News

Alum Sophie Page talks to us about joining dance-circus production company Motionhouse.

This September Sophie Page, a 2016 dance graduate, joined Motionhouse as an Apprentice Dancer.

The company, founded in 1988 by alum Louise Richards in 1988 with Kevin Finnan MBE, creates world class dance-circus productions that tour extensively to rave reviews across the globe.

From full-length productions for theatre touring to flexible work for the outdoors and large-scale performance events, their sell-out productions integrate athletic physicality, powerful narrative, incredible digital imagery and emotive sound scores and takes its inspiration from common human concerns and our connection to the world in which we live. 

Sophie joins fellow alumni Rosie Macari, Bryn Aled and Beth Pattison already dancing with the company. 

We caught up with Sophie to find out what she’s been up to.

Q: Tell us a bit about your past experience

S.P.: I’ve come from living in Kent, to moving to London and then training at Trinity Laban. I work a lot in improvisation, where I felt my field of interest lay, but coming to Motionhouse I’m wanting to broaden my horizons and challenge myself.

Q: Tell us a bit about your apprenticeship with Motionhouse

S.P.: Motionhouse offers this apprenticeship through Northern School of Contemporary Dance, as a placement in order to then complete a Masters. At the end of my 10 months with Motionhouse, I will go on to do my research project over the next 3 months. Once I’ve completed that, I will have had a great year of training plus a Masters which I can help progress my career with.

Q: How long will you be staying at Motionhouse and why did you choose the company?

S.P.: I started with Motionhouse mid-September and I’m going to be here for a total of 10 months. Motionhouse is a really great opportunity to learn new skills such acrobatics and aerial, which not many places offer. There is also great educational outreach opportunities, teaching and helping in the community with Motionhouse classes that are really fulfilling to be a part of.

Q: What are you most looking forward to?

S.P.: With Motionhouse, I have such an eagerness to learn and it’s great. It’s a really open space, you can kind of pull anyone aside to help you with something. I want to physically push my body and my limits of what I can do.

Q: And once you complete your training, what do you hope to achieve?

S.P.: After this year of training with Motionhouse, I’m hoping to be as versatile as I can be – to be able to offer myself to a company – whether that be Motionhouse or not, that’s not up to me – and have the versatility to do endless things.

–

Since she started with Motionhouse in September, Sophie has been involved in the creation of a new commission and will perform a role in the finished piece from January to March 2020. She will also be part of the creation process for a soon to be announced upcoming theatre production, premiering in August 2020.

Find out more about studying dance at Trinity Laban at trinitylaban.ac.uk/study/dance

–

Image: Sophie Page on set for Motionhouse’s Captive (credit Ellie Welford)