Matthew Westerby
Matthew Westerby Artistic Director, Dancer, Teaching Artist is originally from the UK and trained at Laban, London. He worked professionally in the UK with Transitions Dance Company, Smallpetitklein, NMO, Celia Grannum and Influx. After relocating to New York in 2005, Matthew performed with Nai-Ni Chen, Dusan Tynek, Risa Jaroslow, Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn, Sue Hogan, Tze Chun, Peter Kyle and Bronwen MacArthur, and was a member of Roland Gebhardt's The Only Tribe.
Westerby works as a freelance choreographer, and has previously shown work in venues in the UK, in Poland, in Connecticut, and in New York at Dance New Amsterdam, Movement Research (at Dance Theater Workshop), Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn and at the Gene Frankel Theater. Most recently, his duet Slow Fall was presented by BAX as part of the Upstart Festival, The Evolve Festival (Tarrytown, NY) and at DNA’s 25th birthday celebration. Westerby is choreographer-in-residence for SHADOW/Light Contemporary Dance Ensemble (Staten Island, NY), a pre-professional dance company. He was also commissioned to make work for Dancewave Company II, Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn, Evolve Dance Company (Tarrytown, NY) and the Dance Department at Naugatuck Valley Community College (CT). He will choreograph an adaptation of The Sleeping Beauty for the Hudson Guild Theatre Company in 2012.
As an international teacher and educator, Westerby has taught classes and led workshops at schools and colleges including Laban, the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, Naugatuck Valley Community College and the International Contemporary Dance Conference & Performance Festival/Silesian Dance Theatre (Poland), as well as working throughout the New York City metro area with all ages in public schools, studio, community and professional settings.