My Gurus

Janet Smith
In Janet’s classes I felt on such a high it was enough to propel me into 20 years of passion for contemporary dance: moving with integrity to your own body, with musicality, freedom and precision, and discovering your interpretation as a starting point for dancing a role. With her endless curiosity and joy, Janet continues to motivate and encourage generations of dancers whilst leading Scottish Dance Theatre, and is a breath of warmth and lightness in what can at times be a competitive and insular industry. 

Nadia Stern
I first met Nadia (now Chief Executive of Rambert Dance) in her role as Theatre Administrator at Sadler’s Wells. Nadia’s passion for the organisation was contagious as was her incredible knowledge about Sadler’s Wells’ refurbishment and its creative embedding of access for all. Even more striking was the good atmosphere and ‘health’ of the organisation, something I appreciate more the more organisations I work for. It seemed everyone, from stage door staff to senior management, understood and loved their small bit as well as the big whole. The humour, clarity, discipline and compassion that Nadia contributed to this, as well as her fierce commitment to perfection and attention to detail, are still an example for me.

Alistair Spalding
The Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Sadler’s Wells probably needs little introduction. Suffice to say that by working with Alistair, the most thrilling world of international dance programming opened up and his advice, as well his trust, built my enthusiasm and confidence. The success of Sadler’s Wells over the past ten years has had an unprecedented impact on dance internationally, both for artists and audiences. Fierce dedication, long hours, passion, intuition, astute judgement, understanding artists and audiences and employing the right people are some of the many things that make up this success.
Kiki Gale
I am a long-standing admirer of the developments at East London Dance (ELD) under the artistic and strategic direction of Kiki Gale. She has immense tenacity and persistence as well as integrity and generosity. ELD’s local partnership working has been groundbreaking. It has been successful in developing dance from roots in the local community to the very best in professional practice, nurturing a new generation of dance makers and making a tangible and exiting contribution to the dance in the UK.

Eckhart Thiemann
Eckhart Thiemann, formerly director of Woking Dance Festival and now contributing to the dance sector in myriad ways, is an exceptional dance promoter and artist manager. He has a unique nose for dance, unbridled passion and a piercing, curious mind that makes him indispensible in any current debate that affects our sector. He is selfless in sharing his expertise with others and I continue to find immense encouragement and inspiration in our conversations.