We would like to congratulate the ChoreoMatch companies of 2020!
As you might have heard, ChoreoMatch is back, bigger and better than ever! We’ve selected 3 choreographers and matched each of them with 3 dancers – it’s a big surprise for each collaborator and we cannot wait to announce the selected ChoreoMatch companies!
Each choreographer will spend time in a studio, venue or site exploring their idea with the specially selected dance artists. Of course, everyone is paid and they will enjoy the process without the pressure of producing a product. This year’s venues include TouchBase Pears, DanceXchange, Fierce and some outdoor spaces in Birmingham!
ChoreoMatch 2020 will involve and give opportunity to a whopping 13 midlands-based artists, and we are chuffed! Let’s reveal the ChoreoMatch companies and announce who is matched with who… Here we go…
CHOREOMATCH COMPANY 1
Choreographer: Nathan Lafayette
Dancers: Keiran Covell, Sophie Barraclough, Claire Lambert
Nathan Lafayette – Choreographer
Nathan Lafayette is a Birmingham-based choreographer, performer and Hip-Hop theatre maker. He creates work around the themes of love, death, morality, connection, energy and growth, with a strong focus on pure and vulnerable honesty.
Lafayette has performed in and presented solo and ensemble work at Sadlers Wells (2020), Breakin Convention (2009, 2014, 2017), Artists 4 Artists presents: Scratch Dat (2017), BIDF (Here we are dance & Petite Garçon Fleur, 2019). Other works include Birmingham Opera Company (Mittwoch Aus Licht, Songs of death, Orazi E Coriazi) and dance leader for the 2020 commonwealth handover games. He is also a holistic and multiskilled teacher, currently working for DanceXchange and Zoonation.
Sophie Barraclough – Dancer
Sophie has a 1st class honours in (BSc) Sport, PE & Coaching Science. She is a personal trainer, sports massage therapist, dance teacher and dancer. Sophie’s practice combines her knowledge and love of dance, sport, fitness and music culture. Her interests include mental health awareness, music, bouldering and improvisation in nature. Her latest project was a collaboration with a cinematographer, filming dance in nature to produce an aesthetic, rhythmical communication between movement and music. Sophie has trained in various styles of dance over the years, including ballet, jazz, tap, modern and acrobatics. She also has professional contemporary training from Trinity Laban Conservatoire, with current classes attended at Birmingham Professional Classes (ACE dance & music, Birmingham Dance Network, DanceXchange).
Keiran Covell – Dancer
“Dance gives me life and purpose; it has helped me through my tough times and will continue to fuel me to create even better experiences that I wish to treasure for the rest of my days.”
Kieran Lee Covell is a freelance professional dance artist seeking new experiences and exciting horizons in physical and conceptual dance performance. Kieran, born in Birmingham, England, was full of high energy and curiosity as a child before starting his dance training. A highlight during his journey was a curtain raiser performance for Sir Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake at the Birmingham Hippodrome where he felt most appreciated and powerful as not just a dancer but a leader and an individual. 1 part acrobatic monkey, 1 part nerd of games, tv and movies, 2 parts food connoisseur and all parts devoted and loving partner to Yuki chung, Kieran enjoys balancing work and play as he strives for new ways of improving himself and learning more about how to make the most of his journey.
Claire Lambert – Dancer
Supported by Birmingham’s strong network of youth dance training, Claire was introduced to movement at the age of fifteen. She later graduated from London Contemporary Dance School with a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance, having completed her BA (Hons) in Dance Theatre at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. With a varied career to date, Claire has found particular interest in devising and performing dynamic, narrative and socially relevant work for both indoor and outdoor settings. This year Claire is thrilled to be joining Lîla Dance for the creation of My Bit, following R&D in 2019. Claire is also currently working with Four Hands Company for South East Dance’s Little Big Dance project. Recent work also includes touring children’s theatre production Up Up and Away, R&D concept film vertical dancing on cliffs and vertical dance piece Home for Coventry City of Culture 2021.
Claire enjoys building longer-term working relationships, which currently include developing new work with Lîla Dance and CoDa Dance, expanding company repertoire with award-winning Highly Sprung Performance, pursuing professional development in aerial harness techniques with Kate Lawrence and supporting the sustainability of Birmingham Dance Network.
Claire has had the pleasure of performing in Olivier award-winning Angels in America at the National Theatre, and working with Steven Hoggett, Finn Caldwell and Marianne Elliott before continuing on to R&D for National Theatre Studio’s New Work Department.
Personal highlights of her career include touring Breaking The Ice to Shanghai with Filskit Theatre, playing Sandra in Beautiful Thing for GDIF18, touring Night at the Theatre with Casson & Friends, singing internationally with Town Hall Gospel Choir, singing with Birmingham Opera Company, six years of touring Urban Astronaut (Highly Sprung), discovering aerial techniques with RoguePlay and Wired Aerial, and performing in the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony.
Claire enjoys a collaborative process in which imagination, playfulness and invention can thrive, and she is driven to perform indoor/outdoor/site-specific work by a desire to draw audiences into a compelling and meaningful experience.
CHOREOMATCH COMPANY 2
Choreographer: Caldonia Walton
Dancers: Katie Albon, Rob Hemming, Lisa-Sofia Ziemann
Caldonia Walton – Choreographer
Caldonia Dances creates original stories using movement, theatre and spoken word. Caldonia is intrigued to engage and speak directly to audiences on relevant topics with emotionally driven content and by breaking the fourth wall. The company creates from ideas that spark conversation and finds light-hearted ways to provoke action. Caldonia’s work has been shown at The Dance Centre (Vancouver), The Royal Opera House Linbury Theatre, The Southbank Centre, The Place, The Vaults, London Fashion Week, Tristan Bates Theatre, The Arts Theatre, on Channel 4 Random Acts and at Edinburgh and Brighton Fringe Festivals. Current works: Weight/Wait and modified me.
Katie Albon – Dancer
Katie graduated from Laban with a First Class BA (Hons) in 2013. She then achieved a distinction for her MA in Dance Performance at the University of Chichester and toured internationally with MAP Dance, performing works by Kerry Nichols, Gary Clarke, Yael Flexer and Liz Agiss. As a performer she has worked with numerous companies and choreographers including Springs Dance Company (performer and rehearsal director), Autin Dance Theatre, Ascension Dance, Here We Are Dance and Tim Casson. She also has rich experience in teaching and facilitation with DanceXchange, Open Theatre (non-verbal physical theatre for young people with learning disabilities in SEN schools), Highly Sprung, Artis Education, Sense and Dance Equation.
Rob Hemming – Dancer
Rob Hemming is a Dutch- British dance artist. He initially trained at ArtEZ Prevocational Dance in The Netherlands. Rob continued his studies at London Contemporary Dance School where he received a BA (Hons) degree in contemporary dance. Currently, Rob is a freelance dance artist teaching, performing and creating work in the UK and Europe. As a performer, Rob has recently worked with companies and artists including, Kirsten Adkins, Altered Skin – Shane Shambhu , LYNNEBEC, Johnny Autin and Open Theatre. He has taught for organisations including The Place – Recreational and Prevocational Dance in London, Man Made Youth, DanceXchange, Open Theatre and ArtEZ Prevocational Dance, The Netherlands. Rob has recently created Tom N Rob: Break Free, which is touring from spring 2020 onwards. This work has so far received support from Arts Council England, Birmingham Dance Network, Open Theatre, Sense and the Birmingham Hippodrome.
Lisa-Sofia Ziemann – Dancer
Lisa Ziemann is currently an apprentice dancer with Company Chameleon through the NSCD Postgraduate Apprenticeship Scheme (MA). Most recently she performed in Company Chameleon’s new work ‘The Shadow’ by Anthony Missen. Lisa was born in Berlin and started ballet young. At 15, she developed an interest in contemporary dance. She trained at Jasmin Vardimon Intensive before beginning her full-time training at Northern School of Contemporary Dance (BA hons). During her training Lisa has worked with Antonia Grove, Jason Mabana, Sharon Watson, That Ribeiro Company, Fernanda Prata and Jane McKernan and has performed as an apprentice with Northern Rascals. Most of all, Lisa enjoys improvisation, flying low and soft acrobatics.
CHOREOMATCH COMPANY 3
Choreographer: Rebecca Randall
Dancers: Katye Coe, Rosanna Cook, Daisy Howell, Chris Radford
Rebecca Randall – Choreographer
Rebecca’s performance career began as a dancer with Ludus Dance (2007–2011). She has since had a dynamic portfolio career which has led her to explore dance in schools, community centres, theatres, on the top of mountains and on city streets as a performer, teacher, facilitator and maker. She has recently worked as Movement Director on a number of projects with Theatre Director Hal Chambers and as Rehearsal Director for Anjali Dance.
Her choreographic practice is rooted in a desire to share stories and bring people together. She completed the Advanced Practitioners Course in Playback Theatre in 2019. She has created work by and for people aged 7–70 with a broad range of life and movement experiences. Her work as co-founder of interACTION, creating dance experience by, with and for people with complex communication needs, is a fundamental aspect of her practice.
Katye Coe – Dancer
Katye is a dancer, performer and teacher working collaboratively in the UK and internationally (www.katyecoeprojects.wordpress.com). Current performing projects include collaborations with Roberta Jean, Laura Vanhulle, Matthias Sperling, Carolyn Deby and Keira Greene. Katye is a certified Skinner Releasing Technique teacher and has completed four years of site and movement work in Helen Poynor’s Walk of Life Programme.
Rosanna Cook – Dancer
I’m Rosie, a West Midlands-based dance artist. My interest in cross art-form collaborations emerged from my background in dance and visual arts, and I was an artist in residence at ArtHouse Jersey in 2019. I enjoy working with people in inclusive dance settings and hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Community Dance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. My practice is influenced by my experiences with somatic approaches and improvisation. I also like to engage in site-specific performance and work in natural landscapes.
Daisy Howell – Dancer
Daisy received her MA in Contemporary Performance from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in 2018, after touring internationally with the Post-Graduate Company Verve. Daisy performed works by Sita Ostheimer, Lenka Vagernova, Matthew Robinson and Hannes Langolf, alongside undertaking her place on the Wayne McGregor PEER Mentorship Programme. Daisy is the Director/Choreographer for Brink Dance Company, exploring the cross-collaboration of dance, animation, visual art and electronic dance music with Howl Creative and LSMarley. The Company have been commissioned by the SHINE Emerging Artist Programme and DRIFT Manchester, with Daisy’s work being shown in theatres such as the Lowry Theatre, York Festival, Contact Theatre and Yorkshire Dance. Daisy has most recently danced/worked for Extended Play Dance (Jamaal Burkmar), Jack Philip Dance, Matter of Fact Dance and Barrowland Ballet, alongside teaching for Company Chameleon Youth Seniors, New Dance Youth Company and Professional Dancers through her Dance and Digital Workshops.
Christopher Radford – Dancer
Christopher Radford is from Birmingham and started dancing as a member of ACE Youth. He trained at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, receiving a first-class honours degree. After graduating in 2014, he completed an apprenticeship with Scottish Dance Theatre, internationally touring works by choreographers Damien Jalet, Anton Lachky and Fleur Darkin. Chris then became a freelance artist, performing nationally and internationally with companies including Scottish Dance Theatre, Autin DT, Corey Baker Dance, Heather Walrond Company and ACE dance and music. He has also been involved in research and video development with Extended Play Dance, led by Jamaal Burkmar. Recently, alongside performing Chris has been teaching and choreographing on many school and youth programmes throughout the Midlands. He has been creating his own work with partner Sara Macqueen, and has performed at festivals including Birmingham Weekender, BIDF and Fest4all. Chris teaches regularly for the Centre for Advanced Training scheme, Dance Generation.
© Photo Credit: Pete Ashford
Introducing… 2018
‘Soundgraphy’ choreographed by Mehdi Farajpour
