Mark Edward

Mark Edward & Company Dance Thatre are nationally renowned for creating work that has a very distinct personal and choreographic signature. The companies dance theatre work has a specific quirky language that combines dark humour, irony and parody. His choreographic ‘style’ fuses a range of art forms together in order to allow for a varied performance aesthetic. Mark Edward is known for his hilarious ‘playfulness’ and his wicked sense of humour which transfers into his choreography. This has ranged from 7ft rabbits invading the performance space; handbags falling from ‘grace’; huge trampolines; dancing nuns; drag artists as 1950’s usherettes; electronic scooters en mass; fire works; bingo callers; original 90 year old Vaudeville performers; 2ft stiletto heal shoes; grand pianos with their own ‘personality’ and a dance language that reaps a fresh insight. He has created a series of works for a broad base of dance companies; community groups; showcase arenas and commissioned educational environments as ‘artist in residence’. Each choreographic work Mark creates his visually rich and defies a specific ‘category’.

“Edward’s ability to question modern dance conventions through volatile, engaging tactics is both commendable and riveting.

It is not possible to watch Edward’s work without reflecting on modern dance culture which he so excellently parodies”.
Professor Christy Adair, 2008, Dance Writer.

Mark Edward & Company/Facebook

www.markedward.co.uk

“Edward’s ability to question modern dance conventions through volatile, engaging tactics is both commendable and riveting.

It is not possible to watch Edward’s work without reflecting on modern dance culture which he so excellently parodies”.
Dr Christy Adair, 2008, Dance Writer.

Mark is nationally renowned for creating work that has a very distinct personal and choreographic signature. His dance theatre work has a specific quirky language that combines dark humour, irony and parody. His choreographic ‘style’ fuses a range of art forms together in order to allow for a varied performance aesthetic. Mark is known for his hilarious ‘playfulness’ and his wicked sense of humour which transfers into his choreography. This has ranged from 7ft rabbits invading the performance space; handbags falling from ‘grace’; huge trampolines; dancing nuns; drag artists as 1950’s usherettes; electronic scooters en mass; fire works; bingo callers; original 90 year old Vaudeville performers; 2ft stiletto heal shoes; grand pianos with their own ‘personality’ and a dance language that reaps a fresh insight. He has created a series of works for a broad base of dance companies; community groups; showcase arenas and commissioned educational environments as ‘artist in residence’. Each choreographic work Mark creates his visually rich and defies a specific ‘category’.
Mark is a performer, choreographer and contemporary practitioner. His interests focus on gender performative, socio-political self in performance, performing identities, queer theory, embodiment, flesh as the site for representation/presentation and the aesthetics of no ordinary bodies. His specialist areas are Tanz Theater, Choreography, directing, writing for performance and European contemporary dance techniques.

He has worked for and collaborated with Rambert Dance Company UK, Senza-Tempo Dance Theatre Company Barcelona, Julie Tolentino (Madonna’s collaborator), Paul Johnson Dublin, Katherine Dowsen, Gorgeous & Co which was presented live on BBC Radio 4, MTV (Lucid), Mista DJ MK, Ezimotion (Dublin), Dance Resource Limited (DARE), ex lead solist with the Birmingham Royal Ballet Paul Bayes (Bayes Ballet) Julia Griffin, Mambo and Dylon Clothing, Johnson Edu (National Theatre of Ghana), Susan Puisanlok (on her DIY Ballroom) as well as a range of other high profiling practitioners and organisations. In 2003/4 Mark was invited to work alongside the renowned performance artist and cultural icon Penny Arcade (former Andy Warhol film collaborator). Mark has given a range of public interviews including the BBC and featured on the front cover of the National Campaign for the Arts (NCA) winter 2007/08 issue 79, Live Art Magazine and featured in GT Magazine August 2001.

Mark has been artist in residence at Cheshire Dance and MANCAT whilst working on his choreographic piece The Fall of the House of Arden which showcased in 2000. He was one of five artists to be invited to work on The Tales of Power project in collaboration with artists from Ibadan, Nigeria and the Whitworth Art Gallery.

Mark has received funding for his work from Arts Council England; North West Arts Board; Dance North West’s Pivot Commission; European Regional Development Funds (ERDF); Jump Start funds from the Creative Industries; Research and Development funding from Edge-Hill University Knowledge Transfer Committee; Funding from the Faculty of Arts and Science (EHU) and various private funding.

His choreographies have been chosen for a range of showcases including the prestigious British Dance Edition 2008; LEAP 2007; Charge DanceFest 2007; After-Leap 2007; Marks of Time international Dance Conference 2007; Arts Forum 2007; Arts forum 2008; Dance Cuts 2006; Common Wealth Film Festival; Young Blood Series; The Arts Factory London; the Music Hall Shrewsbury; Unity Theatre Liverpool; New Moves 1999; Lilac Ball Mardi Grass; Whitworth Art Gallery; Lycées Festival in Angers France and a range of other platforms, showcases and tours.

Mark has recently created a new piece ‘Why Can’t Martha Graham Just F*** Off ‘n’ Die?!’ which was premiered at AfterLeap, LIPA in March 2007 and shall be touring at a later date alongside Falling Apart at the Seams. Other projects include Council House Movie Star (featuring Gale Force) which aims to challenge perceptions on class systems, social pleasantries and shatter the illusions and dreams of ideologies around social performatives and Recovery clinic for the Tormented Stars, again challenging perceptions on social perfomatives and cultural embodiment.

Other works choreographed by Mark Edward include I’m so inbred I’m my own Daddy; Recovery Clinic for the Tormented Stars; Gettin’ Nowhere Fast!; The Lying Bitch and the Wardrobe; Flat 6; Stiletto Ghetto, Princess and the Mars Bar; Ouwch!; Fusion of Forms; Fist ‘n’ Mouth; and other various projects.

Mark holds a BA (Hons) in Creative Arts, a Post-Graduate Certificate in HE and is also an accredited member of the Higher Education Academy. In 2002 Mark was the first person to be awarded an MA in Dance Studies from LJMU.
In 2007 Mark was awarded a bursary from the Leverhulme Trust to assist in his professional development and in 2008 Mark was awarded the Teaching Fellowship from EHU in recognition of his choreographic works and innovative approaches to dance pedagogy.

In 2006 and 2007 Mark was the invited expert reader for Palgrave McMillan Press on the book proposal Community Dance by Diane Amans. The book was published in 2008.

Mark is currently collaborating with Dr Linda Ludwin on a book around the notion of performativity and gender.

Mark has an interest in the movement forms Free Running, Capoeira, Krumping, locking and ‘threading’ work.