Pro classes with Lewys Holt

Lewys Holt is an interdisciplinary dance artist based in Leeds. They work as a dancer, choreographer and curates 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 score based 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.

Lewys’ classes 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.