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Announcing our TL Innovation Award Winners 2021

Tue 13 July 2021

The unique award sees final-year students pitch artistic and business projects to an expert panel and win professional development support and seed funding.

Launched in 2019 the Innovation Award forms part of the conservatoire’s strategy to help emerging artists develop their voice and innovate in the cultural industries, particularly important as they continue to navigate the ongoing challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier this year shortlisted applicants pitched their proposals to Nikki Tomlinson, Co-director at Independent Dance, Roger Wilson, Co-founder of Black Lives in Music and former Head of Professional Development at National Youth Jazz Orchestra, and Trinity Laban Principal Anthony Bowne in a bid to win one of six awards.

We are pleased to announce that the 2021 winners are:

  • Myra BrownbridgeBrilliant Corners
  • Laudine DardAlone, Together
  • Emily EdwardsMusical Theatre Masterclasses
  • Anna NichollsDeveloping Dance with HAC
  • Back on The Map Project (Emma Greene and Sunniva Rørvik) – The History of Dance of the African diaspora: A Festival for the young people of Deptford
  • Tough Boys Disco (Sula Castle, Roseann Dendy and Daisy Hingorani-Short) – Open Dancefloor

The diverse and innovative proposals span cultural history, boundary-pushing genre development, and the power of the arts for positive change in the community.

Anthony Bowne comments –

“The panel and I were incredibly impressed by the creativity, ambition and scope shown by applicants across dance, music and musical theatre this year.

“The Innovation Award is one of the many ways in which Trinity Laban are nurturing entrepreneurial and project management skills in early career artists and strengthening our connections with the wider industry.”

Roger Wilson comments –

“This is an important platform for Trinity Laban students to push the envelope and grow as creators.  These are tomorrow’s professionals, encouraged to create and realise their ideas with a significant level of support. The impressive scope of creative and innovative ideas assured me that we can look forward to seeing great things from Trinity Laban students.”

Funded by our Higher Education Innovation Fund allocation, each winning project receives an award of £3,000 to use on development and will benefit from a specially tailored 10-month mentorship programme delivered by acclaimed alumni:

  • Japanese inclusive dance artist, performer, choreographer and dance movement psychotherapist, Takeshi Matsumoto(Transitions 2007)
  • London-based Polish/German interdisciplinary artist, performer, creative producer, activist, and a Purple Lady Dagmara Bilon (BA 2003)
  • Independent Arts and Events Manager and co-founder of Black Artists in Dance Joyce Gyimah (BA 2002)
  • Multi-award-winning saxophonist, conductor and arranger Phil Meadows (BMus jazz sax 2012)
  • Primary School teacher Annabel Langley (BA MT 2012)
  • Experimental composer, artist and performer Caitlin Rowley (MMus composition 2013 / MFA Creative Practice 2014)

Innovation Award Co-founder Lucy Nicholson comments –

“Trinity Laban alumni have hugely successful careers across the creative arts industry and over the past two years have given awardees valuable guidance and support as mentors. We are looking forward to welcoming back six more talented alumni to share their expertise with the 2021 winners. It is important for us to continue to strengthen the connections within our creative community to support the future of the performing arts ecology.”

Since its inception, the Innovation Award has already supported twelve forward-thinking and socially engaged projects conceived by winners who have achieved remarkable things, contributing to the UK’s rich cultural landscape. These include:

  • Composer, musician and artist James Layton who founded Into the Ocean, a London-based recording and concert series showcasing experimental new music including an album of works for solo viola in collaboration with Stephen Upshaw.
  • Multicultural all-female dance collective Mass Hysteria who have created work for Tate Modern, The Place’s Resolution Festival 2020 and V&A’s Friday Late series.
  • Producing Artistic Director Hayley Huggett, who set up Tilley Peacock Productions, creating shows and workshops for children with Special Educational Needs and Disability.

Dance artist and choreographer Hannah Wallace used her 2021 award to create Groundmarks, a site-specific work supported by London Wildlife Trust exploring the experience of the moving, sensing body within a constantly evolving landscape. She comments –

“The TL Innovation Award was an incredible opportunity to receive at this early stage of my career – it gave me the freedom to take creative risks and supported me to gain valuable experience as an artist and a leader.”

Innovation Award Co-founder Joe Townsend comments –

“The award gives graduates more than just money to realise a project, the mentoring is a two-way learning relationship that provides a safe space for mentors and graduates to bring ideas into action and to help shape the bigger picture of music and dance.”

To find out more, visit our Innovation Award webpage.

If you’re interested in studying at Trinity Laban visit our study pages.