Emilyn Claid

Born on December 15th 1949 in Cambridge England. My birth name is Louise Harrison. My father is Canadian and my mother English. I grow up in Wimbledon, south London.

I begin my education at Wimbledon High School for girls, and attend the local dance school for lessons in ballroom, ballet, Greek dance and Modern.At the age of 9 I leave the High School to study full time at stage school: Associated Arts School, in Wimbledon. I am the middle child with three siblings either side.  The Associated Arts School focuses on performance training through local dance competitions and stage shows. My competitive performing life culminates in winning the Beryl Grey Award in 1965.On a visit to England Grant Strate (from the National Ballet of Canada) auditions me for the National Ballet School in Toronto. I leave for Toronto at the age of 16.I train for one year at the National Ballet School, before joining the company.I perform for two years with the company, performing as a member of the corps de ballet in the classics and familiar ballet repertoire, such as Swan Lake, La Sylphide and Romeo & Juliet. I am given the role of the 'Black Queen' in Swan Lake, and a gypsy and Romeo and Juliet. I see a future path unfolding in character acting.  In 1969 I leave the ballet company and go to live in New York – to study at the Martha Graham School.  I live in New York for 3 years 1969-71, moving over the city from lower east side to upper west side. I love New York. I am invited to join the newly formed Martha Graham Company but I decide no. I give up dance, due to osteo arthritis in my toe joint, and a need to sort myself out emotionally. I return to Toronto and find a job working in a pornographic video cinema operating the film equipment. Sorting myself out would wait a little longer as I plunged into a life of drugs, sex and rock and roll. I return to London in 1973.After a toe operation at St. Thomas hospital in London, I take a Pitman's secretarial course.I work as a secretary at the Physiological Flow Studies Unit in the Imperial Institute for Science and Technology in London. I am wondering if working as a personal assistant could fulfil my ambitions. After seeing a dog splayed open for scientific purposes I decide perhaps this is not the life for me. I begin dancing again as Jane Dudley's demonstrator of Graham technique at London School of contemporary Dance in 1975.I meet Fergus Early and Jacky Lansley at the school.I change my name to Emilyn ClaidTogether with Maedee Dupres and Mary Prestidge we form the X6 Dance Collective. We base ourselves on the top floor at X6 Butlers Wharf, near Tower Bridge on the river Thames. We experiment with deconstructing our past lives in conventional dance and gymnastics. X6 Dance Space becomes a focus for the radical beginnings of British new dance.We set up and edit New Dance Magazine 1978-1988. My son Lech is born in 1979. His father is Stefan Szczelkun (www.stefan-szczelkun.org.uk). In 1981 I shave my head and interview for the job of Artistic director of Extemporary Dance Theatre. I am director of the company for 8 years.Performers who work with Extemporary include: Lloyd Newson, Annelies Stoffel, Edgar Newman, Chantale Donaldson, Fin Walker, Yolanda Snaith, Nigel Charnock, Betsy Gregory, Yacov Slivkin, Lindsey Butcher.Choreographers who work with Extemporary include: Lloyd Newson, David Gordon, Viola Farber, Michael Clark, Karole Armitage, Richard Alston, Steve Paxton, Laurie booth, Katy Duck, Tom Jobe. I live in south London with my son. My parents die while I am working with Extemporary. I come out as a lesbian. My six brothers and sisters are living across the globe including Russia, Canada, Spain and Scotland.  In 1989 I leave Extemporary and begin working as an independent freelance director, performer, choreographer and teacher. I create solo shows and group pieces, creating through a combination of project-funded shows that tour the UK and choreographic commissions. In 1995 I decide to develop my theoretical knowledge and study for an MA in Performing Arts at Middlesex University. I enter the academic world while continuing to perform. I embark on a PhD research thesis at University of Surrey. As Dr. Emilyn Claid I am awarded a Fellowship in Creative and Performing Arts from Arts & Humanities Research Council, based at University of Surrey. I begin the book, Yes? No! Maybe… Seductive Ambiguity in Dance.   I move between the academic and artistic worlds of dance performance. I find the creative tension between the two worlds difficult at first, but then find myself enjoying the boundary between performance and academia – as a culture of practice-based research.  With co-director Professor Valerie Briginshaw I choreograph three pieces for Embodying Ambiguities, a choreography and writing project, funded by Arts & Humanities Research Council. (www.embamb.com) I take a job at Dartington College of Arts in Devon as director of a new degree in choreography. For three years I work too hard, structuring, teaching, managing and planning the degree course. During this time my book is published: Yes? No! Maybe… Seductive Ambiguity in Dance Routledge 2006. I set up and co-director m&de @ Dartington (music and dance exchange) and I make a new show Pocketsize (2005) funded by Dance in Devon.  I am now Professor of Choreography at Dartington College of Arts, I commute each week from urban London to rural Dartington, living out of suitcase and working on the train. I am looking to the future, thinking about a new performance, learning new skills, making applications for funding, imagining travelling...