Hayley Adams

I believe in building special moments through creativity, connecting with people through art in extra and ordinary ways. I work to create meaningful experiences through dance, exploring movement that grows from issue-based concepts through different projects.

I view dance as a vehicle for new challenges, changes and chances to emerge. I want to engage, explore, and find play in my work. Working with people and with their spirit is at the base of this. I choose to celebrate the moment of exchange.

Dance can provide escape, it can take you to a creative place you never thought you would visit. I am continually developing my practice, investigating and considering how next to drive towards moments of inspiration.

Projects+Research

Fall/ Fail to Recover

Hayley’s choreographic practice took off in Autumn 2017 as her first independent solo work Fall/ Fail to Recover was premiered at Polanentheater as part of Amsterdam Fringe Festival.

Body Focussed Repetitive Behaviours

Since 2015, Hayley has been researching how Trichotillomania, a Body-Focussed Repetitive Behaviour (BFRB), affects movement in a performative context. The solo work exposes what it means to fail for perfection against glittering hope. Experience the fall and recover of disappointment and achievement in this intriguing one woman show. She presents a Dance Theatre work that has a touch of magic.

In 2016, she received funding from Cultuur Ondernemen and has been based at Anamorphic Studio @OT301 since. This research period has also enabled her new workshop Where’s Your Safe Place? A self-reflective movement and art workshop to identify and reduce stress triggers. This workshop is for adults and is popping up all over Amsterdam.

Play in Dancing

Current teaching work spans over two sectors of Hayley’s significant experience, young people and adult learners. Her work at The British School of Amsterdam has seen her deliver Play the Dance and Where's Your Safe Place? workshops to students aged 12 - 18 years since early 2016. She uses her wide-ranging teaching background to inform and build an autonomous questioning dancer, wherever she teaches.

3 is a Crowd

Performance Projects have continued to be interdisciplinary in nature while exploring social themes. Work with Sanne Clifford has seen Hayley perform two exciting works throughout The Netherlands and Italy since January 2017. 3 is a Crowd, a charming trio received 4 stars from Theaterkrant. Music was especially made by Amir Swaab and is available on Spotify.

Workshops

All workshops can be adapted for different sites and spaces, and are suitable for anybody.

Pause, Rewind, Play

In this short, affordable workshop you will reflect upon your practice in 2017 and set creative goals for 2018. You are guided to reconsider your time management, and notice opportunities for productivity in the year ahead. This informal meeting will help you to build your network in the Amsterdam creative field. For more information and for advance event tickets, visit the Facebook event. Walk-in tickets are also available for this Spring Edition.

Suitable for all creative Freelancers at any career stage.

Where's Your Safe Place?

Related to Hayley's research into Body Focussed Repetitive Behaviours (BRFBs) and Mental Health, this workshop offers the participant an individualised investigation into how stress affects them. This workshop offers a safe space to explore how we get stuck in our habits, and how to break them. Movement is explored through guided improvisation, using every day materials to stimulate creative response. Join the 5 week programme this May in Amsterdam

Due to its sensitive context this workshop is suitable for all abilities but for groups of 12 or less.

Swing, Spiral, Space

Based on Laban principles, this workshop explores technique phrases, improvisation challenges, and choreography combinations. The participants are asked to investigate movement in each form before combining these together in performance. Driving research through conversation and action, the participants are guided to find their own opinion about how to find flow and freedom in the studio. You can join Hayley in her research at Choreolab Europe this April

Suitable for all ages and those with some dance experience.

Play the Dance

Recapturing moments of past or current days, depending on how old you are, this workshop explores the idea of play in the dance studio. Participants are encouraged to seek their inner child, creatively responding to choreographic instruction. Chance methods inform movement combinations meaning, that each final performance piece will be different from the last.

Suitable for all ages and abilities.

Biography

Hayley Adams (UK) is an independent dance maker who creates contemporary dance works that educate, engage and challenge in extra and ordinary ways. Now based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, she is building on Choreographic and Production experiences to create work of her own. Hayley strives to create distinct moments for people and their spirit, by activating conversation and action which concerns every day challenges and struggles. Hayley completed Postgraduate Study at Laban (2009) in London before embarking on a community and education focused dance practice across the South West UK. Work included local, regional and national projects for performance, choreography and production.

Since being selected for One Dance UK's Dance Teacher Mentor Programme (2014) Hayley has been building on her valuable time spent with her mentors Sara Wookey (USA) and Angela Linssen (NL). Her teaching placement at Amsterdam University for Theatre and Dance (AHK) has seen Hayley work with the Modern Theater Dans department to learn from established teachers and choreographers' methods, building on her knowledge in how to work with the dance student and large groups in training.

Her performance work has seen Hayley work in a range of fields, from interdisciplinary research and performance with Animu (NL) to contemporary works with Sanne Clifford (NL) and Movement Collective (UK). She has danced in modern swing dance Must Dash (UK) and for young audiences with De Loopers Danz Theater (NL) and Kompany Malakhi (UK).

Choreographic commissions have included site-based works for a regional Libraries project throughout South Gloucestershire in 2015 (UK) and BIG Dance 2014 (UK). Hayley has worked with Theatre makers for The Edinburgh Fringe Festival (UK), film-makers for independent projects and Puppet makers for young audiences. Her experience as a fashion and hair model and TV supporting artist has informed an encompassing and professional approach to creating art and understanding the value of team working.

Hayley has produced numerous projects for young and older audiences, working with Local Government, National Dance Agencies and the University of Bristol. The Strive Dance Project in 2013/14, Dance South Gloucestershire included large scale and site based productions for non-dancers and young people with talent. Coordination roles included working with talented young people at National Dance Agency Swindon Dance from 2009-2014. Working at one of ten Centres for Advanced Training, Hayley's understanding of high quality training and education practices grew. She co-implemented and coordinated a targeted BTEC Level 3 education programme for dancers aged 16-18 years old and in addition, coordinated the regional promotional YDA schools tour for auditions.

Events

2018

  • May – Where's Your Safe Place? Workshops
  • April – Choreolab Europe/ Play The Dance Workshops
  • March – Research and Development for New Project 2019
  • February – 3 is a Crowd at Stukkafest/ Play The Dance Workshops
  • January – Research and Development for New Project 2018

2017

  • October – Dance Film 'Caught in a Cascade'
  • September – Fall/ Fail to Recover performances
  • August - Rehearsals in the studio
  • July – 3 is a Crowd goes to Italy!
  • June – We Are The Everlasting Guests at Buitenkunst
  • May – 3 is a crowd at Radion and Vuurol Festival
  • April – 3 is a Crowd and We are The Everlasting Guests at Oostblok Theater/ Research and Development for Dance Film (untitled)
  • March – 3 is a Crowd in Café Lucas, Utrecht
  • February – Rehearsals for 3 is a Crowd
  • January – Research and Development for Yes I Can

Media