Lewys’ class will guide participants through an assemblage of focuses and instructions such as ‘move your hands and feet towards and away from your centre’. These instructions taken on their own, may appear simple but when combined, layered on top of one another, perhaps in tension or contrast to one another, create a web of elements, forces and directions within and without the body, which often result in complex full-bodied dancing.
Lewys will then encourage ways of noticing and enjoying the ways that your dances always already intersect with the dances of the others in the room, asking participants to indulge in these crossings and coincidences to form explosive and tender improvised group dances.
Lewys Holt (they/them) is an interdisciplinary dance artist based in Leeds. They work as a dancer, choreographer and curate Roadhouse with Eleanor Sikorski.
Born in Mold in North Wales and raised in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Lewys studied dance at De Montfort University (2010-14). Their practice, while focusing on dance, spans comedy and devised theatre. They make work that centres the performer as an empowered individual, showcasing their personality and vulnerabilities. They make scorebased choreographies, which combine improvisation with subtle wit and formal experimentation that push the boundaries of disciplines to make innovative performances.
They have worked as a dancer with New Art Club, Simone Mousset, Tino Sehgal, Rosemary Lee and Christopher Owen, among others.
Independent Dance is resident at Siobhan Davies Studios. To find out more about accessibility and the amenities available within the building please see here.
If you have any questions about the accessibility of our programme and would like to discuss any specific access requirements, please feel free to reach out to us via email info@independentdance.co.uk or by phone on 0207 091 9665, to speak directly to a member of the Independent Dance team. Alternatively, you may phone the main reception at Siobhan Davies Studios on 0207 091 9650.
During class, all participants are welcome to take breaks, observe, exit and enter the space as they wish. Lounge areas are available on the first and ground floors of the building. Yoga mats, blocks, cushions and ear defenders are available for use. We also welcome you to be in contact if you would like to discuss the option of bringing your access support worker. Please speak to a member of the ID team if you require any assistance.
Prices for classes are kept very low and are subsidised by ID in order to support artists to attend. To keep admin manageable for our small team, we don’t offer refunds if you cancel or can’t attend a class, and we can’t transfer your booking to a different class/event. We hope this is understandable. If a class is cancelled or changed by ID, however, we do offer refunds/transfers to everyone who has booked.