"Instead of this monstrous process of identity I would prefer, god help me,
a dark whisper, or a little mud on the streets”. (James Thurber.)
Over the years like many folk have done a bunch of stuff...
Left school at 16. Went to the Isle of Man to live/work with sculptor and family.
Did a lot of building work, especially plastering.
Did 1 year Theatre/Dance training.
Ran a "making" workshop in Sussex for 18 months with disturbed kids.
Helped rebuild an old farmhouse into a community in the Alpes de Haute Provence.
Helped farm goats, and built prize-winning goat-stable.
Weeded millions of lavender plants.
Did some street theatre training and performance stuff in Provence.
Lived in squats in London awhile.
Trained in Tai Chi on Cheung Chau island in the Chinese New Territories.
Helped rebuild another old farmhouse, this time in the Tarn.
Did more plastering.
Went to Dartington College of Arts. Got a BA (Hons) in Theatre Studies.
Drawn to the dance/movement studies and work there with the many fab guest dance artists and teachers, and because Mary O'Donnell Fulkerson's Anatomical Release training, and her approach to making and moving was essential, as was lots of training and dancing with Steve Paxton, including all the initial Touchdown Dance workshops.
Then....
Dance Artist in Residence, Dumfries and Galloway.
Same in Glasgow's year as City of Culture.
Ran "Moving Issues" dance and social issues project for 3 years throughout Scotland.
Began making and directing more work and teaching at EDDC Arnhem.
Went to the Orinoco delta to work with the Warau people, and made work and taught in Caracus with the Ecoperformia project.
Made a series of pieces at Venue 9 in San Francisco. Ran many workshops, and spent a lot of time in San Francisco for a few years.
Did many workshops and trainings with great folk in the US.
Made a bunch of work and taught a lot in Montana and Montreal.
Over many years did series of pieces at Studio 303 in Montreal with Guillaume Choinard.
Associate Artist at Tobacco Factory, Bristol.Made series of pieces there.
Taught a lot for many years as an associate lecturer or on the staff at EDDC Arnhen, ArtEZ Arnhem, Dartington College of Arts, San Francisco International Dance Festival, Falmouth University....
Went to S Korea and Argentina a number of times to teach and mentor at Korean National Univerisity of the Arts, LEM in Buenos Aires.
Have taught at EDDC/ArtEZ for 25 years now, and still run the ArtEZ annual Choreo/Composers intensive.
Have worked with Silke Z / Resistdance for 21 years now I think, as performer and collaborator.
Did a series of impro shows with Andrew Morrish.
Became Acting Head of Choreography and Creative Studies at Northern School of contemporary Dance, then for 2 years was full-time lecturer there.
Left after attacks of Bells Palsy melted head.
in 60's, went back to more improvising and less teaching, performing with Silke Z's work, running just the odd workshop in fab places with fab people, like Forum Danca in Lisbon with Maria Ramos, and Ludwigsburg for the "Lovely Ladies of Ludwigsburg" (The fab gang running the Tanz & Theatrewerkstatt.)
Don't know what will emerge after Brexit and Covid....maybe that's it?
Apart from making / directing my own work,
here's some other folk I've also worked with or for...
Silke Z / Resistdance (Germany)
Industrial and Domestic Theatre Contractors (UK)
Stuart Laing / Untitled productions (Scotland)
Ecoperformia (Venezuela)
Compagnie Jano Cook (Canada)
Les Moitsutoitsus (Canada)
Scott Wells Dance Co (USA)
Clarinda MacLow and Co (USA)
Claire Russ Ensemble (UK)
Alex Howard Co (UK)
Women Are More Waterproof Than Men (UK)
Company Of Angels (Scotland)
Theaterworks (Scotland)
Major Road (UK)
Guillaume Choinard (Canada)
Mind The Gap (UK)
Le Temps Du Corps (France)
Angela Praed (UK)
Greet De Maurisse (Belgium)
Canvas Arts (Netherlands)
YAC /Jung Artvision. (S Korea)
