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| Siobhan Davies Dance | |
|---|---|
| Name | Siobhan Davies Dance |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founder | Siobhan Davies |
| Location | London |
| Genre | Contemporary dance |
Siobhan Davies Dance Siobhan Davies Dance is a London-based contemporary dance company founded by choreographer Siobhan Davies in 1988, evolving from a performance ensemble into a production, research and education organisation closely linked to a purpose-built studio in South London. The company has worked with international institutions such as Royal Opera House, Barbican Centre, Sadler's Wells, Tate Modern and Southbank Centre, and collaborated with artists associated with Royal Ballet, Rambert, Siobhan Davies Dance Studio, The Place and University of Surrey.
The company emerged from the UK's post-punk and post-New Wave cultural shifts and the 1980s contemporary dance scene where practitioners like Matthew Bourne, William Forsythe, Merce Cunningham, Pina Bausch and DV8 Physical Theatre reshaped performance. Early commissions tied the group to venues including Brooklyn Academy of Music, Edinburgh Festival, Glasgow International, Aldeburgh Festival and BAFTA-adjacent programmes. Through the 1990s and 2000s the organisation transitioned from touring ensemble to a producer of site-specific works presented at Serpentine Gallery, Hayward Gallery, Royal Festival Hall and international stages such as Theatre de la Ville, BAM and Hamburg Schauspielhaus. Partnerships with funders like Arts Council England, British Council and cultural institutions such as Nesta and Wellcome Trust shaped residencies and research into choreography, movement and digital performance.
The company's aesthetic synthesises postmodern practices associated with Merce Cunningham and Trisha Brown with theatrical strategies seen in Pina Bausch and physical-theatre innovators like Lloyd Newson of DV8. Choreographic processes have engaged composers and sound designers linked to Max Richter, Brian Eno, Michael Nyman, Gavin Bryars and Philip Glass, while visual collaborators include practitioners from Tate Modern, Ragnar Kjartansson and set designers connected to Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. Davies's approach integrates improvisation techniques from Judson Dance Theater, interdisciplinary methods used at Goldsmiths, University of London and somatic practices with links to Feldenkrais-influenced teachers and practitioners from School of American Ballet-adjacent lineages.
Notable productions premiered by the company include dances presented alongside works by Robert Wilson, Laurie Anderson, William Kentridge and commissions for festivals such as Venice Biennale, Documenta and Lincoln Center. Signature projects have toured to venues like New York City Center, Paris Opera, Kampnagel, Teatro alla Scala and festivals including Jacob's Pillow and Performa. The repertoire includes stage, gallery and film collaborations with artists and institutions such as Channel 4, BBC Arts, MoMA, ICA London and Royal Academy of Arts. The company's output also reflects practice-based research with universities including Royal Holloway, University of Oxford and Goldsmiths.
Leadership transitions have seen collaborations and appointments connecting the company to figures affiliated with Catherine Love, Russell Maliphant, Akram Khan, Shobana Jeyasingh, Kim Brandstrup and administrators from Arts Council England and British Council. Dancers and associates have included artists who trained or worked with institutions like Rambert School, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Central School of Ballet, Batsheva Dance Company, Hofesh Shechter Company and Royal Ballet School. Choreographic and artistic advisory roles have intersected with practitioners from Siobhan Davies Dance Studio residencies, curators from Tate Modern, producers linked to Sadler's Wells and academic collaborators from Royal Holloway University and University of the Arts London.
The company's London studio, designed by architect Sarah Wigglesworth in collaboration with cultural funders and built on a former industrial site in South London, is noted alongside contemporary cultural projects by Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers, Norman Foster and David Adjaye for integrating sustainability, adaptive reuse and flexible performance spaces. The building functions as a rehearsal, performance and research hub comparable in profile to projects such as Tate Modern's switch-house, Serpentine Pavilion commissions and refurbishment works at Royal Festival Hall. The studio hosts exhibitions, screenings and cross-disciplinary events with partners like British Library, Victoria and Albert Museum, Design Museum and Institute of Contemporary Arts.
Educational initiatives have linked the company to outreach networks at Southbank Centre, Barbican, National Theatre, Creative Scotland and national arts-in-schools programmes, engaging participants through workshops informed by practices taught at Trinity Laban, Rambert School and Goldsmiths. Community and participatory projects have been run in partnership with institutions such as Age UK, NHS-affiliated arts programmes, Wellcome Trust research networks and international cultural exchanges with British Council residencies. Training programmes, apprenticeships and mentorships have connected to curatorial and research hubs at University College London, King's College London and Royal Holloway.
The company and its founder have received recognition from bodies like Laurence Olivier Awards, NESTA Fellowship-type honours, South Bank Show Awards, nominations for Critics' Circle National Dance Awards, and support from Arts Council England and British Council. International presentations and commissions have earned acknowledgements at festivals including Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Venice Biennale, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and institutional commendations from Tate Modern and Royal Opera House.
Category:Contemporary dance companies