Hanna Gillgren
(Co artistic director of h2dance/choreographer/performer)
Originally from Sweden Hanna trained at London Contemporary Dance School 1991-1994. As a performer she has worked with among others David Massingham, Bedlam Dance Company, Physical Recall, Istoc Kovac, Colin Poole, Artgenossen (Munich, Germany) and Cie Tandem/Michele Noiret ( Brussels, Belgium).
Her choreographic work has been performed in several venues around the
UK and internationally such as The Biennale for Arts in Turin, Italy 2000,
Monty, Antwerpen, Belgium 2003, Kanon Hallen Copenhagen, Denmark 2004,
Gavalla Theatre, Zagreb, Croatia 2003, Theatre de Caen, Caen, France 1997,
Dansens Hus, Stockholm, Sweden 2003 and Post Hof Teater in Linz, Austria
1997.
Hanna has choreographed three dance film works: “Concrete Wasp”
(2000) which won a Dance on Screen Production Award, “Love Me Not”
(2001) - an Arts Council of England Capture Commission in collaboration
with film director Thomas Gray and “GOLD” (2003) in collaboration
with director Rachel Davies (winner of IMZ Dance on Screen Award 2005).
As well as her work for h2dance, Hanna has choreographed “ID Limited”
on MAPdance, Chichester University MA Performance Group 2008, “Flock”
on Brighton and Hove Youth dance company in 2007, “Stor Stark Cowboys”
for Sweden's national contemporary dance company NorrDans 2003, and “Zygote”
for LUDUS Dance Company 2001.
Hanna was commissioned by the Place in 2005 to undertake research in collaboration
with animator Gemma Burditt, exploring choreography and projection.
In 1997 Hanna was short listed for a resident choreographer position at
Movement Research in New York by the Arts Council of Sweden and in 2001
she was short listed for a Jerwood Choreography Award.
Hanna teaches regularly, both professionals and under graduates, at The
Place, Greenwich Dance Agency, London Contemporary Dance School, Laban
and at various dance academies in Sweden.
Heidi Rustgaard
(Co artistic director of h2dance/choreographer/designer/performer)
Heidi came to London to study dance at The London Studio Centre in 1992. Since 1999, Heidi has co directed h2dance and created work as a choreographer and designer and performer of their productions. As a performer Heidi has worked for companies like Clod Ensemble, Duckie, seven sisters group, Colin Pool, Silence Crossing and Rorschach Collective.
In the summer of 2007 Heidi was resident artist for one month at Taipei Artist Village in Taiwan undertaking research with four local dancers. She has for the last years been researching and developing the installation/performance project Dirty Little Minds together with visual artist Ellie Howitt.
In October 2004 Heidi won the Shrinking Cities competition (German Federal Cultural Foundation and Archplus) in Germany with the project Cow – the udder way in collaboration with Ulrike Steven (artist/architect) Gareth Morris (architect) Susanne Thomas (choreographer) Eike Sindlinger (architect) and Paul Cotter (film maker). The work was shown at DAZ (The German Architectural Centre), Leipzig Gallery of Contemporary Arts, autumn 2005 and is currently on tour.
In 2002 Heidi created a solo performance Patience that later was reworked for the camera in collaboration with film maker Benedict Johnson.
Heidi has choreographed for students at The Circus Space, London Metropolitan University, Dartington College of Arts, London Studio Centre and Manchester Metropolitan University.
She is teaching regularly, both professionals and under graduatesin both the UK and in Scandinavia Laban, Millennium Dance 2000, Gallery 37, Gratis Daglig Trening, Independent Dance, Greenwich Dance Agency, The Place and Youth Dance England. She is currently teaching creative movement at The Circus Space.
Darren Anderson
(Performer)
Darren Anderson studied at the Queensland University of Technology and the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts. After graduating in 2004 he has worked with Jam-Bird Co Lab in multi media dance pieces Dispatch and Dispatch 2. In 2005 Darren performed with Company 44 in the Resolution! season at The Place. Darren worked with Vincent Dance Theatre on the highly acclaimed work ‘Broken Chords’ and toured the show in 2005/2006/2007. In 2006 he worked for Welsh Independent Dance on the ‘Dance Bites’ touring through out Wales, and the Chris Haring Project. Darren performed in Opera Norths ‘Dido & Aeneas/Les Noces’, which Aletta Collins choreographed and directed. Summer 2007 Darren worked with Vincent Dance Theatre on research and development for a new show to be created next year. To Die For is Darrens first collaboration with h2dance. Darren is currently working with CandoCo.
Laura Doehler
(Performer)
Born in 1981 in Weimar, Germany, Laura changed from music school to ballet school to the dance theatre of Leipzig until she eventually went to London to do her Ba(hons) Dance Theatre. Since 2004 she has been dancing for h2dance, Perform(d)ance, N.L.Sell, Jane Munro etc. She also realized various choreographies herself (Tied Feathers, Unknown) lately under the name 'Exit Map'. She has also been teaching dance with the focus on contemporary dance, dance theatre, improvisation and choreography which are her main interest.
Gareth Green
(Performer)
Gareth Green originally from Cheshire trained at London Contemporary Dance School, studying for a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honours, Postgraduate Diploma and Masters Degree in Contemporary Dance. He toured with EDge in 2004 and since leaving EDge has performed and collaborated with various artists including Adam Cooper, Rick Nodine, Vanessa Haska and MWAG. Gareth joined h2dance in 2007. He has taught extensively throughout the UK as well as Denmark, Portugal and the Basque Country - Spain. He is currently teaching for The Place Classes and Courses, the Centre for Advanced Training through London Contemporary Dance School and for EDge as community coordinator for their education work in Portugal. Gareth is one of the founding members of the dance performance group MWAG (Mother Wanted A Girl) and works as a freelance lighting designer for dance.
Nicholas Lawson
(Performer)
Nick Lawson studied
dance at London Contemporary Dance School, and went on to perform for
EDge post graduate dance company, working with choreographers such as
Siobhan Davies, Sue MacLennan, Trisha Brown and Annais Bout. Since graduating
Nick has enjoyed free lance teaching and performing, dancing for Aletta
Colins, Jen Irons and Marc Brew.
He enjoys improvisation and investigative work and he also does a variety
of teaching and education work for companies such as CandoCo. To Die
For is Nicks first project with h2dance.
DAN (Emma Dunton and Roger Nelson)
Producers
Emma Dunton and Roger Nelson formed dan in late 2008 to work together as freelance producers, consultants and project managers across the performing arts. Both Emma and Roger have a background in producing touring theatre, as well as work in the live art, festival, dance and music sectors.
Current and recent clients include Arts Council England (assessment of
new writing for theatre), Kathak dancer/choreographer Gauri Sharma Tripathi,
business planning with Cambridge-based Hoipolloi, and producing international
choral festival Various Voices for Southbank Centre.
dan began working as producers with h2dance in October 2009.
Further details about dan can be found at www.wearedan.com
Sylvia Hallett
Composer (Choir Project)
Sylvia Hallett studied music at Dartington, and then spent two years studying composition with Max Deutsch in Paris. She now works both as a composer and as an improviser, and has had pieces performed in Britain and Europe.
She has played in many international festivals since the late 1970’s,
working with several well-known and respected musicians, including Lol
Coxhill, Evan Parker, Phil Minton, and the groups Accordions Go Crazy
and British Summer Time Ends, Arc and LaXula. She also performs solo.
Sessions include playing the sarangi for the Lord of the Rings soundtrack.
Projects with dance and theatre companies include collaborations with
the dancer/choreographers Miranda Tufnell, Emilyn Claid, Jacky Lansley,
Sue McLennan, Lost Dog, From Here to Maturity, Heidi Rustgaard, Eva Karczag,
and the live art puppeteers DooCot, and the theatre group Wonderful Beast.
She has performed in and musically directed the Young Vic’s highly
accalaimed “Grimm Tales”, and The Royal Shakespeare Company’s
productions of “Comedy of Errors”, “Tales from Ovid”,
and “Canterbury Tales”.
Recent commissions for incidental music for BBC Radio Drama, include “Two
men from Delft”. Her work on Virginia Woolf’s Kew Gardens
received favorable reviews for its innovative use of voice and sound manipulation.
Sylvia has released two solo CD’s on the MASH label, which contain
songs, improvisations, and tape collage pieces derived from her compositions
for theatre and dance. Her 3rd solo release, “White Fog” on
the EMANEM label features the bowed bicycle wheel.
MOTO (Ola Eliasson and Henrik Gillgren)
Composers (To Die For and På Gränsen)
MOTO is a sound engineering/ percussionist duo that consists of percussionist
Henrik Gillgren and sound engineer/flutist Olla Eliasson. They have composed
sound scores for amongst others Swedish Television, Bo Landin, Discovery
Channel as well as making scores for both short and feature film.
MOTO has composed sound scores for h2dance on their last two productions;
To Die For, 2007 that is currently touring and På Gränsen/On
the Limit that premiered at Värmland’s Opera in Sweden autumn
2005.
Henrik studied percussion in Sweden and at Guildhall School of music and
drama and freelances playing for dance and musicals as well as opera,
cabarets and various bands such as National Anthems.
Ola
studied sound engineering and started making sound for nature and science
documentaries. He is now part of a film production company in Sweden where
he directs the sound.
Mark Whitelaw
(Dramturg)
Mark graduated from Crewe and Alsager College in 1987 with a first class
honours degree. He worked with Steve Purcell and Co on A marvel we had
(always longed for) at Riverside studios and touring. He then formed the
Glee Club Performance Company with whom he created 14 performances that
toured nationally and internationally. These include At last, the sea
(1988), Cotton Mathers Wonders of the invisible world (1995, winner of
M.E.N Theatre Award and Barclays New Stages) and Beatrice on the Frankfurt
Express (1997).
As well as his work for the Glee Club he worked with numerous other dance
and theatre companies, including Dutch Performance artist Peter Zegveld,
Mem Morrison(directing Kit, Showroom and Lilac), Ursula Martinez (co writing
and directing Family outing, Show Off and OAP), The People Show (People
Show 101 and 103, Insomniac productions (l’ascensore, if we shadows),
New Art Club, Bedlam Dance company, Ludus Dance company (directing Perfecting
Eugene and Trapped) He directed DUCKIE’S christmas show C’est
Vauxhall that won an Olivier Award and and co directed The Class Club
at Barbican in 2006. He worked with Hanna Gillgren on Stor stärk
cowboys for Norrdans and he was dramaturg on h2dance’s Butterfly
belly, Faked and Silent Movie as well as Stair works. Mark and Ursula
recently did a run of their last 3 shows at the Barbican in London.