Choreodrome: Making Progress

Chris Matthews is a choreographer, performer and visual artist whose choreographic projects explore spectatorship, gender, queerness, intersections of the classical and contemporary, pop culture and dance histories. His works have been presented internationally, including at the V&A, Sadler’s Wells, Art Night, Reykjavik Dance Festival, and Villa Empain. what is love, don’t hurt me builds on the concept of a performance lecture, using a hybrid of dance, text, and audio-visual to explore how queer romantic partnerships have shaped dance history. Christopher will be considering partnerships such as Cunningham and Cage, Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane, and Ted Shawn and Barton Mumaw, exploring how movement can articulate ideas that words cannot.

https://www.formedview.com/ | Instagram: @formedview

Oluwatosin Omotosho is a Nigerian-born, London-based artist whose movement is rooted in Hip-Hop and Street Dance, including Waacking, House, Locking, Popping, Vogue, with influences from Contemporary, Afro, Jazz and Krump. She is also a poet, blending poetry with movement in her work. Oluwatosin is developing a dance theatre piece that explores the broader theme of societal expectations and the complexities of self-identity. Through the lens of Nigerian culture, the work focuses on a woman in her 30s who faces judgment from four aunties for not conforming to traditional norms around marriage, motherhood, and career, delving into themes of generational conflict, judgment, and personal freedom.

Instagram: @oluwatosin.om | @mouvement21

Max Revell has roots in popping and a passion for storytelling through movement and uses the potential of street dances to narrate stories in theatrical contexts. The Party speaks to the ache of separation and the vulnerability of living with what is lost, and marks Max’s first ensemble work and his initial endeavour towards a full-length production. As an emerging choreographer, the residency will provide Max with the opportunity to refine his artistic instinct, storytelling skills, receive constructive feedback, and continue to refine his movement language, at the intersection of popping, contemporary dance and physical theatre.

Instagram: @silk.boogie

Darcy Wallace is a British-Australian choreographer and contemporary dance artist for film and live performance who has choreographed film work for artists and brands internationally. Her practice engages with a lot of different activities that emerge from her identity as a dancer. She works to draw knowledge from the body and the history it holds through lived experiences, encounters as a dancer and through information that has been passed on. Her practice works to place this body of information into performance and film contexts that offer a place for critical thinking and feeling as a viewer and performer. MOTHERTONGUEis an ongoing movement research and performance project that explores and interrogates motherhood in the independent dance sector, challenging the expectations of (m)others and highlighting the lack of recognition of the maternal experience.

https://www.darcywallace.com

Bea Bidault is a dance artist originally from Barcelona whose work intricately explores human connection and identity through captivating, fictional, visual, and sensory performances. Her multifaceted career encompasses choreography, performance, and movement research. Her choreographic creations have been performed across the UK and Spain. Les Nuages is a mesmerizing dance performance that delves into the intricate human emotions of loneliness and the yearning for connection, exploring how our perceptions of life — shaped by a blend of real experiences and imagined realities — influence our emotional landscape.

https://www.bea-bidault.com/ | Instagram: @bea_cz

Gary Clarke is a movement artist born in East London, with his movement language rooted in the nuances of Hip-Hop social dances and KRUMP. Gary co-founded the collective UPG which was formed in Birmingham in 2019. The crew champions identity and raw creativity within dance. Gary’s project delves into the cultural significance of *The Cypher* within Hip-Hop dance, exploring its role in energy exchange, communication, and community-building. Deeply rooted in the traditions of Hip-Hop dance culture, the work highlights cyphering as a universal language—one that transcends boundaries, building connections between dancers and music lovers across various contexts.

Instagram: @gazthemad

Shannelle ‘Tali’ Fergus works within the dance community and industry across performance, choreography, teaching and talent management. Tali is founder, producer and lead facilitator of identity. ideas. industry. (iii), a programme and method designed to encourage dance artists’ curiosity about their creativity and the industry at large, through movement, conversation and literature. Tali will be working on an improvised ensemble work, building upon monthly freestyle sessions held since 2021, developing sound curation, lighting design, formality and composition for an audience while retaining the safety, consciousness and quality found in the sessions.

Instagram: @tali_1301@identity.ideas.industry

Christopher Reyes is a British-Filipino Dance Artist and curator. He has established himself as one of London’s distinct Hip-Hop theatre makers and an up-and-coming community and cultural leader, curating new creative spaces for grassroot artists, and those from under-represented communities. Renowned for his award-winning immersive production CARAVAN, Chris was also nominated for Choreographer of the Year by the Arts Foundation UK Awards in 2019. His project aims to explore new cultural work that delves into the untold narratives of the Filipino experience. By fusing indigenous and Westernised futuristic conceptual themes through movement, sound, and visuals, his goal is to develop creative ideas that shape a live performance fostering empowerment and a deeper discovery of Filipino identity beyond its colonial roots.

Instagram: @itschrisreyes