Company Class - João Maio

Class Description:

João’s class facilitates a pleasurable journey into movement, whilst inviting movers to deepen their connection with their individual dancing bodies in dialogue with space and gravity. We will start with finding mobility and freedom of movement through evolving floor-work sequences, progressing to standing work where we will be re-visiting and solidifying those same qualities, alongside grounding and travelling through space.

While being designed specifically to prepare and support the company dancers for rehearsal, the class invites and welcomes all movers and dancers to attend and explore their own sense of agency within set tasks and exercises.

Bio: João trained as a dancer at Balleteatro Professional School, Porto (2009-12) and at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (2012-15). He has previously danced with companies as Carlos Pons Guerra’s DeNada Dance Theatre, Rosie Kay Dance Company and Lizzie J Klotz and performed in festivals such as Homotopia, Birmingham International Dance Festival, Manchester International Festival and Internationale Tanzmesse. He has also worked as Rehearsal Director with Gracefool Collective, Akeim Toussaint Buck and Phoebe Ophelia.

After completing the MA in Dance & Creative Enterprise at NSCD (2018), João began to work as a Creative Producer both independently and for Leeds-based community development organisation, Open Source Arts. In these roles, he has supported a variety of artists and companies including Akeim Toussaint Buck, Gracefool Collective, Marianne Tuckman, Madeline Shann, Phoebe Ophelia and Linden Dance Company. He has successfully secured and managed over £615,000+ from public funders, the majority from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants.

João was also the Independent Board Member at Leeds Dance Partnership and Co-Director at ProDance Leeds, and is currently the Artist Development Producer at Yorkshire Dance.