Yael Flexer

"I started my training in Israel where there is a very developed contemporary dance training for young people. I then came to the UK in 1989 and trained at the Place. During my training I was asked to re-stage my student work Tango at London Contemporary Dance Theatre.  After I had completed my BA, John Ashford offering me the position of Choreographer in Residence at The Place, and things continued from there...."

Winner of the Jerwood Choreography Award, Yael is an independent choreographer, performer and teacher as well as artistic director of Bedlam Dance Company. Under her direction, Bedlam has been creating contemporary dance for the past 15 years. Originally formed when Yael was Choreographer in Residence at The Place Theatre, London, the company has toured small to middle scale live works throughout the UK and internationally.

Yael's work is primarily concerned with interaction, connecting with an audience on a human and visceral level. The work has a subtlety that is apparent in the movement choices, wry humour and informal on-stage dialogue between performers and the audience. Works play with the space in-between formal and informal presentation, driven by fast-paced movement, intricate patterning and tight choreographic structure whilst also reflecting on the overlapping between performance and the everyday.

The apparent informality and simplicity of presentation engenders an intimacy between performers and audience members allowing for boundaries to spill over and the here and now of performance to resonate.