None of the work I have ever made has ever been straight up breaking. Whe ever I have worked with hip hop dance vocabulary i have always looked to present it in a different way. This is because I’m not interested in bboy moves, for example, being the eye candy in a show. Currently, I aim to create work that has some backbone, that resonates with members of the audience and demonstrates power and skill in a subtle manner. BBoying has given me a path into the dance world but through my recent productions I’ve tried to show myself in a different light and as a more versatile performer. I don’t want to be pigeon holed and I hope whatever I produce will keep evolving.

My first moment of inspiration for Watch iT! was seeing how the TV directly affect the movements of the people watching it. From there I thought of other instances where you might find TV-specific movement and the work grew from there. So straight away i had movement ideas. Some avenues I was exploring needed other mediums of expression however. By including animation, text and film I was able to create a different world on stage. Dance allows you to explore such themes because it invites collaboration between other mediums. However, in this situation whatever dance is present really needs to be relevant and not lost amongst the other aspects. It is an expressive art form and as long as you are staying true to your ideas and not embellishing it (too much) then, i feel, you can pretty much explore whatever you want.

For the room 2 manoeuvre tour the audiences have been mixed. From the riotous Dance Live crowd in Aberdeen to the quietly indifferent theatre goers of Shetland. The two pieces are quite different. Such a Bloke is a much more subtle and abstract piece where as Watch iT! has been described as a multi-media dance odyssey. People have tended to like one more than the other, but overall the programme has received a very positive response.

Once the tour and BC are over i’ll be going underground, getting off the grid and unplugging myself. Once i’ve detoxed i’ll be planning a small education and performance tour with my crew, Random Aspekts in Jan/Feb 2011. I will also be creating a new piece with Jennifer Paterson choreographed by Natascha Gilmore in Feb/Mar 2011. Myself and Matt Foster (Random Aspekts/David Hughes Dance) are also programming the Breakin’ Rules event which will take place at the Dundee Rep on Jan 14/15th 2011.

In terms of influences, I like the aesthetic of companies like DV8, Jasmin Vardimon and Frantic Assembly. They always seem to put together an intelligent mix of dance, theatre and design. I had a short spell working with Derevo and being exposed to their working methods has definitely impacted on my own. I have also been getting involved more with contact improvisation and learning about improvisation techniques. Doing more contact has changed how i dance, both in the clubs and the studio, and has provided me with new qualities to explore when making material.