Tell us a bit about yourself (who you/your team are, your background, training, past projects?)
My name is Alyssa Lisle, I am a freelance contemporary dance artist based in Newcastle upon Tyne and I trained on the BA (Hons) programme at Dance City. Since graduating I have worked professionally as a performer, teacher and I am now taking the first steps into creating my own work in 2021. I have worked across the North East for companies such as Company of Others, Fertile Ground and Abbott Dance Theatre, and I deliver dance in various settings across the North East. I am a passionate advocate for movement.
How would you describe your style of work?
My 3 values are ownership, joy and experience. I describe my classes as a ‘holiday in my body’ – allowing participants to indulge in my style of working. I see this as a way of dancers viewing material as a representation of me, with complete ownership of what that means to them.
Did you do any creative work during lockdown?
Working creatively got me through lockdown! I taught over Zoom for all levels, and for a group of 55+ dancers in my region. This led me to create a platform for pre-recorded contemporary dance/conditioning classes; I launched this for dancers to access classes whenever they wanted. I continued to train hard, taking part in and teaching professional classes. A day in lockdown wasn’t a day without a bedroom wiggle! I was granted with the time to develop ideas for my own work, which I am now putting into practice. I even made a music video with my dog!
Has the lockdown changed your working processes, your career/company pathway or your vision for the future?
Those who know me, know that you will often find me in Studio 2. Lockdown did not deter me from finding my corner of the world to dance – I simply relocated to my dining room! My working processes have remained very much the same, but having limited spaces allowed me to develop what makes me the dancer I am, how I move and where it comes from. This led directly to my goals shifting for 2021. Before lockdown I had never considered making my own work, and now it is something that I am so passionate about achieving this year.
When the industry starts to get back to a ‘new normal’ what would you like to see change for the better?
As a sector, we are so resilient and the moment that we couldn’t share our art in the ways we used to, we adapted. I believe that the skills that we have developed to make this happen shouldn’t be left behind when lockdown lifts; we should take the best parts of this way of working and use them to enhance our work further. Although there is nothing better than a live class, a live performance, we have adapted our craft through possibly the most extreme restrictions we have been through, and there have been some amazing moments due to this.
Digital dance has been popular during lockdown. Do you have a class/workshop/webinar/performance you can recommend to others?
Classes
Lîla Dance Zoom classes – every Tuesday at 10am
Luke Brown Dance – every Thursday 9:30am
Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures Instagram (free class/ interviews/ performance clips)
Webinars
The Coco Collective – free webinars almost weekly!
The Dancers Career Development – free webinars on a range of different topics
OneDanceUK – a ‘catch up’ webinar page, so you can access 10 courses that have already been live.
Tell us about your latest project.
At the moment I am creating a solo that encompasses my 3 values- and is purely to reflect the joy of movement! I am working with an amazing videographer FlyFilmsUK, to capture this and to hopefully release later this year. I have used my residency at Dance City to develop and explore my ideas in order to translate these onto film.
Social Media/Contact Info
Contact email – a.lisle@live.co.uk
