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3 dancers perform The Imagination Museum at Ipswich Museum

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The Imagination Museum

What is The Imagination Museum?

About

From 2019 onwards, The Imagination Museum will be two things:

In May 2019 we held our first Imagination Museum consortium event at The Collection Museum in Lincoln, drawing together artists and heritage/museum practitioners to talk about ways of galvanising a movement of people interested in using dance in museums and heritage sites to engage a broad range of audiences. 

As a result of that consortium we started coming up with the following Mission Statement for The Imagination Museum, as a hub that might be able to offer support to the dance/heritage sectors. We are certain this Statement will change as we continue to learn more from our potential collaborators; these are early days for our development, so please let us know if you have any thoughts. 

Our mission: 

  • to articulate why we use dance in museums and heritage sites, providing examples of the many ways in which dance can be used to be interpret a site or collection, and in so doing to engage new and existing audiences/visitors in a memorable, dynamic way 
  • to advocate for this work, making a case for the need for/potential impact of working with dance in these contexts 
  • to advise on and contribute to developing best practice working with dance in museums/heritage contexts, therefore enabling artists/museums to provide exceptional experiences that engage broad audiences. This will include:  
  • building infrastructure to ensure the sustainability of the growing dance/heritage sector. 

Our priority for the Imagination Museum Consortium at this stage is to offer practical guidance, resources, advice, all geared towards action. In the first instance we are doing this via our imaginationmuseum.co.uk website, by sharing events, news and opportunities via social media and a growing mailing list and a series of Imagination Museum Consortium discussion events, taking place from 2019-21. 

The Imagination Museum is currently managed by Made By Katie Green, but exists to support all artists/museum practitioners working with movement and dance in heritage contexts. 

Dancer performing at the Beaney Museum, Canterbury
Made By Katie Green; The Imagination Museum at the Beaney Museum, Canterbury; Photo Pari Naderi
Made By Katie Green; Choreographing the Collection at Dulwich Picture Gallery; Photo Graham Turner

Where did The Imagination Museum begin?

The Imagination Museum began in 2013 as a promenade performance piece aiming to use movement and text to bring historical sites and artefacts to life in a new way.  

Since then, dance company Made By Katie Green has adapted the work to 31 museums and heritage sites across the UK, where it has been seen by over 6000 people. It has changed and expanded as it has moved around the country, integrating new elements from the different collections we have encountered and responding to the many different people we have met.

Meet the team
Katie Green, Artistic Director

Katie Green

Artistic Director

Katie is a director, choreographer, teacher/mentor specialising in creating site-adaptive work responding to unusual performance spaces such as museums and heritage sites, which tells the story of the human experience through time.

After reading English at Cambridge University, she graduated from London Contemporary Dance School in 2006 and formed her dance company Made By Katie Green in the same year. Since 2013, Katie has focused her practice on working with dance and heritage, primarily through development of The Imagination Museum model and more recently through the Dancing in Caves project. She has created new work for the British Museum, Ipswich Museum, worked on the Surrey Arts commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta, created a promenade work for the bicentenary of Dulwich Picture Gallery with curator Helen Hillyard in 2017 and was commissioned by Delight to create a new promenade work for libraries in 2019, which premiered at Guildford Library in April 2019. Her current Imagination Museum: Mayflower 400 project will bring a new version of the Imagination Museum piece to at least 20 museums, heritage sites, schools and community centres between 2018 and 2020 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower from Plymouth to America in 1620.

Picture of dancer Sarah Blanc

Sarah Blanc

Core Cast, The Imagination Museum

Sarah is a performer and choreographer based in London. She is Artistic Director of Moxie Brawl, a fresh all female dance theatre company. When she is not shaking or movement making, you will find her presenting on Inside Dance TV (of which she is a co-founder) and Art streaming TV. She is a Candoco Artist and is passionate about teaching. She is currently working with The People Pile, The Oasis Social Club and touring her first solo show It Started With Jason Donovan. She is excited to be continuing her work with the Imagination Museum team

Picture of Megan Griffiths

Megan Griffiths

Core Cast, The Imagination Museum

Megan graduated from London Contemporary Dance School in 2010. Since then she has performed and taught across the UK and Europe. She has performed with Ffin Dance - where she was also rehearsal director, James Cousins Company, Pell Ensemble, Amir Hosseinpour and Jonathan Lunn. 

Most recently Megan has been performing in David Poutney’s William Tell staged originally for Welsh National Opera with choreography by Amir Hosseinpour. Megan was also Dance Captain and Rehearsal Director for this production which led to her working on the restaging of the opera at Teatr Wielki in Warsaw and Grand Theatre de Geneve in Geneva. She has also worked for the BBC television series Taboo where she was a featured dancer with choreography by Scarlett Mackmin. Megan is currently performing with Made by Katie Green in The Imagination Museum and Beneath Our Feet, a promenade work for caves and underground spaces.  

Megan regularly teaches throughout London. She works at The Place on their Recreational Programme and the evening school, as an animateur for Essential Alston and as a guest lecturer on the BA Hons course at London Contemporary Dance School. Megan has also taught technique and creative sessions for the CAT schemes based at The Place and DanceEast, for James Cousins Company, Central Ballet Associates and Ffin Dance.

Picture of Lucy Starkey

Lucy Starkey

Core Cast - The Imagination Museum

Lucy’s love for movement and invention sees her dance across the globe. She performs, teaches, and makes dance in a variety of contexts; from the stage to outdoors, in opera, video, festivals and non-traditional sites.  

Her freelance performance career includes Casson & Friends, Cie. Leg, Moxie Brawl, Christopher Williams, MakeAmplify, and Rosemary Lee. Lucy is a core collaborator with About Time Dance Company, and an Occupied Associate Artist at Ludus Dance; she regularly delivers workshops, company classes, and is a guest tutor at UCLan. Lucy is currently developing her project, Into Our Skies.  

A BA(Hons) graduate of London Contemporary Dance School (2009) Lucy was a member of NSCD’s Verve in 2010.  

Lucy delights in dancing with Made by Katie Green, with whom she has collaborated since 2013.

Picture of composer Max Perryment

Max Perryment

Composer - The Imagination Museum: Mayflower 400

Max is a London, UK based Composer and Sound Designer. He has written music for theatre, dance and film.

Max is resident composer for the contemporary dance company Made By Katie Green and is a member of the physical theatre company Parrot {in the} Tank. He writes original scores for the comedy duo Goodbear.

He is a founding member of the band Escapists who have played Reading and Leeds Festival as well as supporting Manic Street Preachers and Imagine Dragons on their UK tours.

Max is represented by The Agency: Nick Quinn and Maeve Bolgar.

Picture of Anna Selby

Anna Selby

Writer - The Imagination Museum: Mayflower 400

Anna Selby is a poet and naturalist. Her poetry often explores our connection with water and the natural world. She  works collaboratively with dancers and choreographers, writes poetic-studies of different species in the field, directly from life, often underwater, and aims for these poems to share a sense of compassion and attentiveness to the environment.

She is inspired and influenced by: writers Rachel Carson, Richard Jefferies, the Romantics and Transcendentalists; painters Emily Carr, Casper David Friedrich; the creative practices of plein air and impressionist artists; eastern European poetry, and in her reading returns often to poets such as Nikola Madzirov, Anna Swir, Katie Ford and Alice Oswald.

Photo by Katie Musgrave

Picture of Emma Bouch

Emma Bouch

Dance Engagement Practitioner - Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire

Emma Bouch completed her professional training in contemporary dance in 2013 at the University of Lincoln where she gained her BA Honours Degree in Dance. In 2014 she went on to complete her Masters in Dance Performance and Choreography at the University of Bedfordshire. Emma has worked on a number of freelance projects as a choreographer, educator and performer since graduating such as The Dance We Made with Casson and Friends. Emma was also part of the 2017/18 Overture Cohort Programme with New Adventures & Re:Bourne. Emma currently works for artsNK, based in Lincolnshire as a dance development artist. At artsNK Emma delivers and develops various dance projects and programmes across the county to a wide range of ages and abilities within the community. This ranges from running artsNK’s youth dance programme to being the lead artist of artsNK’s dance and disabilities programme. Emma is very passionate about community dance and champions the artistic abilities of all.

Picture of Amy O'Sullivan

Amy O'Sullivan

Dance Engagement Practitioner - Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire

Amy is a community dance artist based in Lincoln. After graduating from her BA (Hons) Degree in Dance and Masters in Choreography from the University of Lincoln, Amy has choreographed and performed for many national and local dance and theatre companies, including for outdoor, platform and festival performances. She has worked across Lincolnshire in the community arts sector and now delivers workshops across the county in a variety of styles and disciplines.

Picture of Alice Shepperson

Alice Shepperson

Dance Engagement Practitioner - Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire

Alice is a freelance dance artist and trained at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, graduating in 2015 with a First Class Honours Degree. She then continued her training within JV2 (2015-16) working with Jasmin Vardimon, Vinicius Salles and AΦE.

Currently, she is touring ‘The Chit Chat Chalk Show’ by Hawk Dance Theatre and The Knotted Project, and is an understudy for Chhaya Collective’s work -‘KHAOS’. She has worked on projects with artists: Tim Casson (Casson and Friends), Barnaby Booth, Ian Dolan (Dirtmarket), Tino Sehgal and Lina Lapelyte.

Alice enjoys teaching; and has previously taught professional class at Nottingham and Leicester. Over the span of her dance career so far, she has led many different workshops and classes for young people, around the UK.

Alice is really looking forward to delving into the Dance Engagement Practitioner role for Katie Green’s Imagination Museum: Mayflower 400 project!

Picture of Sophie Douglas

Sophie Douglas

Dance Engagement Practitioner - Hampshire

Sophie is passionate about providing opportunities for positive experiences in dance. Her interest in dance in education and the community has remained at the core of her practice throughout her roles as a dancer, dance teacher and dance projects manager. Currently based in Southampton, Sophie works across several units on the BA Dance programme at the Arts University Bournemouth and works with the university's Widening Participation team in engaging young people in participatory dance activity. Sophie is also artistic lead for Pavilion Dance South West's youth dance company 'Coast' and is thrilled, across her combined roles, to be contributing to the career development of creative young artists in the South West. Sophie looks forward to working in Hampshire and contributing to the forthcoming Imagination Museum: Mayflower 400 project.

Picture of Natalie Watson

Natalie Watson

Dance Engagement Practitioner - Hampshire

Natalie is a professional contemporary dancer and dance teacher. She has performed at professional dance platforms such as Resolution, Emerge Festival and Greenwich Dance Festival. She has also toured nationally and internationally with companies such as MCDC and Nexus Dance Theatre.

Natalie has also taught in a wide variety of educational and community settings, such as The Point and at Wessex Dance Academy.

Picture of Kaitlyn Howlett

Kaitlyn Howlett

Dance Engagement Practitioner - Plymouth

Kaitlyn is originally from Weston–Super–Mare, North Somerset and is now a Dance and Taiko Artist based in Plymouth, Devon. After Completing a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Performing arts from Weston College Kaitlyn progressed to The University of Plymouth graduating with a First Class BA Honors Degree in Dance Theatre (2017). Kaitlyn's practice in dance lies within celebrating and discovering unique ways of moving, and finding the edges of movement with a high focus on remaining fluid. As an inclusive practitioner Kaitlyn finds joy in celebrating one’s own unique movement style, always searching to find a place where differences can meet and exceed to their highest potential.

"I am really excited to be be joining the Imagination Museum Mayflower 400 Project as a Dance Engagement Practitioner and Producer from Plymouth. I'm excited to be working in an area of dance that I feel is very useful and to help give more information for people through a creative pathway!"

Photo by Andrew Clarke

Picture of Kane John Mills

Kane John Mills

Dance Engagement Practitioner - Plymouth

Plymouth-based Kane John Mills is a dance, theatre and installation artist, facilitator, writer and a choreographer who graduated from Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) with a BPA (Hons) Degree in July 2017.

Kane thoroughly enjoys ‘switching hats’ for the various roles he excitedly finds himself in and especially has a real love for working as a dance practitioner: he facilitates challenging yet accessible sessions for people from all walks of life. He believes the arts are for everyone and is a passionate advocate for inclusivity.

Kane is extremely grateful for this amazing opportunity and he absolutely cannot wait to start working on this project.

Picture of Maggy Watkins

Maggy Watkins

Local Producer - Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire

Maggy Watkins is Business Manager and a tour guide for Pilgrims and Prophets, which is a social enterprise with the aim of increasing knowledge of how Christians from Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire have shaped the world: “we hope to build local pride in our community and to build links across the world”. 

Maggy has lectured in adult teacher training, health and safety and children’s play at Further Education Colleges. She has also been a Manager of a local training company and has a life-long interest in history. She attends All Saints Church in Babworth and lives with her husband Chris and dachshund in Retford.

Picture of June Gamble

June Gamble / Plymouth Dance

Local Producer - Plymouth

The Plymouth Dance team are pleased to be the local Producer for The Imagination Museum: Mayflower 400 project, working alongside The Box and Katie Green to bring the programme to life. 

Plymouth Dance is a project delivery organisation that designs, develops and delivers citywide dance partnership projects that use dance as a vehicle for change. Plymouth Dance was set up in 2007 and since then has produced a range of national and citywide partnership projects, including Plymouth Dance Explosion, Big Dance, U.Dance 2015 and Tea Dances with a Twist!

Picture of Producer Claire Morton

Claire Morton

Company Producer - The Imagination Museum: Mayflower 400 project

Claire has over 14 years of extensive experience and knowledge of working across performing art-forms and the cultural sector. Between 2015-2018, Claire worked independently for a range of projects, from independent artists to international touring companies (including Ballet Black, Stuff and Nonsense Theatre Company, Made by Katie Green and many more), fundraising just under £500k to support the delivery of work and new artistic programmes. Prior to this, she co-directed Morton Bates Arts Services, helping to raise over £1.3m through Arts Council England, securing over 750 performance bookings and delivering 100 projects across the portfolio between 2008-2014. Claire holds a BA in Dance & Culture with Professional Training (University of Surrey), a Masters Degree in Arts Management (City University, London; Arts Humanities Research Council Award recipient) and is a fellow of the Clore Leadership Programme (short course). Claire is currently Executive Producer of Vamos Theatre, a Worcester based NPO, and continues to work as Company Producer for Made by Katie Green on a freelance basis.

Picture of Ceri Brierley

Ceri Brierley

Marketing and Audience Development Consultant

Ceri is an Independent Producer who specialises in audience development and dance. Her current portfolio includes Anjali Dance Company, ATMA Dance, Made by Katie Green, Stuff & Nonsense Theatre Company and Theatre Company Blah Blah Blah. Ceri sits on the board of NEW Dance, the dance development organisation for North East Wales, and is an Artistic and Quality Assessor for Arts Council England.

Before becoming a freelancer in 2014 Ceri worked in senior programming and marketing roles at Northern School of Contemporary Dance/The Riley Theatre, Phoenix Dance Theatre, South East Dance and Wayne McGregor’s Random Dance.

Ceri is based in Leeds and holds a first class honours degree in Dance and Culture from the University of Surrey. She works with a variety of artists and aesthetics, with the commonality being her passion for increasing and diversifying arts audiences by improving access to high quality experiences.

Picture of Evaluator Elsa Urmston

Elsa Urmston

Evaluator

Elsa is a UK-based dance specialist, living in Ipswich. With expertise in dance science, education and community practice, she works most often as a consultant researcher to explore the impact of dance participation on various sociocultural and health-based outcomes. As well as being the external evaluator for The Imagination Museum: Mayflower 400, Elsa continues to work with Dance Umbrella to measure the impact of a Paul Hamlyn Foundation-funded dance participation project on behaviour change amongst young dance participants and audiences in the Croydon area. With BEEE-Creative and funded through DCMS, Elsa is exploring how dance participation can tackle young people’s and older adults’ perceptions of loneliness through a focus on dance, music, people and place in Hertfordshire. She continues to work closely with Dance Network Association in Essex, exploring how dance participation amongst babies, children and their caregivers who wouldn’t normally have access to dance, can support socialisation, connection and relationship development in readiness for school. Elsa works with Stuart Waters on the education work associated with his dance theatre show, Rockbottom, working with schools, universities and companies to prioritise the importance of safeguarding mental and emotional wellbeing in creative contexts and equipping performers with mental skills to ensure their resilience and longevity in the sector. In 2018, Elsa led research for East London Dance on their large-scale site-specific piece at the Tower of London titled East Wall directed by Hofesh Shechter.  She also wrote East London Dance’s recent 30 Year Impact Report. As a researcher at the University of Bedfordshire, Elsa’s work with Stopgap Dance Company examined the values, attitudes and behaviours of dance artists working in inclusive dance education contexts due for publication shortly.