Former members
Claire Altamura
Claire trained at the Arts Educational Schools, London, where she gained a three year dance diploma and Advanced Cecchetti. Theatre includes the Sadlers Wells, London; Churchill Theatre, Bromley, and the Edinburgh Fringe, where she received acclamation for her dancing and inspiring choreography.
She has toured with the Re-Animators Dance Company, Notions of Movement, and Springs Dance Company, and enjoys teaching contemporary, ballet, jazz/street and conducting workshops in schools and Christian conferences.
Aside from dancing, Claire has also toured nationally with the pop band Revelation as a songwriter and lead singer.
Claire was a member of SDC during 2000.
Clyde Melville Bain
Clyde graduated from the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in 1986. After a season of dancing and singing in Mother Goose at the Swansea Grand Theatre, he spent a year performing as dancer/singer on cruise ships in the Eastern Caribbean.
On returning to England, Clyde auditioned successfully for Nexus Dance Company. Clyde worked and toured in Europe, Japan, Malaysia and Taiwan with a variety of contemporary/physical theatre companies and choreographers including Bi Ma, Imlata, Green Candle Dance Company, Nigel Charnock, Aletta Collins, Mark Bruce and Emlyn Claid. More recently he has acted in productions of Dance and The Railroad for Northern Stage under the direction of Alan Lyddiard, and Riding Lights Theatre Companies production of Wrestling with Angels written by Nigel Forde and directed by Paul Burbridge.
Clyde has been movement director and performed for Projekt 11:92, (a dance development company based in Glasgow) performing at International Jazz Festivals, productions at the Tramway Theatre in Glasgow, the Edinburgh Fringe and Aberdeen Alternative Arts Festival.
Clyde joined Springs Dance Company in May 2000, and left at the end of that year.
Sadie Beirne
Dip, Arts Educational Schools, AISTD (Modern Dance)
Sadie graduated from Arts Educational School London in Summer 2000, after training for three years on the musical theatre course. During her final year, Sadie played Kristine Urich in A Chorus Line and Petra in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. Since graduating, Sadie has been working in mechanical media, making two short films and working on Carlton’s S.T.A.R. Street. Sadie joined Springs Dance Company in January 2001.
Fru Bird // Artistic Director 1996–2000
BA (Hons) Performance Arts (Dance)
Fru trained at Middlesex University. She worked as a dancer with Doris Humphrey foundation and Magpie Dance Company and was dance co-ordinator for Dance Wise until she joined Springs Dance Company in 1994. She served as Artistic Director of Springs from 1996–2000. Fru has worked as a free-lance dancer and choreographer, creating and performing dances and events and performances for a variety of church and community groups including commissions for Hopes and Dreams and large scale community projects for Dance Wise. Fru was a lecturer for the Shaftestbury Society, teaching young people with profound and multiple disabilities for three years. Fru has toured widely, teaching and performing in an extensive range of settings. Fru has delivered INSET for schoolteachers and at Christian Dance Fellowship of Britain’s national conferences. She is currently serving as a creative Arts adviser for Cre8.ed and was the Dance Advisor for JC200.
Martin H Blogg
Martin H Blogg, cofounder and original director of Springs Dance Company has spent most of his professional career in the service of dance and spirituality. He is a graduate of the performing arts, education, theology and the social sciences and a professional writer. He is author of six books on dance, ‘Time to Dance’, ‘Dance and the Christian Faith’, ‘Healing in the Dance’, ‘Welcome Our King’, ‘A Suite of Notated Social Dances – Laban’, and ‘Concerning the Spiritual and Dance.’ Martin was senior lecturer at Middlesex University (UK) and the W.A. Academy of Performing Arts, Australia. He founded two full-time professional dance companies formally concerned with the spiritual dimensions of dance, including Springs Dance Company. Martin is an affiliate of CARTS, the Centre for Advanced Religious and Theological Studies at the University of Cambridge. He is presently a visiting scholar at the same university continuing research into spirituality as it relates to dance specifically and to the performing arts more generally. Martin may be contacted at Wesley House, Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BQ or at mhblogg@netspace.net.au.
Craig James
Craig James Trained at Bush Davies and the Ballet Rambert School. He was one of the winners of the Cosmo C&A Dance Awards, and has worked with many well known dance companies, including: Classical Productions, The Re-Animators, Union Dance Company, Jiving Lindy Hoppers, Springs Dance Company, , Opera Carmen, The Really Useful Group (for Andrew Lloyd Webber & Ben Elton’s new musical The Beautiful Game) and was dance soloist in the musical Hopes & Dreams.
He has worked with many renowned choreographers, including: Alletta Collins, Doug Elkins, Carolene Hinds, Piers Guilgud, Mark Bruce, Fru Bird, Sheron Wray, Jeannette Brooks, Kwesi Johnson, Meral tankard, and Peter Schaufuss. Craig has also had many TV & pop video appearances and has danced at the Clothes Show. He was Head of Dance at the Espressivo Arts School. His own choreography includes: Street, Breakdance & jazz Contemporary for the The Dance Movement & Kompany Malakhi Dance Company. Craig was a project member during the Hopes & Dreams tour in early 1998.
Katie Layton
Katie was a member up to 1998. No biography available.
Cathy Sincock // Artistic Director 2000–2003
BA Performing Arts (Dance), Prof. Dip. Arts Educational Schools
Cathy trained at Arts Educational Schools (London, England), studying Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap and Spanish. Cathy gained her BA at Northern School of Contemporary Dance (Leeds University, England). Cathy has taught in an impressive range of organisations including, schools, community classes, colleges, conferences and festivals in the UK, Europe and China, America and Australia. Cathy currently works for the Shaftestebury society as a lecturer for young people with severe and multiple physical and learning difficulties where she is responsible for devising the dance curriculum. Cathy also works free-lance for Theatre Train and Stagecoach schools within London. Cathy has worked as a contemporary and jazz dancer in Britain and Europe for stage, television and film productions ranging from documentaries to pop videos. Cathy was involved in teacher training and moderating for JC2000, the Millennium Arts Project for schools in the UK. Cathy joined SDC in 1998 and became Artistic Director of Springs in January 2001. Cathy married Craig Bonds in July 2003 and she will commence a PGCE in Cornwall from September 2003.
Wen-Chun Tang
BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance, MA in Performance Study, AISTD (Ballet & Modern)
Wen trained in Chinese and contemporary dance in Taiwan before joining Elmhurst ballet school in the UK in 1995. She obtained her BA (Hons) in contemporary dance with First class in 2001 with London contemporary Dance School. Wen has also won the Yield 2001 Choreography award for Dance for Black Origin in Manchester. She graduated from the postgraduate performance study with Edge Dance Group (4D) in London Contemporary Dance School in 2002. She also gained her Master degree with Distiction in July 2003. Wen taught and choreographed Ballet and Contemporary dance in vocational school in Taiwan. She also taught Chinese dance workshops extensively in schools through UK. Wen has worked with Mark Baldwin, Javier De Frutos, Lea Anderson, Athina Vahla, Johnathan Lunn, Dolly Henry, Jan De Schynkel’s Bark Dance Production, Pneumatha and “King and I” musical National Tour in 2002.
Wen joined Springs Dance Company in June 2003.
Pam Alexander // Former Company Administrator
BPhil (Hons) (Ballet & Contextual studies), RAD Teaching Dip., AISTD (Imperial Ballet and Modern Theatre) RTS
Pam trained at Bush Davies Schools, East Grinstead, gained her teaching qualifications through the Royal Academy of Dance, graduating from the University of Durham. Pam has been teaching ballet for many years both at home and aboard and has a special interest in encouraging children with learning difficulties through dance. Pam was Principal of the Rochester School of Ballet for eight years and continues to teach ballet at the King’s School in Rochester. Although her initial training was to teach dance in the private sector she also moved into the field of Dance Education and taught GCSE and A Level Dance at Rochester Independent College. Pam joined Springs as the Company Administrator in May 2000 and teaches some of the academic elements of the SDC Apprenticeship Scheme. Pam also holds a Certificate in Christian Theology and in her spare time is studying for a Diploma in Theology and Ministry.
Jeanette Bain
BA (Hons)
Jeanette read her BA in Modern Languages at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica and holds a Diploma in Dance from Birkbeck, University of London. She has worked in both the field and office for various Christian charities, most recently as Human Resources Coordinator for Innovista in Oxford. While with Innovista, she toured internationally with their physical theatre company and assisted with planning events and performances as well as serving as Personal Assistant to the Director. In addition to working for Springs, she is currently pursuing an MA in Choreography at Middlesex University.