I am a freelance dance artist working across choreography, performance and education, based in the North East of England. My practice spans touring theatre work, site responsive performance, cross generational collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange.
After five years working outside the dance sector in specialist SEND education, I have returned to choreography with renewed clarity and purpose. This period deepened my understanding of communication, inclusion and embodied learning, and continues to shape how I lead creative processes. I am motivated by collaboration, shared authorship and meaningful exchange between artists and audiences.
As a performer, I toured nationally with balletLORENT in the critically acclaimed production of Rapunzel, working closely with young casts in education and participation. I later toured with Darren Pritchard Dance in Body of Light, a dance and technology solo integrating live movement with computer generated imagery using Microsoft Kinect. These experiences continue to inform my choreographic attention to musicality, dramaturgy and visual composition.
After five years working outside the dance sector in specialist SEND education, I have returned to choreography with renewed clarity and purpose. This period deepened my understanding of communication, inclusion and embodied learning, and continues to shape how I lead creative processes. I am motivated by collaboration, shared authorship and meaningful exchange between artists and audiences.
As a performer, I toured nationally with balletLORENT in the critically acclaimed production of Rapunzel, working closely with young casts in education and participation. I later toured with Darren Pritchard Dance in Body of Light, a dance and technology solo integrating live movement with computer generated imagery using Microsoft Kinect. These experiences continue to inform my choreographic attention to musicality, dramaturgy and visual composition.
Photo Credit - Luke Waddington. Fairground Reminiscence at the Hoppings, Newcastle. Performers Alys North and Adam Russell
Photo Credit - Luke Waddington
Fairground Reminisence at Gala Gallery, Durham 2019
Performers Adam Russell and Alys North
As a choreographer, I create work rooted in lived experience, memory and human connection. I am particularly drawn to working with both trained and untrained performers, bringing diverse movement languages into dialogue. I value the technical precision of professional dancers while embracing the authenticity and individuality of community participants. For me, choreography becomes richer when these perspectives intersect.
My work has been presented in theatres as well as galleries, museums, heritage sites and public environments. I am interested in how choreography responds to its surroundings and how performance shifts depending on audience proximity and context. I see stage not as a fixed location but as the space where attention gathers and exchange happens.
In 2017, I was awarded a Lisa Ullmann Travelling Scholarship for Lost in Translation, an international cultural exchange between Santiago, Chile and Newcastle, England. The project strengthened my commitment to dialogue across communities and cultures.
I trained at The BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where I completed a BA (Hons) in Dance Theatre, and later undertook postgraduate training at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.
Alongside my artistic practice, I am a fully qualified primary school teacher and continue to design and deliver bespoke workshops for all ages and abilities. Education, participation and accessibility remain central to my work.
I continue to seek projects that challenge form, expand context and ask why performance matters, and how it can remain a worthwhile and resonant experience for those who encounter it.
My work has been presented in theatres as well as galleries, museums, heritage sites and public environments. I am interested in how choreography responds to its surroundings and how performance shifts depending on audience proximity and context. I see stage not as a fixed location but as the space where attention gathers and exchange happens.
In 2017, I was awarded a Lisa Ullmann Travelling Scholarship for Lost in Translation, an international cultural exchange between Santiago, Chile and Newcastle, England. The project strengthened my commitment to dialogue across communities and cultures.
I trained at The BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where I completed a BA (Hons) in Dance Theatre, and later undertook postgraduate training at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.
Alongside my artistic practice, I am a fully qualified primary school teacher and continue to design and deliver bespoke workshops for all ages and abilities. Education, participation and accessibility remain central to my work.
I continue to seek projects that challenge form, expand context and ask why performance matters, and how it can remain a worthwhile and resonant experience for those who encounter it.