From Trinity Laban CAT student to a national tour: How May Wolffe found her place in contemporary dance

From her first dance class at the age of eight, May Wolffe was hooked. She took ballet and contemporary classes throughout her childhood, and in her early teens joined several dance companies including the Trinity Laban Youth Dance Company. At 16, she joined the Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) at Trinity Laban, training there for two years alongside studying for her A-Levels. May then went on to study full-time at Trinity Laban, completing her BA (Hons) in Contemporary Dance in 2025. During this time, she performed in work by Merce Cunningham (restaged by Daniel Squire), Alleyne Dance, and Zoi Dimitriou. While at Trinity Laban, she also completed a placement with National Dance Company Wales.

Throughout her studies May developed and maintained an interest in choreography and staged multiple pieces of her own work as part of choreography showcases. Following her graduation from Trinity Laban, May took part in JVI, Jasmin Vardimon Company’s summer intensive programme, before auditioning for JV2. As part of the JV2 programme she worked with Jasmin Vardimon, Joe Garbett, and MCDC, finishing the the programme with a national tour. We spoke to May about how Trinity Laban and the CAT programme led to a career in contemporary dance.

What led you to choose a career in dance?

I think being at the Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) was what really cemented my love of dance. My parents put me in dance as a child, because I was (and still am) pretty hyperactive and was always causing chaos. I enjoyed dance classes a lot, but it wasn’t until I stared CAT that I considered pursuing a career in dance. Experiencing a full day of such immersive training made me want to do it every day. It also opened my eyes to what a career in dance might look like. Before CAT, I never really understood what life as a professional dancer might be. Since then, I have fallen more and more in love with dancing – it’s very much my happy place.

What was your experience of being a dance CAT student?

Super exciting! CAT was my first experience of vocational training, and I loved it straight away. I loved getting to dance all day, and alongside such talented dancers. Everyone at CAT was amazing and had a strong individual style which really inspired me to think about who I was as a dancer, rather than just focusing on technique and trying to get everything right. I think this was when I first started to shape my identity as a dancer.

We got the chance to learn from amazing teachers and industry professionals. At the end of my first year, we got to perform New Adventures rep, taught to us by company dancer Kerry Biggin. This was my first time learning professional repertoire, and the experience has stayed with me. Learning rep is still one of my favourite things about being a dancer. CAT really prepared me for full-time training, both physically, and mentally, as we were always encouraged to take risks and push ourselves as much as we could while maintaining a healthy mindset. We were also so supported in our applications for conservatoires and schools. We had audition workshops, support with making solos, and lots of one-to-one check-ins and guidance, thanks to our amazing tutor Lucy!

How has your BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance experience at Trinity Laban helped you evolve as an artist?

I never felt like we were pressured to fit into a mould while training at Trinity Laban. It always felt like a very safe and encouraging place to explore and expand who you wanted to be as a dancer, in both your ideas, and your style and artistry. We trained in a wide range of techniques, which gave me a strong technical foundation, but also broadened my style, making me a much more versatile dancer. I think that the more things you are exposed to, the more you can develop a clear sense of who you are. We had so many opportunities to experience different kinds of contemporary dance, right from the start. In the first two months, we had the chance to work with Alleyne Dance on their production Close to Home, which was an incredible experience so early in our training.

We were also exposed to lots of historic dance repertoire throughout my time at Trinity Laban, both in training and in lectures. One of my favourite parts of the whole course was the repertory project at the end of second year. We had the option to choose between three pieces of existing dance repertoire, which were then restaged by dancers from the companies. I chose Suite for Five, a Cunningham piece, which was restaged by Daniel Squire. I think understanding where contemporary dance has come from is really important, and having the opportunity to perform some of this work was so exciting. I learned so much about choreography at Trinity Laban. We had lots of opportunities to choreograph pieces, and constant support and feedback. In second year, we had a choreography showcase, where selected pieces were further developed, and put on stage. Having the opportunity to properly light my piece, and have it costumed by the incredible costume department, was really special.

Tell us all about working on JV2 2026 Triple Bill?

JV2 has been incredible. I’ve been pushed so much and grown more than I thought possible over the six months. I’ve loved working on the triple bill, as each piece is very different, which makes it fun and engaging to perform, it’s also challenging, as you have to switch very quickly between styles and characters. I especially enjoyed learning Canvas, which is the one pre-existing piece that we learned, with the other two pieces being new creations. Canvas is made up of different pieces of Jasmin’s repertoire, which meant we got to learn lots of rep in preparation, which is something I love to do. We had the chance to work with Jasmin in rehearsals, which was exciting and inspiring. As part of triple bill rehearsals, we had a full week of production, which was intense, but a good taste of life as a professional dancer. Another exciting part of JV2 was going on tour. Getting to travel to different venues, and perform to different audiences was super fun, and a great insight into professional life. I also loved getting to perform the triple bill multiple times, as you could find something new each time learning from and building on previous performances.

What advice would you give to new Trinity Laban students?

My advice for new Trinity Laban students would be to try and take every single opportunity you have to learn something new, whether that be in class, from watching your peers, or from seeing performances. There are lots of chances each day to grow as a dancer, and at Trinity Laban you are exposed to so many styles and opportunities, so make the absolute most out of everything! I would also say to try and explore who you are personally as a dancer, and work out what inspires you, both in style and artistry, and also in terms of choreographic ideas. Take inspiration from your teachers, peers, and everything around you, but without trying to emulate other people. Really stay true to yourself and see how far you can push that.