MELANIE WHITEHEAD SMITH
Melanie is a London based dance artist whose practice explores innovative storytelling through physical theatre. Melanie performs in dance theatre works, movement directs live theatre and and creates film-based installations. Through a generous, co-creation process, her practice is underpinned by interdisciplinary formats to tell compelling stories.
As a performer, Melanie has worked with artists including: Emeli Sande, Rag’n’Bone Man (feat. Ocean Wisdom), Sam Smith, Honne (feat. Khalid), Boston Manor, Pride in London, Monica Nicolaides, Alauda Dance, Carleen Anderson, The Urban Playground Team, Coppice Theatre and Kneehigh.
In 2022, Melanie’s performances in short films screened at film festivals in London, Berlin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chile, Cyprus and South Africa. Additionally, her performances have been viewed online over 9 million times.
Melanie also worked as a research associate with AWA DANCE - a charity dedicated to the leadership development of women and girls. Over 8 months, AWA DANCE worked in collaboration with Coventry University’s C-DARE. Through this, Melanie co-authored the report 'Gender Balance in the UK Dance Sector. The research project explored the gender balance in artistic, executive and board positions of UK based NPOs for financial year 21-22.