I have been working in the dance entertainment industry for 15 years across stage, tv and film as a dancer, teacher, choreographer and creative director. I run The Urban Dance School across Surrey Est 2004 and Ombrascura Dance Company. My credits include X-factor, Brit Awards, Chris Brown, One Direction, A League of their Own, Spotify, ASDA, L’Oreal, Paco Rabanne, Burberry and many more.
I am an experienced dance teacher and lecturer from primary school age up to degree level. I teach and choreograph in the styles of contemporary, ballet and jazz, and also teach dance fitness classes. Previously I taught mainly at BTEC and AL standard and currently I teach at degree level at PPA and as an outreach dance artist for both Reside Dance in Reading and for Dance Woking.
Lucy McCrudden, aka Dance Mama, is dance entrepreneur and advocate. She is Founder of dancemama.org – a community, ACE funded activity programme and platform profiling significant parents in dance and the arts. Lucy has dove-tailed her own work with holding key positions in learning and participation over the last 18 years. These include: Dance Artist in Residence for DanceXchange (2004), Manager for London Contemporary Dance School, The Place, Centre for Advanced Training (2005-11), Expert Panel member of the DFE Music and Dance Scheme representing the National Dance CATs (2007-2010), Vice-Chair of Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Arts Grants Panel (2006-2009), Learning & Participation Manager, Rambert (2014-16), Chair of the Board of Trustees Dance Woking (2014-16), Head of Learning and Participation, Rambert (2016-18), Project Manager, Chance to Dance, Royal Opera House (2019-20), Mentor & Lecturer, ISTD DDP course (2021). As an independent specialist she has taught over 19,000 people across the UK and has engaged with a wide variety of dance and arts organisations in many other capacities; consultant, management, choreography, and presenting/public speaking. She is Ambassador for the Parents in Performing Arts Campaign and Secretariat to the Scientific Advisory Board, Active Pregnancy Foundation.
Hannah is a professionally trained dancer (University of Chichester, mapdance), working freelance in performance, teaching and project management roles (BEEE Creative CIO, Emily O’Shea Company, Springs Dance Company, Dance Equation and others).
Harmony Arts is part of the growing movement of practitioners offering dance and music for emotional, psychological, and therapeutic benefits. Sarra Whicheloe, the director of Harmony Arts, is an Indian dancer and Natural Voice Practitioner. Nick Fairbrother is a musician and storyteller who works with Sarra delivering creative projects in schools and the community. We bring people together in creative dialogue through dance, music and storytelling to enrich our lives, build communities and to care for our planet.
Sarra has trained in Indian Classical Dance, Bharatanatyam in India as well as in London. Indian Classical Dance integrates stylised movement with theatre, set to a rich tapestry of melody and rhythm. There are pure dance movements as well as theatrical dance. At Harmony Arts we draw inspiration from stories, songs and poems from within our own communities and from across the world.
I am an experienced dance practitioner, working across performance and teaching. I have worked with an array of artist with various styles and means of generating movement, including Richard Alston, James Wilton and Clod Ensemble to name a few. I have consistently taught alongside my performance practice with a focus on remaining present within our moving bodies. Giving oneself permission to connect with their joy and curiosity for moving and bringing this into perceived moments of performance.
My own choreography seeks to explore these ideas further, diving into our sensation, mood, and quality of movement to reveal what we can learn about ourselves, by listening to ourselves. I have made a host of curtain raisers as a representative of companies I have danced for and had commissions that have seen my work danced by CAT (Centre for Advance Training) students, Richard Alston Dance Company performers and even students of Dancers Workshop in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
