Photo credit: Fatima Sastre
Artistic Director & Choreographer
British dancer and choreographer Anna, trained at the Rambert School. Anna was a company dancer for Tavaziva Dance for 10 years. Appointed additional roles within the company such as Rehearsal Assistant, Project Leader/Project Manager/Choreographer for Tavaziva Male & Female youth programme & ZIVA Youth Dance. As well as working with Taira Foo Dance Company, Shobana Jeyasingh, 'Whoweare' Academy Films, Phoenix Dance Theatre (CC Lab), Film Oxford, Thea Barnes, Harriet Macauley, Motionhouse (World Premiere UK tour), Neville Campbell and more.
Alongside her career as a dancer, she formed her own company, Watkins Dance Company in 2011, receiving funding from Arts Council England for various projects and collaborations. Her work has been toured across the UK and Internationally.
Anna has been commissioned by several organisations and dance companies for her choreographic work for prestige youth & training dancers such as: Phoenix Dance Theatre, Tavaziva Dance, English National Ballet (including creating on ENBYouthCo based on Akram Khan Giselle), Balletboyz, Rambert School, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Dance City, SYDCo, Third Row Dance Company, New College Swindon, Suffolk Youth Company, CAT Scheme all over the UK, Rambert Dance Youth Company (Quicksilver), international students (Italy) and youth dance companies all over the UK. Anna has led various professional classes around the UK including at The Place London and for companies Rambert Dance Company, ŻfinMalta National Dance Company of Malta, National Dance Company Wales and Tavaziva Dance.
In 2017 - 2018 she was awarded Associate Artist at Swindon Dance. Awarded Arts Council England funding for Spring 2018 Tour including new short dance film in collaboration with Film Oxford. In 2018 Anna was selected as one of the four choreographers for the Cohan Collective, mentoring residency with Sir Robert Cohan, and continued with Cohan Collective for the Development stage in August 2019 at Pavilion Dance South West.
In 2019, Anna was commissioned by Swindon Dance to create and perform in a new duet REPEL, for Swindon Spring Festival of Literature and the Arts. The duet went international (ITALY) as part of DAP Festival 2019 International Dance and Visual Arts Festival, performed at Rambert (LONDON) for The Playground two year anniversary special and Virtual International Performance Festival INDIA (VIPFI) 2020 upon invitation, representing the UK amongst 7 other countries including: India, Russia, Indonesia, Uganda, New York, Belgium and Australia.
Anna was also commissioned by Film Oxford to create a new short dance film for project FLUX bringing three artists together - dance, film and music. MORTELLE, the new short dance film and performance filming of new duet REPEL, were screened at various film festivals in summer 2019. Screenings included: Modern Art Oxford | Dancin' Oxford, Leeds Festival 2019 and Reading Festival 2019. In 2020 MORTELLE was nominated for an award in the Genre Awards category for Best Musical or Experimental Film, Oxford International Short Film Festival 2020.
In 2020, Anna was commissioned by Film Oxford | Shadowlight Artists, as choreographer and movement director working with disabled artist Danny Smith for his new short dance film. Danny won the Kat Award for Best Dance Video at the Together! 2020 Disability Film Festival.
Short dance film IDENTITY created in lockdown, was selected for FLUX Online Festival 2020 (Film Oxford) in collaboration with composer + singer-songwriter Zosia Jagodzinska.
Anna has been a regular guest teacher and mentor since 2016 at Swindon Dance for the Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) programme. In February 2020 she was appointed Programme Coordinator for the Swindon Contemporary Programme.
In 2021, Anna’s lockdown dance film IDENTITY was selected for Demetera International Film Festival, Paris.
Anna was nominated for an award in March 2021 ‘WOMEN IN DANCE AWARD'. This award has been set up by AWA DANCE charity for the first time this year to celebrate a women for her outstanding achievement as a leader in the UK dance sector in 2020.
In 2021, Anna was appointed as Rehearsal Director for Rubicon Dance Company from September 2021 - August 2022 working on the development process of the new dance company, as well as one of the three choreographers commissioned to create a new work '24HR' for their Triple Bill.
Anna was commissioned as Movement Director for Soul City Arts production 'Waswasa' performed at Birmingham Hippodrome in August & September 2022.
Anna was awarded DYCP Arts Council England funding for her 2023 development project for artists Over 30.
Alongside her career as a dancer, she formed her own company, Watkins Dance Company in 2011, receiving funding from Arts Council England for various projects and collaborations. Her work has been toured across the UK and Internationally.
Anna has been commissioned by several organisations and dance companies for her choreographic work for prestige youth & training dancers such as: Phoenix Dance Theatre, Tavaziva Dance, English National Ballet (including creating on ENBYouthCo based on Akram Khan Giselle), Balletboyz, Rambert School, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Dance City, SYDCo, Third Row Dance Company, New College Swindon, Suffolk Youth Company, CAT Scheme all over the UK, Rambert Dance Youth Company (Quicksilver), international students (Italy) and youth dance companies all over the UK. Anna has led various professional classes around the UK including at The Place London and for companies Rambert Dance Company, ŻfinMalta National Dance Company of Malta, National Dance Company Wales and Tavaziva Dance.
In 2017 - 2018 she was awarded Associate Artist at Swindon Dance. Awarded Arts Council England funding for Spring 2018 Tour including new short dance film in collaboration with Film Oxford. In 2018 Anna was selected as one of the four choreographers for the Cohan Collective, mentoring residency with Sir Robert Cohan, and continued with Cohan Collective for the Development stage in August 2019 at Pavilion Dance South West.
In 2019, Anna was commissioned by Swindon Dance to create and perform in a new duet REPEL, for Swindon Spring Festival of Literature and the Arts. The duet went international (ITALY) as part of DAP Festival 2019 International Dance and Visual Arts Festival, performed at Rambert (LONDON) for The Playground two year anniversary special and Virtual International Performance Festival INDIA (VIPFI) 2020 upon invitation, representing the UK amongst 7 other countries including: India, Russia, Indonesia, Uganda, New York, Belgium and Australia.
Anna was also commissioned by Film Oxford to create a new short dance film for project FLUX bringing three artists together - dance, film and music. MORTELLE, the new short dance film and performance filming of new duet REPEL, were screened at various film festivals in summer 2019. Screenings included: Modern Art Oxford | Dancin' Oxford, Leeds Festival 2019 and Reading Festival 2019. In 2020 MORTELLE was nominated for an award in the Genre Awards category for Best Musical or Experimental Film, Oxford International Short Film Festival 2020.
In 2020, Anna was commissioned by Film Oxford | Shadowlight Artists, as choreographer and movement director working with disabled artist Danny Smith for his new short dance film. Danny won the Kat Award for Best Dance Video at the Together! 2020 Disability Film Festival.
Short dance film IDENTITY created in lockdown, was selected for FLUX Online Festival 2020 (Film Oxford) in collaboration with composer + singer-songwriter Zosia Jagodzinska.
Anna has been a regular guest teacher and mentor since 2016 at Swindon Dance for the Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) programme. In February 2020 she was appointed Programme Coordinator for the Swindon Contemporary Programme.
In 2021, Anna’s lockdown dance film IDENTITY was selected for Demetera International Film Festival, Paris.
Anna was nominated for an award in March 2021 ‘WOMEN IN DANCE AWARD'. This award has been set up by AWA DANCE charity for the first time this year to celebrate a women for her outstanding achievement as a leader in the UK dance sector in 2020.
In 2021, Anna was appointed as Rehearsal Director for Rubicon Dance Company from September 2021 - August 2022 working on the development process of the new dance company, as well as one of the three choreographers commissioned to create a new work '24HR' for their Triple Bill.
Anna was commissioned as Movement Director for Soul City Arts production 'Waswasa' performed at Birmingham Hippodrome in August & September 2022.
Anna was awarded DYCP Arts Council England funding for her 2023 development project for artists Over 30.
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Photo credit: Deborah Jaffe Photo credit: Sian Trenberth
