 Morag Wightman had a sports background before her professional dance training at Swindon Dance and The Laban Centre, London, where she graduated with a B.A. (Hons) Degree in dance in 1993. She now works as an independent dancer, abseil and circus performer, choreographer, teacher, movement researcher and artistic director of CRAOS MOR Productions. She performed with pan-European EXIT dance theatre in voice theatre, abseil and site specific works in an eclectic range of venues across Europe, collaborating with Sinfonia Bratislava, conductor Anton Wurl and voice theatre director Adrian Holme. She danced in works by choreographers, Athina Vahla, Susan Rethorst and Davide Terlingo in London and Berlin and performed and toured internationally in numerous circus productions with, amoungst others, Scarabeus Theatre, The Wrong Size, The Flying Splinter Group and The Royal Opera House. In 2000 she was invited to participate in research and performance work with the pioneer of zero gravity movement training, Dr. Kitsou Dubois, in Paris and in 2001 was selected for Arts Catalyst’s zero gravity flight M.I.R. Flight 001, with the Russian Space Agency, to take part in movement research and perform ‘Falling without fear’. Morag has 9 years experience as a choreographic artist and director. She was a pioneer in the development of abseil dance in Britain in 1995 and in 1996 founded research and interdisciplinary performance group CRAOS MOR. Her choreographic work creates connections of thought, sensation, imagination and action to communicate changing states of consciousness through physicality and use of space, the sound and environment design. She has collaborated with Mod winning Gaelic singer Alyth McCormack, Archaos ringmaster Ian Smith, theatre desiger Helga Goellner, rigging designer Will Harding and video artist Gavin Lockhart. Her work has been commissioned by the Arts Catalyst, Scarabeus Theatre, Mischeif La Bas, Chisenhale, Fishy Productions, UZ Events Glasgow, Exit Dance Theatre, The Albany Theatre and has been supported by Arts Council England, Lewisham Arts, urban Rock and Black Diamond Equipment Ltd. As well as an experienced performer and choreographer, Morag has been a guest speaker on space, weightlessness and the body at The Royal College of Art and University of Westminster, London and at the Art+ Science Collaborations, Inc. (ASCI) conference, New York. She was flying instructor for choreographer Yael Flexer’s ‘Wallpaper’ and is a regular guest teacher at The Circus Space, London and on Arts Catalyst’s education programs. |