Dancer, Photographer, Choreographer, Teacher & Rehearsal Director

I’m Olivia Wallis Jackson, a 24-year-old British-German Contemporary Dancer, Choreographer, Photographer, Teacher and Rehearsal Director, currently based in Hampshire but working across the South and in London.

Most recently I worked with DownTown Pompey as a Freelance Dance Artist on Sticky Floors and Palm Trees, an immersive theatre show utilising dance, theatre, cabaret & drag. As well as being a dancer on the project I was given the role of Movement Assistant and took responsibility as the leader of the movement team.

In late 2022, I was a part of two 5 week R&Ds for choreographers Michael Getman & Jonathan Fredrickson in Italy where I was a dancer in the inaugural session of Nuova X in Turin, Italy. This time allowed me to dive into their processes of exploration and creation, while discovering more depth to my own. I am excited to engage more with my own creative process over 2024.

Throughout the course of my training & career I have worked with artists & companies such as Luke Brown Dance, Michael Getman, Jonathan Fredrickson, Samm Anga, Hannah Martin, Morvell Dance, Alleyne Dance, Charles Linehan, Feargus O’Conchuir, Tony Thatcher, SeroRos, Sabrina Gargano & Shobana Jeyasingh.

Alongside performance, I also work as a dance photographer. Some highlights have been photographing Lost Dog’s Summer Residency and artists from Resolution Festival for New Choreography 2023 & 2024. In addition, I work with dancers in outdoor settings to photograph their improvisation, creating images used in their portfolios.

I engage with community dance work as rehearsal director for Orb Youth Dance Co, under Artistic Director Luke Brown and alongside Creative Producer Oliver Webb. Furthermore I teach Adults, Teenagers and Children Contemporary Dance Technique at Basingstoke Academy of Dancing and previously was a role model for vulnerable young people at Wessex Academy of Dance.

I am an alumnus of Nuova X, at Nuova Officina della Danza in Torino, Italy – where I worked with world renowned choreographers Jonathan Fredrickson, Michael Getman and Tom Weinberger. I graduated with First-Class Honours from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in 2021. I am also an alumnus of Trinity Laban’s CAT Scheme (2013-2018) and Hampshire Youth Dance Company (2016-2018) and was the first female dancer in Orb Youth Dance Co in 2022.

Outside of my work I enjoy studying languages and reading. Currently I am studying German and Korean and while working in Italy, practiced Italian for 3 months. I am to become fluent in second and third language with greater language learning and travelling goals for the future.