and arranger in most musical genres.

Since graduating from the RSAMD, his career has taken in radio, television, light entertainment, variety, music theatre, orchestral work, touring, composing, arranging, conducting and music production. In 2012 Kennedy worked as Music Supervisor, Orchestrator and Musical Director for “I Dreamed A Dream, The Susan Boyle Musical,” with actress Elaine C. Smith and producers Michael Harrison Entertainments. He has also been working on “Between Weathers”, a feature film being produced by Aberdeen based b4films. Recent engagements include the UK/European tour of Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds, Tonight’s the Night, a BBCTV Saturday night entertainment series featuring John Barrowman, and the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary concerts at the O2 Arena.

 

GRAHAME GARDNER  (Lighting Designer / Dance Derby 2013 & The Seven Deadly Sins)

Born in Glasgow, Grahame studied at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh and at the University of Rochester, New York. As former Chief Electrician for Scottish Ballet, he designed lighting for many shows including Sonata In Time, Scotch Symphony, Who Cares?, Prisoners, Cheri, Carmen, and Esprit. Other dance designs include Rite of Spring for Ulster Youth Dance; Song of Songs for Scottish Dance Theatre; One Crowded Hour, The Bright-Eyed Mariner, The Winter Room for Tabula Rasa. Grahame has been Company Chordelia’s Technical Director since 2005, and lighting designs include Cinderella Pilot Error, Les Amoureux, Cabaret Chordelia, Miranda and The Seven Deadly Sins. Other operas include The Loving of Etain and An Turus for Paragon Ensemble and The Magic Flute, Falstaff and Hansel & Gretel for AIYF Opera Garden. Other music theatre work includes Cryptic’s Black Over Red and Each…And Every Inch; JUMP! For National Theatre of Scotland, and The Musical Seminar, RITE, Glassworks and Torque for Paragon Ensemble. Grahame is also Associate Lighting Designer for Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, and his work has taken him all over the world. His other interests include dowsing and geomancy, and he is the current President of The British Society of Dowsers.

CAST

KATIE ARMSTRONG (dancer / Dance Derby)

Katie began her dance training at age twelve at Karen Berry School of Dance in Aberdeen. She later completed a BA(Hons) in Ballet and Contemporary Dance at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. During her 3rd year at Rambert School, she performed with Rambert Dance Company in Itzic Galili’s A Linha Curva. Since graduating, Katie has performed with The London Ballet Company, Descarga Dance Company, Rosie Kay Dance Company, The National Theatre of Scotland, Drew Taylor Productions, Company Chordelia and Jack Webb Dance. Katie also choreographed HEART for Zendeh Theatre Company which toured nationally in 2014 and worked as a collaborator/performer alongside State of Grace Company.

 

PETER BALDWIN (dancer / Dance Derby)

Peter trained at the Brit school, Central school of ballet and London Studio Centre, where he graduated in July 2003. In his final year at LSC he toured with their contemporary company Intoto. Since then he has worked in T.V, Film and Theatre both in the UK and worldwide including Israel, Portugal, America and Italy. His credits include Joy to the World, Wayne Sleep Celebration, Ralacos, XI Almada dance festival, The Bald Truth, Aspects of Dance, Young Gifted and Black, On Eagles Wing, Tangle, 73 ½ Minutes To Make A Good Impression, Popper Collective, Catch Me, Dick Whittington, The Car, Finding Neverland, Pride and Prejudice , Un Ballo in Maschera, Seven Deadly Sins, Kerrang Indent, Stephen K Amos tour, Utrabeat Promos, Children In Need, E4 Phoneshop Ident, Wimbledon Paint, Leverhulme Trust gala, ME raw, Box of Fun, Facts and Photos, Paralympic celebrations, Sense of Beauty, On site and Conversations with dystonia. He has also taught and choreographed for London Studio Centre. Peter has recently finished his second tour with Arc dance company as both rehearsal director and dancer and is delighted to be back in Scotland.

 

BRIAN BREMNER (dancer / Dance Derby)

Brian began his training at Anniesland College Dance Department where he trained under the tutelage of Maxine Railton. From there he progressed to Bird College, London where he graduated with a BA (Hons) in Dance and Theatre Performance. Previous performing credits include Royal Variety Performance where he danced before Queen Elizabeth II and a nationwide TV commercial campaign for Drummond Park, the British game commercial, in which he was the sole dancer. Brian also works as a freelance dance teacher, working within both the public and private sector. He enjoys helping young dancers broaden their career horizons. This is Brian’s first time performing with Company Chordelia and he is very excited.

 

DARREN BROWNLIE (dancer / Dance Derby)

Darren started his training at the dance school of Scotland Musical Theatre course, He then went on to the arts educational schools London, completing his training at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.  Theatre credits include: Cannibal Woman from Mars (Tron Theatre), A Midsummer Nights Dream( Oran Mor), Aganeza Scrooge (Tron theatre) Company Cottiers theatre, Song & A Sip (Insideout productions), Paisley to Paolo Mull Theatre, Flo White, Ya Beauty and The Beast, and The Winter King (Tron theatre), Dance Derby (Company Chordelia), Peter Panto and the Incredible Stinkerbell (Tron Theatre), Whiskey Galore and The Greatest little Republic (Mull Theatre), The Tin Forest (National Theatre of Scotland).  Choreography credits include: Company Cottiers theatre, Mr Merlin, Flo White, Ya Beauty and The Beast, Peter Panto and the Incredible Stinkerbell (Tron Theatre), Assistant at the Citizens Theatre The Wizard of Oz, Irn Bru Musical Advert, STV Jobs Advert.    Darren won a BAFTA for Best Performance in Love me Tender for BBC Mind the Gap.

 

BEVERLEY GRANT (dancer / Dance Derby)

Born in Scotland, Beverley started her dance training at Dance For All, Edinburgh from the age of 10. She furthered her training by attending Scottish Ballet Junior and Senior Associates, Glasgow. She then auditioned and gained a place at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, where she performed in Kerry Nicholls, Lament, Martha Grahams, Steps in the Street (Rehearsed: Regina Wielingen) and Ross McKims, It is Finished. In her final year at Rambert she performed with Theatre Nomad and with Opera North as Louise in Carousel at the Leeds Grand Theatre, Leeds, The Lowry, Manchester and at the Barbican, London. She then worked on a choreographic project with Gary Clarke. Following this she returned to dance the role of Louise in Carousel at Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris. More recently Beverley has been training  in aerial dance with All or Nothing Aerial Dance Theatre. She performed aerial harness with Conflux ‘Perch’ and Cryptic ‘Sound to Sea’ for the Commonwealth Festival Glasgow 2014 and Enchanted Forest with All or Nothing.

 

TARA HODGSON (dancer / Dance Derby)

Tara graduated in 1999 from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, since then she has worked with Alex Rigg, Wee Stories, Juha Marsalo Dance in Paris, Company Chordelia, Tabula Rasa, Freshmess, Arts in Motion, Y Dance, X Factor, Gilmore Productions, Hull Truck Theatre, Aye Productions and Ballet Contemporaneo Du Norte in Portugal. She has also choreographed solo work for British Dance Edition, Dance Live and Pool at the Traverse Theatre and has currently finished performing her new solo ‘Bone Garden’ at the Hidden Door and Dance Live 2014. She has also worked in Canada, Dusseldorf and Hasselt, performing in Children’s Festivals and has been inspired to include clown work in her repertoire.

 

NADINE LIVINGSTON (soprano / Dance Derby)

Nadine Livingston studied at the Royal Northern College of Music where she gained a First Class BMus Honours and a Postgraduate Diploma, with Distinction. She now continues her studies with Barbara Robotham. Her many prizes while at the RNCM include the Alexander Young Prize, the Joyce and Michael Kennedy Prize, three consecutive Eva Turner Awards, the Frederic Cox Award and the 2008 Clonter Opera Prize. She is a Samling Scholar, and was from 2009-2011 an Emerging Artist at Scottish Opera. On the concert platform Nadine has sung Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in China with the Macao Orchestra, with the National Youth String Orchestra of Scotland as part of the Edinburgh Festival, Britten’s Les Illuminations with the Goldberg Ensemble, Schoenberg’s 2nd String Quartet with the Vertavo String Quartet, and Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No.3 and Neilson’s Symphony No.3 with the Hallé Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder (broadcast on BBC Radio 3).

As an Emerging Artist at Scottish Opera Nadine has sung the title role in Janáček’s Katya Kabanova, Musetta La Bohème, Susanna Le nozze di Figaro and Gilda Rigoletto, as well as covering the role of Fiordiligi Cosi fan tutte. Nadine recently made her Royal Opera House debut as Woglinde in Wagner’s Ring Cycle, conducted by Antonio Pappano. She then returned a month later to sing the role of Second Innocent in Bertwhistle’s Minotaur, and Lady in Waiting in Britten’s Gloriana this Spring.

 

NICOLE OWENS (actor / Dance Derby)

Nicole was a member of Ignite Youth Theatre which seen her being part of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Youth Exchange, they devised their own play Do you see me? and performed at the Tron Theatre and Eden Court Inverness, in 2010 Nicole went on to work with Ankur Productions in their production Playback directed by Paddy Cuneen. Nicole has also been part of Company Chordelia’s Miranda working backstage and on the technical side of the production. Nicole recently achieved her HND in Acting and Performance at Reid Kerr College. College roles have included Jean Armour in Robert Burns by Joe Corrie. After summer Nicole will be starting her BA (Hons) in Performance at University West of Scotland. After being a part of Seven Deadly Sins in 2011, Nicole is excited to be starting it all over again.

 

STEINVOR PALSSON (dancer / Dance Derby)

Steinvor Palsson was born in Edinburgh of Icelandic parentage. She trained at The Manor School of Ballet and The Place Evening School and she has over 30 years experience as a dance practitioner. Performance work includes The Spiral Contemporary Dance Company, Tango Tiempo, The Imminent Dancers Group, Giselle Enterprises Movement Theatre, Company Chordelia, Scottish Opera and The Royal Opera. In 2012 she performed and co-choreographed a piece with Matthew Hawkins for The Dance Base Festival Fringe Programme. She has choreographed for Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet’s Education Unit, The Scottish International Storytelling Festival, The Aberdeen International Youth Festival, The Ensemble Group, The Ceremony of the Keys at Holyrood Palace, Off Kilter and most recently for Dance House Glasgow as part of the 2014 Cultural Programme. Earlier this year she was engaged By Scottish Opera’s Outreach and Education Department as Movement Specialist for the Alzheimers Scotland Project in Dundee. She is currently teaching at Dance Base, Dance House and The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Steinvor holds a PhD in Norwegian Literature from The University of Edinburgh.

 

MICHAEL SHERIN (dancer / Dance Derby)

Michael Sherin is an Edinburgh-based, performer who trained as a dancer at Rambert School of Ballet in London. During a break from performing between 2000 and 2008 Michael completed a degree in English and Creative Writing and a Masters in Script Writing at Goldsmiths College in London. For many years he was based in London and performed in work which crossed the boundaries between dance, physical theatre and performance art.
Michael has performed with award-winning companies in work which includes The Desire Paths for Graeme Miller Co at The Royal Court Theatre, Lady Jane for The Clod Ensemble at the Purcell Rooms, Something A Taxi driver Said for Quarantine at The Cultch, Vancouver and Hebbel Theater, Berlin, Salisbury Tales at Salisbury Cathedral for Station House Opera and And at MOMA for Gary Stevens. Other directors/ choreographers include: Laurence Boswell, Julia Bardsley, Sam Walters, Kate Beales, Sally Jacobs, Deborah Warner, Sean Matthias, Wayne McGregor and Kate Flatt.
During his time in London he also choreographed ‘Casement,’ for Corin Redgrave’s Actors Company at the Riverside Studios and created ‘Bed,’ a site-specific interactive work, commissioned for The Pandemonium Festival at The Lux Cinema, with Hi- Res and Christine Devaney.
Since his move to Scotland five years he has worked on various productions including the award winning ‘Found’ for Curious Seed (for which he was also a contributing writer), One Up One Down for Natasha Gilmore Productions, The Ana Project for Ian Spink, Imprints with Maite Delafin for Nux Company, The Shoogle Project for Plan B Collaborative, The Chinaski Sessions  for  David Hughes Dance and Stuck for Catherine Wheels Theatre Co.
Michael has also begun to create his own work which combines movement, text and live music. In September 2012, Michael was invited to perform The Shame Chronicles, a dance theatre work for live musician and performer, which he directed,  at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness as part of Pivotal, the first Scottish Dance Expo. In July 2012 he co-directed ‘Sonata for a Man and a Boy,’ at the Macrobert Theatre Stirling. It won a CATS Award 2013 for Best Children’s and Young People’s Show.

 

VINCE VIRR (dancer / Dance Derby 2014)

Vince trained at NSCD before joining Transitions Dance company 2007 at Laban and gaining a MA (Distinction) in Dance Performance. Since then he has worked with; Barrowland Ballet (Tiger, Tiger Tale, The River, A Conversation with Carmel, Get Set Glasgow, The Blank Album), Smallpetitklein (Within This Dust, Cut, Tentacular, Last Night at the Palais, Sin, Stiller, Static), Mark Murphy & Cuerda Producciones (White Gold), All or Nothing Aerial Dance Theatre (Three’s A Crowd, Sprawl, Swing is in the Air), Protein, Ruth Mills, Michael Sherrin, English National Theatre, David Waring, Motion Manuel and Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake World Tour 2009/10. Vince is a trained harness aerialist and is also a CYQ fitness assessor (exercise to music & Pilates) for Health & Fitness Education Ltd.

 

HARRY WARD (actor / Dance Derby)

Harry Ward trained at the RSAMD and has worked with various theatre companies throughout Britain, including: The National Theatre of Scotland, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, Vox Motus, Grid Iron, The Arches, Scottish Opera, Opera North, English National Opera, Cumbernauld Theatre, Company Chordelia, TAG, Eden Court, Visible Fictions, Mull Theatre, Perth Theatre, Oran Mor, Traverse Theatre Edinburgh. TV Credits include: Taggart, High Times (STV), Still Game, Waterloo Rd.

 

KIRSTY POLLOCK  (dancer / Dance Derby 2013)

Kirsty trained at Ballet West and Rambert School of Dance. Over the last few years she has worked primarily with Company Chordelia, Scottish Opera and David Hughes Dance. Roles with Company Chordelia include the child in ‘Miranda’, Anna 2 in ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’ and “Cabaret Chordelia’. With David Hughes Dance she performed the role of the nun in ‘The Red Room’ by Al Seed and danced in ‘Imploded’ by Tanya Liedtke. Kirsty also danced the Spirit of the Vixen in ‘The Cunning Little Vixen’ with Scottish Opera and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

 

JACK WEBB (dancer / Dance Derby 2013)

Jack trained at the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance and has gone on to work and perform internationally with many companies and choreographers including Croiglan Integrated Dance (work by Adam Benjamin), David Hughes Dance Scotland (work by Kylie Walters and Tanja Liedtke), Alan Greig Dance Theatre, Via Negativa, Dance Theatre Luxembourg, Jose Vidal Company, the Curve Foundation Dance Company (work by Hofesh Schecter, Henri Oguike, Jonathan Watkins, Morgan Temple), Grange Park Opera, Simon Vincenzi, Arthur Pita, Matthew Hawkins, Ben Wright, Charles Linehan and Angus Balbernie amongst others.

He is also widely known as a choreographer and has presented his work to great audience and critical acclaim in major festivals and venues in the UK and Europe.