MA / MFA Dance Leadership & Community Practice

As an academic and teacher her aim is to enable understanding through demystification of bodily and artistic processes. This is engendered by her knowledge of anatomy and physiology as well as Rudolf Laban’s praxis and supported by her creative practice. She is the author of the Essential Guide to Contemporary Dance Techniques published by Crowood in 2020. Her research encompasses choreographic practice and movement analysis; she recently presented with Lizzi Kew Ross on the material of process at the Craft and Art Symposium in London (Feb 2020). She is a specialist in Labanotation and a fellow of the International Council of Kinetography Laban. She has presented papers at conferences around Laban Praxis and contributed to Preston-Dunlop (2013) Laban Man of Theatre. Dance Books: London. Among others, she has scored Yvonne Rainer’s Trio A (with Jouke Kolff) which she has also reconstructed for educational proposes and also for the MOVE: Choreographing You exhibition at the Hayward Gallery London in 2010.

Her choreographic work includes independent solo and group works and commissions: Presenting 16 original works in Britain and internationally between 1999-2019.

Qualifications and Educational Background

Melanie Clarke is an alum of Trinity Laban graduating with a BA Honours Dance Theatre degree and a MA degree in Dance Studies focusing on Dance in Education, Dance Documentation and Reconstruction, and Choreography. After passing with Distinction Melanie joined the Trinity Laban faculty.

She is an accredited External Examiner (AdvanceHE) and has undertaken this role for Greenwich University and Suffolk University.

Next followed work with BalletBoyz and Rambert Dance Company, shifting into contemporary dance. He was particularly inspired by the work and technique of Merce Cunningham and also appeared in works by Christopher Bruce, Doug Varone, Mark Baldwin, André Gingras and Aletta Collins. He started choreographing while at Rambert. The first piece What Rainbow? was performed at Resolution (The Place). As a choreographer, his works have been commissioned by English National Ballet, Transitions Dance Company and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

He is currently an associate artist at The Print Room in London, under the Artistic Direction of Anda Winters. Works include Jealousy (2012), and the critically acclaimed Elemental Trilogy, Flow (2012) and Ignis (2013).

Her current research is a practice-based PhD at Roehampton University supported with an Arts and Humanities Research Council scholarship on the Techne Doctoral Training Partnership. She is exploring the role and place of care in the work of community dance artists. Her PhD Blog notebook can be found here.

She regularly teaches the Vietnamese Women’s Group at Woolwich Common Community Centre and has worked as a dance artist with Greenwich Dance, leading weekly outdoor family classes and dance walks, Amici Dance Theatre Company and Magpie Dance, teaching extensively in mainstream and SEND settings. 

Her 10+ years in Higher Education includes; MA/MFA Dance Leadership and Community Practice at Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music and Dance, and previous roles with Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), Imperial Society for the Teachers of Dancing and Canterbury Christchurch University. 

Lizzie has presented her work at conferences and written about inclusion and community dance for Animated and the RAD’s Focus on Education. She is trustee for Amici Dance Theatre Company. 

Stella has 20 years’ experience as a dance artist: performing nationally and internationally, teaching extensively in schools, colleges, community and health settings. She also leads professional development opportunities with teachers, dance artists, and professional dance companies.

She is Artist-in-Residence at Great Ormond Street Hospital for children, where she engages children and their families to find joy in moving. She also leads Breathe Dance at Guys & St Thomas’ hospital, and Dancing for Health at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance developed with Headway the Brain Injury association.

Stella worked with artist Lucy Evans to choreograph I grew out of that a long time ago, a duet exploring reflections from creative interventions in adults living with dementia. She has had international success with award winning dance film Porcelain (Directed by Roswitha Chesher) featuring the relationship of a married couple in their 60s.

As faculty at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Stella lectures on the soft and hard skills of teaching dance, within education, community, and inclusive practice.

Ali graduated from Trinity Laban with a BA(Hons) in Dance Theatre and later gained her MA in European Dance Theatre Practice. She has a PGCE in Dance and is an experienced practitioner in teaching, performance and creative contexts.