What is Prefacemorn?
Prefacemorn is a dance theatre company that works with puppetry, circus, dance, theatre and multimedia in their work. Prefacemorn was founded in 2007 and has been working on and off on different kinds of projects with partners such as Richmix, Chisnehale Dance Space, Candoco and Graeae Theatre. In 2014 Prefacemorn was awarded funding from Arts Council England. Currently Prefacemorn is redesigning their aims and direction in the arts sector. The company wants to focus on integrating immersive technology and virtual reality technology in their work as a tool of access and enhanced immersive experience. In addition Prefacemorn wants to create performances where audio description is not an added layer only to be heard by the visual impaired audiences, but rather an integral part of the artistic content of the work. Prefacemorn wants to bring forth the artistic elements usually only used for visually impaired audiences to be experienced as an art form by everyone.
Aside from the artistic aims, Prefacemorn focuses on creating different structures offering access for disabled and neurodivergent people into the arts. For example prefacemorn wants to make sure anyone who wants to go to theatre, wherever they live, can access live art and performance as well as whoever wants to become a dance artist or physical theatre practitioner is able to find a path to do so.
Prefacemorn is currently in the process of setting up as a charity.
A compilation of different projects Niall Cullen, Prefacemorn’s Artistic Director has been involved in
Who are we?
Niall Cullen:
Founder and artistic director of Prefacemorn
Niall Cullen is a multidisciplinary, disabled choreographer and dancer. He graduated from Brunel in 2001 with a modern drama course degree specialising in experimental dance theatre. Niall furthered his studies at Candoco’s professional training course for disabled dancers.
He is the Creative Director of Preface Morn, an integrated dance theatre company working with disabled and able-bodied performers. PrefaceMorn focuses on making the world inclusive for visually impaired and neurodivergent people. The company aims to dispel body stereotypes and society's taboos through performance. PrefaceMorn also focuses on being a platform for artistic expression and development for its collaborators.
Ella Holappa
Producer and artistic collaborator at Prefacemorn
Ella Holappa is a freelance dance artist. She studied at London Contemporary Dance School (2018-2021) and now works between Finland and the UK. Holappa is part of The MOŸ MOŸ collective and a member of Reality Research Centre. Holappa’s work includes site specific pieces as well as performances in a traditional theatre setting. Holappa is currently working on a DYCP grant developing new methods and tools to navigate the industry as a neurodivergent producer & open up access for other neurodivergent artists. Holappa’s work has been funded by different organisations such as Arts Promotion Center Finland, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Finnish Institute TelepART, KulttuuriKauppila, London Performance Studios, Early Career Space Ugly Duck and Arts Council England. In her work, Holappa is interested in thinking about the conceptual and experiential accessibility of contemporary dance. Holappa is interested in perceiving dance performances as a form of producing knowledge into our world. She sees art has the potential to open people’s minds to seeing the world in different ways. For example she is very interested in the differences between non-verbal and verbal communication and the different amounts of value that are placed on them in our society. She believes dance can unveil the importance of non-verbal communication and the knowledge the body carries kinaesthetically. In her work, she focuses on recognizing and communicating boundaries and maintaining a continuous dialogue on themes related to consent.
Ella Posti
Artistic collaborator at Prefacemorn
Ella Posti is a London-based dance artist, performer, and choreographer originally from Finland. She’s both a BA and MA graduate from London Contemporary Dance School and a founding member of the performer-led R.A.W collective and the artistic support network MOŸ MOŸ collective.
She has worked both in the UK and internationally. Posti has had the pleasure of collaborating with the likes of Hannes Langolf, Theo Clinkard, Tom English, Jenna Jalonen, Benjamin Johnsson, AE company (AΦE) and Routa Company. As choreographer, her independent and collective works have been presented internationally in theaters and festivals including The Place Theatre (UK), Edinburgh Fringe (UK), Dance House Helsinki (FI), Multiple Dance Festival (NOR), Tampere Film Festival (FIN) and Flat Land Dance Film festival (USA).
As a dancer and performer, she enjoys bringing her imagination and inner world into her movement. She is fascinated by the stories, experiences, and histories that our bodies carry, and curious to find ways to let them come through her performance. The process of accessing her most private self through movement excites her. Ella enjoys incorporating theatrical elements and character studies into dance, using voice and words as integral parts of the experience.
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