Coop Dance is currently formed by Annie Edwards, Théïa Maldoom, Bun Kobayashi, Natifah White, and Alejandra Gissler. Natifah White was a former member of the Coop.

Who are You?

Cooperative Dance is a collective of movement practitioners and friends who discuss and act upon values of care, community support and finding alternative ways of engaging with dance. We came together during the pandemic crisis looking to collectively resist the competitive and individualistic structures that are prevalent in the dance industry. Our response has been to actively engage in cultivating supportive relationships and returning to creative processes through these practices. 

Over the last two years we have met on a regular basis, to take a break, have discussions, share a meal, and dance. This became the foundation of our collective and how we believe we can transform our approach to the dance community and our identities as dancers.

Relationship with Gardens and non-conventional spaces 

From the beginning of our project, we wanted to explore different ways of reconnecting with dance by accessing non conventional dance spaces and working with non professional dancers. Community gardens became an essential place to investigate the way dance connects with social contexts, and from there, how to reflect and build alternatives. We were looking to nourish our practice by encountering the wider community, and gaining new perspectives on the value of dance today. Through improvisation sessions and informal performances, we consolidated a way of working based on solidarity, joy and reclaiming our movement practice.

We began collaborating with the Story Garden, delivering movement improvisations, and contributing to some of their educational programs. Later, we performed at the Phoenix Road Performing Gardens, as part of the London Festival of Architecture. 

Residency at Wainsgate Dances, November ’23 

We met at our first formal artistic residency at Wainsgate Dances in Hebden Bridge in November 2023. We divided our time between studio time and researching at Jack Wallington’s garden. Our experiences weeding and working with the soil informed our movement practice in the studio, and interestingly directed our discussions in regards to growth, rest, belonging and rooting. 

Throughout the week, we developed a handful of movement scores aiming to bring the attention to the space, and to the physical connections between interdependent bodies. These scores, as well as the written and audio-visual archive from the residency, are physical reflections of the subject matter of our work about dance, artistic practice and community; what is the current state of our artistic practice? How do we care for this practice through social and economic precarity? What do we need and what do we desire for our dance practice? Why do we dance? What defines our identity as dancers?