Beth Payton

Choreographer, Dancer & Writer

During her training at Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music and Dance, Beth performed works by choreographers Kerry Nichols, Tom Dale and Lizzi Kew Ross. Since graduating, she was an original member of 12 Degrees North Dance Company, working with choreographers Gary Clarke and Alessandra Seutin in the devising and touring of new works Bitter Suite and Article 1.

Beth has worked as a dance model for a range of photographers, working creatively in the fields of dance promotional images for companies such as Harlequin Floors, Fashion and Dance collaborations with Fashion Designer Rosie Red Corsetry and dance photographer Nicola Selby, plus Dance with Powder images by photographer Jo Forrest. Beth’s images from an underwater shoot with Owen Humphries and Balbir Singh Dance Company in 2016 were featured in The Times, The Guardian and MSN’s weekly Top 40 Images in The World.

From 2013 to 2016, Beth worked for Balbir Singh Dance Company as Company Dancer and Core Collaborator.

In 2014, she directed her first dance for film project with support from Dance Manchester working in collaboration with Film Maker Isla Ure. With mental health at the core of the project, the film premiered at the first ever Dance Film Festival UK and was selected for screenings at two UK Arts festivals.

Alongside her performance work, Beth teaches Contemporary Technique for The North West’s Centre for Advanced Training Scheme in Dance (CAT), is Artistic Co-Leader of The Lowry Youth Dance Company, works for Rambert as an Animateur in the North and teaches regularly as Associate Tutor at Edgehill University.

Beth is overjoyed to currently be working on her own project ‘My Female Body’ in response to her poem of the same title which was published by The Huffington Post UK Blog. As a Sponsor for Plan UK’s ‘Sponsor a Girl’ campaign, Beth is passionate about supporting girls all over the world in accessing formal education and currently writes regularly to her sponsored girl in Cambodia.  She is also pleased to have developed a partnership with Girls Out Loud through the ‘My Female Body’ project, a UK organisation who aim to raise the aspirations of young girls within the UK.  Beth has been sponsored into the Big Sister programme, where she will volunteer her time to offer 1-1 mentoring to a ‘Little Sister’.  It is thrilling that her passion for female equality and empowerment is now colliding with her work in the Arts.

With future plans to develop this work beyond this project, the Dance Film is just the start!

Isla Ure

Film Maker

Ellen Turner

Contemporary Dance Artist

Ellen Turner is an energetic dance artist twitching with energy. After graduating from The Northern School of Contemporary Dance she began her career by touring with Ludus dance Company performing work byYael Flexer, Ben Wright, Nigel Charnock. She has gone on to work with Tmesis Theatre, La Petite Mort Theatre, AbouTime Dance Company and Casson & Friends. In 2014 she formed her own company: TurnAround Dance Theatre, who specialise in creating family friendly theatre shows with circus, theatre, dance and musical elements.

Her newest show ‘The Thief, the Fox & the Phoenix’ has been given arts council funding, done a northern tour and was directed by TC Howard. She regularly teaches for Blue Moose Dance Company, has set up TADT’s regular Dance Around classes and has been guest dance lecturer at Edge Hill and Uclan university.

Ellen’s first solo work Car-Door Moment which won the Turn Prize in 2012. She toured this work and has performed it at Edinburgh Fringe festival, and was in a triple bill tour, sitting alongside work by Lea Anderson and James Wilton. Ellen is delighted to have been asked to be a part of My female body project, and is excited to explore this subject further and see how far and wide we can spread this important message.

Abirami Eswar

Kathak Artist

Abirami Eswar is an Indian classical dancer and entrepreneur based in London. Alongside her performance work, she runs a Story And Drama Club for children. Kathak plays an important role in Abirami’s life and for over ten years she has been training under guru Padmashri Pratap Pawar, the UK’s most senior exponent in Kathak. Since this time, her approach to life has changed immensely as dance gives her the drive and motivation to be successful.

Abirami is grateful to be learning the traditional Lucknow Kathak Gharana from her guru and with his blessing, she continues to perform at various places in the UK and India as a solo artist. Born in a small town in India, she has learnt a lot after coming to the UK about the rich variety of dance forms and the opportunities for inspiring collaborations. “Kathak is my passion and it helps me find my soul.”

Abirami is very excited to be bringing the world of Kathak to meet the world of Contemporary Dance in this project. “opposites attract and there’s magic that happens when both art forms come together. It’s an absolute feast for the eyes. It’s unique, fascinating and uberly exciting.”