Claire Cunningham is a multi-disciplinary performer and choreographer based in Glasgow.
Originally a classically-trained singer, she began to work in dance in 2005, after working with Jess Curtis (US/Berlin), who kindled her interest in movement. This led to her pursuing her own training with various practitioners, including a mentorship with Bill Shannon (aka The Crutchmaster) and the development of her own movement vocabulary based around the skills specifically created by her physical impairment/physicality and her use of crutches.
Her work is rooted in the use/misuse, study and distortion of crutches as functional and aesthetic objects. She was awarded a Herald Angel Award in the 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe for her solo show ME(Mobile/Evolution) and recently voted one of the Cultural Leadership Programme’ top 50 ‘Women to Watch’ in the UK arts and cultural sector. Her upcoming projects include a large scale dance commission for Candoco Dance Company in 2012 as part of the Cultural Olympiad.
