Biography

Sasha studied at London Contemporary Dance School 1982-1986 subsequently working as a freelance dance artist and teacher. In 1987 she co-founded Reflex Dance Co with Paul Douglas, performing duets commissioned from choreographers: Aletta Collins, Earl Lloyd-Hepburn, Jonathan Lunn and Peter Purdy which toured nationally and internationally. In 1991 Sasha joined Motionhouse Dance Theatre, where she created a number of original roles. In 1994 Sasha made her first appearances with Siobhan Davies Dance during the company’s tour of Turkey. During this period, Sasha performed in Wanting to Tell Stories, White Bird Featherless and, on returning to the UK, in the premier of The Glass Blew In. In the same year Sasha performed with Yolanda Snaith Theatre Dance in a site specific piece and became a founding member of Small Bones Dance Company, directed by Paul Douglas. Sasha worked with Small Bones until 1999, creating many original roles, acting as Artistic Adviser to the Director and making a significant contribution to the development of the company through her teaching and creative input to the choreographic process.In 1999 Sasha joined Siobhan Davies Dance Company as a full-time member. While with SDD, Sasha created many distinctive and original roles appearing in ten of the company’s works including Wild Air, White Man Sleeps, Of Oil and Water, Birdsong and Two Quartets. In 2008 Sasha assisted Siobhan Davies in remounting and creating new material for Carnival of the Animals for Rambert Dance Company.

Sasha is a highly regarded freelance dance teacher and has taught professional classes and workshops at Movingeast, Greenwich Dance Agency, for Independent Dance, the Henny Jurriens Foundation, Amsterdam and Dansens Hus, Copenhagen on a regular basis over many years. Sasha has also taught courses at studios in Philadelphia and in Chicago, USA and in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Sasha developed and sustained long term relationships with many dance companies in the UK leading classes for DV8, Riccochet, Motionhouse Dance Theatre, V-Tol, Small Bones, CandoCo, Rambert Dance Company, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, The Plesni Theatre Dance Company in Llubljiana, Slovenia, Bernardo Montet Dance Company in Tours, France and Siobhan Davies Dance Company.

Prior to taking her present post as Dance Lecturer at London Contemporary Dance School, Sasha taught at several vocational dance schools and higher educational institutions including: Skolen for Modern Danse in Denmark, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, London Studio Centre, Rambert Dance School, Middlesex University and London Contemporary Dance School.

In addition to her considerable experience as a dance artist, over the past 25 years Sasha has immersed herself in the study of Aikido and Kashima Shinryu swordsmanship – two Japanese martial arts. She began her study of Aikido with Paul Douglas, in 1984 and has also studied with Japanese masters Kanetsuka Sensei, Sekiya Sensei and Yamaguchi Sensei. In 1992, through Sekiya Sensei, Sasha was introduced to Inaba Sensei, at that time, Head of the prestigious Shiseikan Dojo at Meiji Jingu, Tokyo. Her passion for martial arts, or Budo, has taken Sasha to Japan on several occasions, including in 2007 when she was awarded The Lisa Ullman Travel Scholarship to attend The Shiseikan Dojo, to study once more with Inaba Sensei. At times these studies have been both challenging and arduous and through these experiences Sasha has built deep personal resources and fortitude which now underpin her teaching of dance.

As holder of 3rd Dan in Aikido, Sasha is a senior member of Tetsushinkan Budojo at Movingeast and sits on the examining committee. Sasha continues to participate each year in seminars programmed by The International Shiseikan Budo Association, which facilitates advanced learning in Japanese martial arts.

Her long-term research in martial arts has informed Sasha’s understanding of fundamental issues pertaining to somatic knowledge and has had a profound influence on her approach to the teaching of dance. Sasha has augmented these substantive experiences with other complementary studies such as in Yoga, The Feldenkrais Method® and Klein Technique and has woven these into the fabric and substance of her teaching.

In 2008 Sasha joined the faculty of London Contemporary Dance School as Lecturer in Contemporary Dance. In addition to her teaching of Release-based Technique, Sasha has led repertory projects on White Man Sleeps and Birdsong, works choreographed by Siobhan Davies. In 2010 she embarked on an MA in Advanced Dance Studies at LCDS. In 2010 Sasha had her article: Hara Breathing Applied to Dance Practice published in Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices, Volume 1, Issue 2. In 2011 Sasha was awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Dance Studies, by Kent University, and nominated for a National Teaching Fellowship Scheme – Individual Award.

In conjunction with her teaching career, Sasha continues her work as a performer. In 2010 she performed in Unsignal together with Lauren Potter, Annie Lock and Marina Collard, choreographed collaboratively with and directed by Joe Moran. In 2011 Sasha performed in Differ & Repeat, a choreographic collection of live performance, film and installation curated by Joe Moran.