Lola Maury

The sensorial concentration of the spectator and their states of presence are the underlying lines of my PHD research. Through practice, I question the preparation or sensory welcoming of the audience, from the moment they see a show announced on a brochure, to the moment they enter the theatre.
In a search of giving increased value to the body of the spectator and of promoting gratification of inner awareness, I experiment with preambles or protocols to suggest a shift of attention in the spectator, to bring their awareness to their body, to allow them to acclimatise to the performance space and to invite them towards contemplation before their encounter with the performers. I am currently curious to put my choreographic practice in dialogue with expressions such as ‘arriving in the space’, ‘grounding oneself’, ‘tuning into’ or ‘becoming available’ and to notice how these expressions might inform my reflections on the spectator.

French dance artist, researcher and lecturer, with one foot in the UK (London) and the other in France (Lyon), I co-host since 2018, the Cellules D'essai, days of experimentation and sharing of practices, funded by the Rhône-Alpes region. I have been part of Le Croiseur’s steering committee, supporting emerging dance artists, from 2018 to 2021. 

I am a sessional lecturer in composition at London Contemporary Dance School and occasionally teach in other institutions, including the Centre de Formation Désoblique in Lyon, Le Pacifique / CDCN de Grenoble, CND Lyon.

My professional development includes: Artist in residence at the National Centre for Dance in Lyon (FR) in 2020/21 season; Surf the Wave, Artist as Entrepreneur (2018); The Place’s Hot House (2014) for early career choreographers mentored by Peggy Olislaegers & paired with producer Helen Goodman; Deustche Bank Award for Contemporary Dance (2008).

I have created and toured, with support from Arts Council England: Two To Tune (2014) commissioned by The Place, selected for French national platform ‘La Grande scene des PSO 2016’; Figurines (2016) toured to Triratna Buddhist Centres as part of an audience development activity, engaging people interested in meditation; Brouhaha (2019) commissioned by Theatre in the Mill, with support from The Place, Yorkshire Dance, Dance City, Dance4, DanceEast, Hull Truck and La Briqueterie; Brouhaha2 (2022) funded by DRAC Auvergne-Rhône Alpes, commissioned by CND Lyon, Le Pacifique / CDCN de Grenoble and CCN Rillieux-la-Pape/ direction Yuval Pick, with additional support from Dance4 and RAMDAM, un centre d’art. My next creation, Is this a dance?—a piece for young audiences, co-created with Eva Recacha and co-produced by The Place—will premiere in October 2022.

I grew up in Paris and Madrid before moving to London in 2005 where I studied at London Contemporary Dance School (BA dance) and Central School of Speech and Drama (MA Performance Practice and Research).