ABOUT ME
I’m Uma O’Neill, Dance Artist surrounded by the wilds of North Wales. I am highly trained in dance fundamentals and have a MA in European Dance Theatre Practice from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance.
Dance has been my life, forever.
I was lucky that my Mum, also a dance & movement specialist, took me to our local Theatr Clwyd throughout the 80's to watch wonderful dance performance work by Rambert & National Dance Company Wales (then Diversions). These were the days when both companies performed work in the studio theater, so you were always up close and personal. As a child, these were magical experiences that helped foster my love of dance and choreography.
I was in National Youth Dance Wales', Game of Halves choreographed by Wayne McGregor in 2002 before heading off to London & Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance to study and obtain my MA in European Dance Theatre Practice. Continually teaching, choreographing and performing through out this decade, I was also extremely lucky to be chosen to study with some of the most inspiring and knowledgeable movement specialists; Geraldine Stephenson, Walli Meier, Jean Jarrell, Anna Carlisle MBE, Warren Lamb and Valerie Preston-Dunlop through the Laban Guild postgraduate Phoenix Project. Here I gained a deep understanding and high level of expertise in Laban Movement & Dance fundamentals and Analysis.
I began my love of Dance on Film with my my Directorial Debut, Common Ground in 2009, featuring at Renderyard's International Film Festival & The Short Film Centre Goa. Then followed another full decade of live choreography, Dance Film, teaching, leading on professional development, supporting our local Dance Artist Community through Dance Collective CIC, leading Inclusive Youth Dance Group WISP Dance Club and making beautiful, powerful and thought provoking work.
Onward, I move into the future yet to be danced.
