Northern School of Contemporary Dance - Conservatoire for Dance ...

11.Our GraduatesHere are brief biographies of some of our graduates:Akram KhanLisa WelhamSharon WatsonAnthony MissenKevin TurnerGail ParmelSimon PalmerSarita PiotrowskiTamsin FitzgeraldGary ClarkeIra SiobhanKip JohnsonAkram Khan MBEAkram Khan is one of the most acclaimedchoreographers of his generation workingin Britain today. He began presenting soloperformances in the 1990s, maintaining hiscommitment to classical kathak as well asmodern work. After graduating from NSCDin 1998 he launched Akram Khan DanceCompany, a platform for innovation and adiverse range of work through collaborationwith artists from other disciplines includingartist Anish Kapoor, composer NitinSawhney, dancer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui,sculptor Antony Gormley, ballerina SylvieGuillem and Oscar-winning actress JulietteBinoche. Akram is currently an AssociateArtist at Sadler’s Wells, London. He hasbeen the recipient of numerous awardsthroughout his career and was awarded anMBE for services to dance in 2005.Simon PalmerSimon grew up in Essex where hedeveloped a keen interest in the performingarts, studying piano and voice. He begandancing at the age of 16 and joined the BPA(Hons) degree in Contemporary Dance atNSCD, graduating in 2005. He danced forMotion Manual and Lucy Suggate beforereturning to the school in 2007 to becomeone of the founding members of Verve.Simon went on to join Maresa von Stockert’sTilted Productions, with whom he still works.He regularly collaborates with artists ofother disciplines, most recently working withTheatre Rites in Essen, Germany.Lisa WelhamLisa graduated from NSCD in 2002 witha first class honours degree and wasawarded the University of Leeds ArmesPrize for outstanding achievement. Whilstat the College she toured in the UK andGermany as a member of NSCD’s studentcompany. Since graduating Lisa has beena member of Phoenix Dance Theatre,Henri Oguike Dance Company, Mad DogsDance Theatre and Walker Dance ParkMusic. She is currently dancing with RafaelBonachela Dance Company.Sarita PiotrowskiSarita completed both the foundation anddegree programmes at NSCD before joiningthe Graduate Diploma in ContemporaryDance, undertaking her apprenticeshipwith Random Dance Company. She thendanced with Henri Oguike Dance Companyand Diversions Dance for six years. In 2008Sarita embarked on a freelance career,allowing her to mix ongoing contemporaryprojects with commercial work includingTake That, the Pet Shop Boys, Cheryl Cole,La Roux and Leona Lewis. Sarita has alsohad featured roles in short dance films TheJaffa Man by Robert Hylton, Blank Canvasfor State of Flux/Heather Eddington and theHBO series Game of Thrones.Sharon WatsonIn 2010, Sharon was named as one ofthe Cultural Leadership Programme’s 50Women to Watch in the UK. Originallyfrom Leeds and trained at LondonContemporary Dance School and NSCD,she has performed and choreographed forcompanies across the UK, before beingengaged as Lecturer in ContemporaryDance at NSCD, Rehearsal and TourDirector for Phoenix Dance Theatreand Director of Learning and Access atNorthern Ballet. In 2006 she embarkedupon a fellowship with the Clore LeadershipProgramme. In 2008 Sharon was one of26 aspiring leaders from around the globeselected to attend Dance East’s fourthRural Retreat, an intensive four day thinktankexploring the challenges of the role ofArtistic Directors in the 21st century. Sharonwas appointed Artistic Director of PhoenixDance Theatre in May 2009.Tamsin FitzgeraldAfter graduating from NSCD in 1998,Tamsin founded 2FaCeD DaNcE Company.Tamsin has collaborated with HofeshShechter for the Birmingham InternationalDance Festival, choreographed for theMTV Awards, published a book on hip-hopand urban dance and choreographed theinternational tour and West End productionof the Caesar Twins. Tamsin has been aguest speaker at the National Youth DanceConference and at the National DanceTeachers Association conference and is amember of the West Midlands Youth DanceAdvisory Board. Recent credits include themusical Chasing Fate, and collaborationswith Australian Dance Theatre and theBallet Boyz.Anthony MissenAfter training at NSCD, Anthony dancedwith companies including Scottish DanceTheatre, Cie. Willi Dorner, Mad DogsDance Theatre and Cassanidance; andchoreographers including Rui Horta, DidiVeldman and Liv Lorent. He has alsoworked with Dundee Rep Theatre andNational Theatre of Scotland as an actorand movement director. Anthony has taughtat most of the major British contemporarydance institutions, to several professionaldance companies, and has taught freelanceacross Europe. He has also choreographedwork for Scottish Dance Theatre andScottish School of Contemporary Dance.In 2007 Anthony established CompanyChameleon, with Kevin Turner.Gary ClarkeSince graduating in 2001, Gary has workedand collaborated with some of the world’sleading contemporary dance companiesand choreographers, including TheCholmondeleys & The Featherstonehaughs,Adventures in Motion Pictures,balletLORENT, Retina Dance Company,Maresa Von Stockert & Tilted Productions,Phoenix Dance Theatre, Opera North,Frauke Requardt & Daniel Kramer (Sadler’sWells Productions), Javier De Frutos, NigelCharnock and Wendy Houstoun. Garyis also an award winning choreographerwhose cutting edge work has touredboth nationally and internationally. He hascreated work for Ludus Dance Company,Phoenix Dance Theatre, Homotopia,StopGAP Dance Company, NSCD andAscendance REP. Gary is currently anAssociate Artist at Yorkshire Dance.Kevin TurnerWhilst at NSCD Kevin performed and touredwith the National Youth Dance Companyand Beth Cassani. He has since performedwith Rambert Dance Company, ScottishDance Theatre, Phoenix Dance Theatre,Cassanidance, Rubberbandancegroup(Canada), Henri Oguike Dance Company,Company Decalage, Mad Dogs DanceTheatre and Roda. In 2008 Kevin wasAssociate Artist at NSCD with CompanyChameleon, which he established in 2007with Anthony Missen. He has taught inmost major British contemporary danceinstitutions, as well as in Canada, the USA,Spain, Hungary and the Caribbean.Ira SiobhanIra graduated from NSCD in 2006 with afirst class honours degree and the awardfor the Best Performer of the Year. In 2007Ira performed with NSCD’s PostgraduatePerformance Company, Verve, and wasawarded a Postgraduate Certificatein Performing Arts with Distinction. Irajoined DV8 Physical Theatre Companyin 2007, performing ‘To Be Straight withYou’ nationally and internationally, andjoined Richard Alston Dance Company inDecember 2008.Gail ParmelGail Parmel, who in 2010 was nominated asone of the Cultural Leadership Programme’s50 Women to Watch in the UK, is the ArtisticDirector of ACE dance and music (AfricanCultural Exchange), the UK’s premier Blackdance organisation. Born in Leeds in 1970,Gail graduated from NSCD in 1990. Afterworking for Kokuma Dance Company, sheand husband Ian Parmel established ACEdance and music in 1997. An internationaltouring company, ACE became an ArtsCouncil England Regularly FundedOrganisation in 2006. Gail is a resilientchampion of youth dance; the awardwinning ACE Youth, founded in 1998,is now one of the UK’s most high profileyouth companies.Kip JohnsonKip began dancing at the age of 16.Originally based in the South West ofEngland he moved to Lancaster and joinedLudus Youth Company. Kip graduatedfrom NSCD in 2009 and was awarded theNSCD performance prize. Since graduatinghe has worked with Lea Anderson of TheCholmondeleys, Funny Bones (Barebonesfor Children), Vincent Dance Theatre andLuca Silvestrini of Protein Dance Company.