Connectivity towards intimacy: A Day of Practice, Exchange, and Prospecting

Following on from Thomas Page's time in Sydney as the Rapport Artist 2025, this one-day event is designed to bring together professional dancers, choreographers, and movement artists for a day of skill-building, creative exploration, and community connection informed by the lessons learnt during the Rapport Residency. 

With a focus on high-level training, sensitive and essential creative practices for choreographing intimacy, and peer networking, this event offers time together for professional development and artistic exchange. 

The day will include:

• Class: Energising the body, we’ll move through a fast-paced mixed technique class that draws on Release, Floor, and Grounded based techniques to get the body ready and warmed up. We'll play with spinal articulations, dynamic shifting in and out of the floor, and connectivity in class. Dancers will be encouraged and supported to find any individual adaptations they may need in class, allowing the taught movement to be digested in a way that works best for them.
• Workshop: Exploring the methods and practices of a safe and empowering environment to support choreographing with intimate ideas, movements, and themes.
• Networking: A relaxed, social space for dancers, makers, and movement professionals to meet, share work ideas, and build collaborative connections. Optional discussion prompts and networking activities available to spark conversation about the future of independent dance.

Rapport International Residency Exchange programme is South East Dance’s ongoing framework to support South East based artists to extend their international networks, develop their creative practice and connect with the wider international artistic and cultural community. This year, via an open call, we selected Oxford-based choreographer Thomas Page to travel to Australia and embed himself with our Rapport Sydney partners Dancemakers Collective, based in Parramatta. 

Whilst there, Thomas went on tour with the collective, worked with the emerging artists group supported by Dance Makers Collective, and the Pre-Professional Year cohort at Sydney Dance Company. He immersed himself in the cultural life of Sydney, as well as having the experience of Australian Outback touring.

About Thomas Page

Artistic Director of Thomas Page Dances and TPD Young Artists, Thomas (he/they) is a choreographer, teacher, and researcher based in Oxford. Their choreography focuses on exploring socio-political ideas through the medium of contemporary dance working with a network of freelance artists on a project-by-project basis. 

As a researcher, Thomas’ work explores sector development through practice-based research often working with a multiversal approach underpinned by theories of interconnective dynamic systems.  

Interconnected with their choreographic and research practices, Thomas’ teaching practice encompasses floorwork, release, improvisation, choreographic, and collaborative techniques. Thomas is a Lecturer, Tutor, and Researcher at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, in addition to this Thomas teaches as a freelancer for various institutions including Rambert Dance, London Contemporary Dance School, Centre for Advanced Training programmes, and Swindon Dance. 

Thomas is also a co-founder of Pro Dance Oxford, associate artist of Arts at The Old Fire Station and Swindon Dance, and board member of Pegasus Theatre.

Biography provided by the artist.