1. the one where it all began

Hi friends, 

Welcome! This is my first blog post - I hope you enjoy it.

My name is Matthew Rawcliffe and I’m a dance artist from Manchester in the UK, currently living and working in Denmark as a company dancer.  I'm currently enjoying scouring second hand shops for any interesting and unusual books about installation, architecture, site specific art, silent movies and just about anything that catches my interest. 

I began training professionally as a dancer at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, during which I competed in BBC Young Dancer - winning in the contemporary dance category. My interest in choreography was really pushed by the competition, for which I created and performed two solo works which really stayed with me: the first I was asked to tour as a guest artist with Kneehigh Theatre, the other was commissioned to be extended by SICK! Festival alongside performances as part of The Sadler’s Wells Program at Latitude Festival. This launched my career into a shifting balance of performative and choreographic practise. Over the last three years I have been working full time as a dancer in Scandinavia, this has transformed my choreographic work into something which is sometimes hibernating; enjoying time to slowly grow and consolidate. 

My work is concerned with how and when it meets it's audience, this is fed by interrogating my skills as a facilitator to empower the dancers I work with to have their own autonomy within process and performance. I thought it could be nice to list some of my recent projects to give an insight to the kind of work I make:

The Crisp Sandwich Cafe (2020-Current)

An autism-friendly dance experience full of love and crisp sandwiches that has existed as:

• a live performance that was created in partnership with National Autistic Society and funded by Arts Council England
• a seven hour durational performance commissioned by Severn Arts for The Arches Festival
• a physical package posted to audiences containing interactive dances created with Manchester International Festival

Next month, I will be running some Crisp Sandwich Cafe inspired CPD for dance artists at Pavilion Dance South West, which is an exciting new strand to this work.

Mrs. Dalloway: The One Man Show (2022)

An immersive retelling of Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway (1925) which took place around the Museum of Liverpool. Intimate dances for brave audience members. A little scavenger hunt for the curious. Unexpected, unexplained happenings. 

George Nickel’s 9th Birthday Party (2021)

A trailer for an immersive production which never existed. Part of my longer relationship with the Pappy Show Physical Theatre who I’ve been working with in various capacities since 2017 - this was my first time as a producer and director with the company.  

If you want to read and look at some more things you can do that on my website: matthewrawcliffe.com 

I'm so excited to be giving time to my practice through this masters, and also learning about the diverse interests and experiences of everyone else in the group. I really look forward to discussing and learning alongside you all. 

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The One Where It All Began - Friends, Season 1, Episode 1