Paula Hampson and Andrea Buckley have much in common; Merseyside born and bred, Laban Centre trained, accomplished dancers, improvisers and choreographers and widely regarded as two of the most exciting talents on the dance scene today.


Andrea Buckley and Paula Hampson are both currently supported by Dance Northwest National Dance Agency through their Dance Management Services Scheme.

Kathryn Locke (musician W.I.S.H.) began playing the cello at the age of 20 and, armed only with vague memeories of childhood music lessons, she taught herself to play. She has developed a uniquely innovative approach to playing and writing: personal, percussive and compeeling personal, percussive and compelling. She has worked extensively with dance including projects with Diversions (the national dance company of Wales),Fin Walker, The Cullberg Ballet of Sweden, and the Arts Council / South Bank Centre / Place Theatre initiative The Exchange. Other current projects involve arranging and performing with the highly-rated Manchester-based band, Lamb, whose second CD Fear of Fours is released in February 1999 and working on a suite for solo cello, Speechless .

Sianed Jones (musician Gulp! and A String of Pearls) has been described as a Welsh banshee punk queen of noise, who plays distorted funk hoe-down fiddle and has a voice to die for. Exceptional and versatile voice... jaw-droppingly beautiful and original The Scotsman. Specialising in extended vocal techniques, Sianed has worked as a composer / performer in cross art form projects collaborating with choreographers, writers, film-makers and performance artists. Recent commissions include an experimental film score for Singing the Horizon (film-maker Martin Sercombe), a sound score performed live for Suffolk Dance with Paula Hampson (She Says), and a composition for Big Sky choir based in Norwich. A book and CD collaboration with performance writer chris cheek, Songs from Navigation, has just been published and her visual and sound installation CARTHEN has been previewed at the Soundworks Exchange. Sianed has just completed a Masters Degree in Electro-acoustic Composition at the University of East Anglia.

Stirling Steward (dancer, W.I.S.H.) trained at London Contemporary Dance School, immediately following which she spent 6 months travelling in America studying with Joan Skinner and Stephanie Skura amongst others. Since returning to England she has worked with m.e. parker, Kate Willis Dance Company and Susan Kozel, as well as presenting "the beginning of something", a solo created with performer Carole Meier in February 1998.

Jo Pocock (designer W.I.S.H.) is a multi-disciplinary artist / designer, whose work ranges from sculptural musical instruments to giant puppets and carnival costume. She has worked for a number of different companies including Welfare State International, Horse and Bamboo Theatre, Walk the Plank, The English Shakespeare Company and is currently touring with Cultural Industry's acclaimed production, Shockheaded Peter.

Jo and Andrea met in 1995 when she designed the set for Andreas solo dance Murmur which toured to venues in the North West.

Phil Saunders (Technical Manager) has been lighting dance for many years, working with Gregory Nash, Sue MacLennan, The Cholmondeleys, Claire Russ, Fishpool, Paula Hampson Dance Company and Andrea Buckley Company. He is Technical Manager at The Unity Theatre, Liverpool.