2024/25 choreographers
Rhiannon Faith
Rhiannon is a boundary-breaking Artist whose work and experiences cross artforms. Brought up in a big Irish Catholic, working-class family, she is an exciting British female voice making waves in choreography, directing, social activism and as a published author.
Artistic Director of Rhiannon Faith Company, nominated for five National Dance Awards; ‘Best Digital Choreography’ (2021), ‘Best Dance Film’ (2022), and ‘Best Independent Company’ (2021, 2022 & 2023). Their critically acclaimed work DROWNTOWN received 4STARS in The Observer, The Stage and The Reviews Hub, and recently toured to Wuzhen Festival, China. The new work Lay Down Your Burdens, Co-Commissioned by Barbican, London and Harlow Playhouse, premiered at the Barbican in November 2023 and has been shortlisted for a 2023 One Dance UK Award for ‘Innovation in Dance’ and nominated for a 2024 Olivier Award for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Dance’.
Luke Brown
Luke Brown is the Artistic Director of Luke Brown Dance. Luke completed a BA Hons in Contemporary Dance Performance at London Studio Centre and has performed with critically acclaimed companies such as; Frantic Assembly and English National Opera as well as; Ben Wright, Junk Ensemble and Lila Dance Company. In 2018, Luke, supported by Arts Council England created his touring production of For You I Long the Longest.
Luke has directed and choreographed works for many companies including The Place, English National Ballet, Candoco Dance Company, Intoto Dance Company, DanceEast & Trinity Laban CAT Schemes, and Auditorium Ballet Professional Danza.
Ben Wright
Ben is a choreographer, director and mentor working in dance, opera, theatre, and film, he trained at Ballet Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. He was interim artistic lead for National Dance Company Wales/2021, Artistic co-director for Candoco Dance Company 2017-2020, Associate Artistic Director/Choreographer for Skånes Dansteater 2014–2017 and lecturer in improvisation, performance, and choreography at Northern School of Contemporary Dance 2022 – 2024. Recent movement work includes La Boheme/Washington National Opera, Orlando/The Garrick with Emma Corrin, the film Every Little Thing is a Change/Northern Ballet, The Lost Thing/The Royal Opera House & Candoco, A space in the Dark/Black Box Dance Theatre and the feature film of his production The Feeling of Going/ Skånes Dansteater. Wright worked as intimacy coordinator for My Policeman/Amazon Studios with Harry Styles and Funny Woman/ Sky Atlantic.
He worked as a performer between 1991-2006 and most recently with New Art Club. In 1995 he created the role of the Prince in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake.
Ceyda Tanc
Ceyda founded her all-female company in 2012, creating a body of professional contemporary dance works drawing on Turkish folk culture. Her full-length works KAYA (2018) and KIZLAR (2023) were commissioned by Brighton Festival and presented at Theatre Royal Brighton to sold-out audiences and critical acclaim. Ceyda presents live work in theatre settings, festivals, galleries, and alternative event spaces across the UK and Turkey.
Ceyda was an adviser on English National Ballet’s Raymonda and was commissioned to create an original work for their Emerging Dancer competition. In 2024 she co-created BACI with support from the British Council, a cross-cultural collaboration featuring 67 British & Turkish dancers.
Ceyda has created numerous commissioned works for youth groups and student companies and is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Chichester.
2023/24 choreographers
Yukiko Masui
Yukiko is a dancer, choreographer and co-founder of SAY. She has been working internationally with contemporary dance companies such as Agudo Dance, Art of Spectra(SE), Cathy Waller, James Cousins, Norrdans(SE), Rhiannon Faith, TRIBE and more. Commercial credit includes Nike, Marvel, Cold Play and Ministry of Sound.
Choreography credits include National Dance Company of Wales (SAY), Norrdans, The Place, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, London Studio Centre and Ballet Boyz (R&D). Musical and Theatre credits include ‘A Little Night Music’ (Story House), ‘Miss Julie’ (Southwark Playhouse)as well as her own work. She has received a Choreography Award from DanceXchange and was mentored by Akram Khan Company supported by Sky Arts. She is currently an associate artist at The Place and Dance East associates as SAY.
Renaud Wiser
Renaud Wiser is a Swiss born dance artist with an international career spanning over 20 years. Renaud is the Artistic Director of Renaud Wiser Dance Company, a London based company created in 2013 and, since 2018, he directs Newcastle-based company Fertile Ground. He is a founder-member of New Movement Collective and Body Intelligence Collective, a multi-disciplinary group winner of the first London Dansathon.
As a choreographer, his work (individual and collaborative) has been presented in key venues in the UK including Sadler’s Wells Lilian Baylis, the Southbank Centre, Dance City, DanceEast, Greenwich Dance, Pavilion Dance South West and Rich Mix as well as in festivals in France, Belgium, Poland, Latvia, Italy and Switzerland.
Carrie Whitaker
Carrie co-founded Lîla Dance with Abi Mortimer in 2005. She developed the choreographic voice of Lîla and was the central dancer for the company for over 12 years, performing in all company repertoire touring nationally and internationally. Currently her roles in the company include choreographer, director and performer as well as delivering commissions and participatory work. Carrie directed Lîla’s current touring production The Hotel Experience for theatrical and non-theatrical settings including community casts and has co-directing Lîla’s Outdoor work (MY BIT).
As a freelance performer Carrie has worked with Clod Ensemble, Haptic Dance, Flexer & Sandiland, Marisa Zanotti, Charlie Morrisey and Gravity and Levity. She is committed to the development of young talent, and for the past 15 years has delivered on national community dance projects including the CAT programmes and satellite schemes in partnership with The Point, Trinity Laban and The Place. She has been commissioned to create work on professionals, postgraduate/undergraduate students, elder companies and non-dancers across the UK. Carrie’s work is rooted in narrative, often funny, sometimes moving, made with the audience at its heart.
Sarah Golding
Sarah trained at Trinity Laban and received a BA and MA in dance performance.She became a dancer with Lîla Dance in 2014 where she toured nationally and rurally. She has performed for theatre companies and choreographers including the Royal Court, Bang Bang Bang group, Darcy Wallace, Quang Kien Van, Cathy Waller, Adam Russell. Sarah has most recently performed with the world touring cast of STOMP. Sarah’s choreographic credits include Balletboyz (the intro.) Royal Court, Laban and Mountview. She was also movement director on the West End play Cruise. Sarah has recently begun her creative partnership with Yukiko Masui (S A Y) and they are currently associate artists at The Place and Dance East.
Sarah Golding’s new work STATE is rooted in the relationship between music and dance, exploring different ways to translate music into and out of the body.
2022/23 choreographers
Gary Clarke
Gary Clarke has received both critical and audience acclaim and has won a multitude of awards including A Critics Circle National Dance Award, A UK Theatre Award and The Herald Angel Award. He is regularly commissioned to make new work for a variety of companies including Opera North, Sky Arts, Akademi, StopGap Dance Company, as well as the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Gary has worked with choreographers Matthew Bourne, Lloyd Newson and Lea Anderson among others. In 2017, Gary was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from The Northern School of Contemporary Dance
Seeta Patel
Born in London, Seeta Patel began training under the guidance of Kiran Ratna in 1990 and has since worked with a range of Bharatanatyam and contemporary dance professionals including Mavin Khoo, Padma Shri Adyar K Lakshman, Pushkala Gopal, Darshan Singh Bhuller and more. Patel has toured with DV8 Physical Theatre, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, David Hughes Dance Company and Mavin Khoo Dance amongst others. She was awarded the Lisa Ullmann Travel Scholarship to study in India (2005) and at the New York Film Academy (2013).
Seeta presented her solo classical London debut, Shringara: Journey of Desire, to a sold out audience at The Clore Upstairs, Royal Opera House (June 2009), and went on to tour the UK in 2010/11. She has subsequently presented solo classical works Dancing My Siva and Something Then, Something Now to sold out audiences at Sadler’s Wells and the Purcell Room (Darbar Festival). Over the past 12 years, Patel has received numerous awards and bursaries for her creative and professional development.
Seeta’s contemporary work is inspired by her Bharatanatyam training, rich in rhythm and musicality, detail and intricacy. Building and dismantling imagery within the ensemble, fleeting narratives appear and disappear to create a journey to an unknown destination.
Luke Brown
Luke Brown is the Artistic Director of Luke Brown Dance. Luke completed a BA Hons in contemporary dance performance at London Studio Centre. Luke has performed with critically acclaimed companies such as; Frantic Assembly and English National Opera as well as; Ben Wright, Junk Ensemble and Lila Dance Company.
In 2018, Luke, supported by Arts Council England created his touring production of ‘For You I Long the Longest’. In 2019 he completed research and development for ‘The Dandelion Child’, which led him to create ‘Walk of the Dandelion’ in 2021, which he is currently developing.
Luke Brown has directed and choreographed works for many companies including The Place, English National Ballet, Candoco Dance Company, Intoto Dance Company, DanceEast & Trinity Laban CAT Schemes, and Auditorium Ballet Professional Danza.
Luke Brown is excited to be collaborating on Map Dance 2023. His distinctive high-energy contact work approach, which incorporates spirals and the flexibility of the spine, will be used to investigate borders and boarders of what unites us. This is fuelled by Luke’s current experimental project, The Circle, an immersive outdoor production set in a community-built ‘secret’ performance venue.
Kay Crook
Kay Crook is a freelance dance artist and Artistic Director of Chhaya Collective, a female-led contemporary dance company, working between UK and India since 2013. Kay choreographed Chhaya’s international touring productions, Falling Light, HYMNOS and KHAOS and commissioned to make work for PERA (North Cyprus), Attakkalari (India), 3Fall (UK), Grace & Growl (UK) and FITIJ (Portugal). Kay is the Founder and Director of Chhaya Youth Dance Company and Wild Workshops for Women, previously Associate Lecturer for Attakkalari and PERA and worked with PDSW, WOW, Kerala National Theatre (India), 101 Outdoor Arts (UK), Barbican Theatre, Tanzart-Kirschau (Germany), LAB-Arts (Portugal), In2it Festival (Norway) and HIFA (Zimbabwe), amongst others.