Mary Pearson
Artist & performance maker, SEP, RSME/T
SEP Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, EASE
Registered Somatic Movement Educator/Therapist, ISMETA
Performance - Dance - Contact Improvisation - Multi-disciplinary Improvisation
Choreography - Directing - Devising - Writing - Teaching
Curation - Organising - Facilitation - Project Management
Languages: French, Spanish, Italian, German
PERFORMANCE: collaborations
How to Be Afraid? with mayfield brooks (NYC)
2021 July, Residency and performance at Newstead Abbey. Co-commissioned by dance artist Eleanor Sikorski (with support from Arts Council England), Dancing Museums 2 and Dance4
2021 May, Research Space co-produced by Independent Dance, London, hybrid live/online workshop at Siobhan Davies Studios, online talk and performance with collaborators Seke Chimutengwende, Akeim Toussaint Buck, Amy Voris, Anne Gäelle Thiriot
2021 February, Improvisations with Interference: Haunted by histories, guided by ghosts, live stream performance trio with Seke Chimutengwende, presented by Independent Dance, London
2021 February, Haunting Newstead Abbey, live stream panel conversation with m. brooks, Seke Chimutengwende and Season Butler, Dancing Museums Project in partnership with Dance 4 Nottingham
2020 Proximity: New Directions in Art and Social Repair, online symposium in collaboration with Migrant Artists’ Mutual Aid (MaMa), Liverpool
2019 Improspekcije improvisation festival, Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb
2017 How to Be Afraid? Works in progress, Metal Culture, Liverpool and Chisenhale Dance Space, London
KUDERA+MPEARSONATER: Anthropo+Screen by products
Performance research, dialogue and collaboration with garment designer Alena Kudera
performer-collaborators Anne Gaëlle Thiriot Anya Cloud, Deborah Black, Karen Schaffman, Laura Döhler, William Lang, set design Yoav Admoni
2020 Ponderosa unFestival, Stolzenhagen (Berlin), site specific outdoor performance
2019 Outdoor research residencies: The Mothership (Dorset) and Penpynfarch (Wales)
Metal Culture, Liverpool, rough cuts video screening
Unity Theatre Liverpool work in progress performance installation
PERFORMANCE: solo works
FoMO, mofos!
2018 UK tour: Liverpool John Moore’s University, University of Chester, Vital Signs festival at University of Salford, Capstone Theatre at Liverpool Hope University, Edge Hill University
2017 UK/US Tour: LEAP Festival Liverpool, Edge Hill University, Chisenhale Dance Space (London) Waterside Arts Centre, Plymouth University, Studio 408 (Portland, ME, USA), The Finnish Kaleva Hall (Berkeley CA, USA)
2016 Works in progress: Unity Theatre, (Liverpool) DanceKiosk 48 Hrs Nomads festival (Hamburg)
The Sand Dog Cometh
2014-16 UK/US tour: Capstone Theatre at Liverpool Hope University, SPRINT Festival London, Decoda presents at Coventry University, Unity Theatre Liverpool, Edge Hill University, Plymouth University, Noh Space (San Francisco, USA), PADL West presents at California State University San Marcos (San Diego, USA)
2013-14 Works In Progress: Physical Fest Liverpool, The Bike Shed Theatre, Con|Verge at Ponderosa (Germany)
FAILURE (& other opportunities for non-linear success)
2013-14 UK Tour: Tempting FAILURE Festival Bristol, Unity Theatre Liverpool, SPRINT Festival London, Nightingale Theatre Brighton, Bike Shed Theatre, Summerhall and Performing Arts Studio Edinburgh, Ponderosa Tanzland Festival (Germany)
2012 Works in Progress: Earthdance, (USA), The Bluecoat and Physical Fest Liverpool, RRR festival at PROGR Switzerland, and Ponderosa Tanzland Festival (Germany)
2015 WILD TRIO (director/choreographer) site-specific dance installation Physical Fest, Liverpool with performers: Laura Döhler, Genevieve Say, Cathy Walsh
AWARDS and RESIDENCIES
2012-2021 Arts Council England grants for the arts, for research and development and touring of:
How to be Afraid?, FoMO, mofos!, The Sand Dog Cometh, FAILURE
2021 Artists Exploring Ecological Crisis residency, Dance Research Studio London (postponed from 2020)
2020 Ponderosa Dance unfestival outdoor research residency, (Germany)
2016 BLANK CANVAS artist residency at Firkin Crane (Cork, Ireland)
2016 //at HOME with BUZZCUT// bursary to attend Buzzcut festival Glasgow from Home Live Art (London)
2015-2016 ‘Time and Space Residency’ Metal Culture, Liverpool 6 months’ artist residency
2015 Au Brana Creative Development Residency 2 weeks artist residency at Au Brana (Pauilhac, France)
2015 Liverpool Ireland Cultural Corridor (LICC) Travel Grant, Bluecoat and Create Ireland
2015, 2013 L’Âme-de-Fonds Instant Composition, artist in residence, La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland (CH)
2014 ‘Making Space’ Residency, Summer Dancing Festival, artist residency, Decoda at Coventry University
2011 RRR/Switzerland, co-facilitator, artist in residence, PROGR Center for Culture Production, Berne, CH
TEACHING: INDEPENDENT
2021 Moving On The Edge, Exit Map audio guide series for outdoor personal movement practice, London
2020-21 Morning classes, Monday Night Improvisation, Research Lab Independent Dance online, London
2019 Improvising While Black & FAILURE Lab Improspekcije festival (Zagreb) with mayfield brooks
2017 Rupture meets FAILURE Lab at Goldsmith’s (London), weekend workshop with mayfield brooks
2017 FAILURE Lab at Goldsmith’s (London), Interdisciplinary improvisation, weekend workshop
2017 WCCIJam, (West Coast CI Jam, Berkeley, CA) festival teacher
2016 contactfestival Freiburg (Germany), festival teacher
2016 FAILURE Lab at Live Art Bistro (Leeds), Interdisciplinary improvisation, weekend workshop
2016 Contact Improvisation, The Berkeley Jam (USA) Guest Teacher, Saturdays in January 2016
2015 Improvisation Exchange (Leeds), Dance International Glasgow @The Glasgow Jam CI Workshops
2014 Contact Improvisation Workshop, Liverpool Hope University, with Miriam Wolodarski (Berkeley)
2013-14 FAILURE Lab Summerhall (Edinburgh), Ponderosa 2012 (Germany) performance workshops
2011-13 Ponderosa P.O.R.C.H. Summer School Mentor and Facilitator: performance module (Germany)
TEACHING: UNIVERSITY
2020 LIPA Visiting professional on Acting route: 1st year Artistic Practice, 2nd year Movement Direction
2019 Liverpool John Moore’s University Visiting Artist, 3rd Year choreography Student Performance Project
2014-18 Liverpool Hope University Visiting Lecturer, Seminars in Drama, Dance, Creative and Performing Arts
Visiting Lecturer, Dance: Choreography and Performance module (2010)
2010-18 Edge Hill University, Ormskirk (UK), California State University San Marcos (USA), Plymouth University (UK), P.A.S.S. Performing Arts Studio Scotland (Edinburgh), Liverpool John Moore’s University, University of Chester (UK) Visiting Artist, master classes in Dance, Drama, Improvisation, Choreography, Movement for Actors
2014 University of Liverpool, Continuing Education Creative Writing for Performance: FAILURE Lab
2009 Liverpool John Moore’s University Visiting Lecturer, Dance: Contact Improvisation module
SOMATIC DRAMATURGY
2021 Out of the Narrow Place: A Ritual for Black descendants of slaves by Aleasha Chaunte,
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner in support of creative process
2021 Through the Yellow Wallpaper by Deborah Wintle-Escott,
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner in support of creative process
2020-present Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, private practice, individual sessions
CURATION/ORGANISING
2020 PROXIMITY: New directions in art and social repair with Migrant Artists’s Mutual Aid, The Bluecoat Liverpool, online conference
2017 contactfestival Freiburg 2017 on-site performance curator
2017 REMIX residency Curator, Ponderosa Dance and Betonest, Stolzenhagen and Stolpe (Germany)
2013-15 Con|VERGE artist residency Co-curator, co-organiser Ponderosa Dance, Stolzenhagen, (Germany)
2013-14 European Contact Improvisation Teachers’ Exchange ECITE 2014 Ponderosa, Organising Team
2010-14 ‘If Only..!’ Co-Curator, artist-led new performance series, The Bluecoat Liverpool
2010 RAW ROAR RARE Co-organiser, performance conference and festival with Liverpool Improvisation Collective, The Bluecoat Liverpool
EDUCATION
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner training 2017-20, Instytut Terapii Psychosomatycznej (Poland) European Association of Somatic Experiencing certification, body-based trauma therapy
Kiklos Scuola International School of Theatre Creation 2002-04 Lecoq-based pedagogy (Padua, Italy)
Oberlin College 1999, B.A. Visual Art and English Literature, with dance (Oberlin, Ohio, USA)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: DANCE
Experiential Anatomy: Amy Voris BodyCartography Project: Embryology and Nervous System Intensives Embody Move: Body Mind Centering Skeletal System module, contactfestival Freiburg: Teachers’ Meeting and Festival 2014-19, (Germany) intensives with BodyCartography Project, Keith Hennessy, Benoit LeChambre, Eva Karzag, Peter Pleyer & Eszter Gal, Sara Shelton Mann, Nancy Stark-Smith 2005, Andrew Harwood 2006, FRESH Festival 2016 (San Francisco), Kathleen Hermesdorf, Sara Mann, Keith Hennessy, Abby Crain, Violeta Luna, Sherwood Chen, Jess Curtis E.C.I.T.E (European Contact Improvisation Teachers’ Exchange) Germany 2014, Poland 2013, Spain 2011, Finland 2010, Underscore CI Workgroup 2012 Roehampton University (UK), Nancy Stark Smith January Workshop 2012 Earthdance (Plainfield, USA), Ponderosa Tanzland Festival & P.O.R.C.H. Performance module (Germany), 2010-13 Keith Hennessey, Jess Curtis, Miguel Gutierrez, Jules Beckman, David Lakein Summer Dancing Festival (Coventry, UK) Adrian Russi, Charlie Morrissey, JH. Miredin 2010, Eva Karzag, Miranda Tufnell, Chris Crickmay, Emilyn Claid, 2014 B.I.D.E - Barcelona International Dance Exchange 2010, Independent Dance Winlab (London) Lisa Nelson 2009, Frey Faust 2014