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'Cook's performance is both raw and nuanced'
All Edinburgh Theatre
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'A beautiful, empowering and encouraging teacher'
Emily Nicholl - circus artist and workshop participant
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'Not only is she brilliant in movement directing, but she is also incredibly inclusive and caring in her practice'
Joana Dias - circus artist and cast of Hold Fast by Ellie Dubois
SERVICES
PERFORMER
Gabbie is a dance and circus artist specialised in contemporary dance, acrobatics and Chinese pole; working as a performer, teacher and movement director. She started artistic gymnastics at a young age and competed to an elite level before going on to train at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, graduating in 2014.
Throughout her career she has worked for a variety of Dance, Circus and Physical Theatre companies covering a broad spectrum of performance genres. She has toured work nationally and internationally for theatre audiences, street theatre festivals and under the circus big top at Glastonbury and Shambala Festival. Previous shows with UK companies include work by Acrojou, Becky Namgauds, Tom Dale Company, Pirates of the Carabina, Scarabeus Aerial and James Wilton Dance.
Most recently, she has been performing in The Company of Wolves at the New Vic Theatre, directed by Vicki Amedume and Theresa Heskins. She also work with various companies in Spain including, award winning company DelsAltres and all-female Catalunya-based collective Capicua.
She has also worked extensively in children’s theatre, beginning with a Swedish tour with Region Teatern, in 2016/17, before moving on to work with Superfan (Glasgow), and most recently at The Place (London) with Dance and Theatre company Anatomical.
Her personal work has been presented at Glastonbury Festival, Bristol Circus City, Circarte (Alicante) and The Lowry. Other projects include co-directing and starring in feature length film ’These Things Aren’t Mine' in collaboration with Barney White which premiered at Bristol Circus City 2023, and immersive multi-disciplinary solo ‘Girl with a Curl’ which is currently in development.
ACRODANCE
CHINESE POLE
DANCE AND PERFORMANCE
TEACHER
ACRODANCE AND CHINESE POLE INTENSIVES
PREVIOUS WORKSHOPS
2Faced Dance, NoFit State Circus, TripSpace, Circomedia, Accademia Dimitri (Switzerland), Institut de Teatre and Emotion Bodies (Barcelona), CREAT (Valencia), Movement Andalusi (Granada), Espacio Zukric and La UNSAM (Buenos Aires), Invisible Circus, Mimbre and Fourth Monkey.
Teaching is a huge part of her practice and her workshops have been requested by several higher-education institutions and professional companies. She is currently the main teacher for Chinese pole and Acrodance at CREAT circus school and will be soon offering summer intensives at Accademia Dimitri and B12 Festival.
Gabbie has an analytical approach which focuses on first gaining control and moving freely within the basic forms. What she considers ‘the basics’ will depend on the level of each participant, whom she tries to challenge accordingly. She enjoys breaking down the technique so that participants feel safe and confident whilst training, with the aim that participants leave her workshops with more knowledge; empowering them to train successfully without a teacher.
In both Acro dance and Chinese pole, she feels it’s important to understand where to put the tension or resistance in our bodies, in order to be able to release in other parts and let gravity do the work. Her approach focuses on momentum, how to create and harness it. Working towards a sense of lightness within the technique, and discovering new transitions and rhythm changes.
During the workshops, participants can expect a warm-up that builds an awareness of the whole body, specific conditioning exercises to prevent injury, techincal training, guided improvisations and learning choreographed sequences.
The goal is to broaden their technical vocabulary, refine their movement quality and practice moving with intention. Gabbie’s aim is for participants to move fluidly and dynamically, and be able to apply the technique and movement explorations to their creative process.
MOVEMENT DIRECTOR
Gabbie works with dance and circus companies and individual artists to develop expressive and intentional movement and acrobatics, in-line with the theatrical context of their work.
She caters her approach to each project, depending on the skill set of the cast and the creative ambition of the work. As well as providing movement direction and choreography, she can incorporate skill development into warm-up exercises, whether that be for acrobats needing to develop movement skills or vice versa when working with dancers.
Being a dance and circus artist, she brings expertise and first-hand experience from both fields, allowing her to create with sensitivty for how the two art forms interact, and be in touch with what the artists may need during each process. Whether it be for a full-length show or a bespoke act.
Gabbie has provided acrobatic consultation for Kamala Devam company, offering techinque classes in acrodance and partnering, and creative direction to incorporate the skills into the work. She has also provided movement direction and choreography for Charmaine Childs (Strong Lady Productions), Ellie Dubois, Hikapee Theatre, Mimbre Acrobats and Many Hands Circus.