Originally a classically trained singer, Claire Cunningham worked for six years in musical theatre with Sounds of Progress, before developing an interest in aerial work and movement in 2005, largely as a result of work with Blue Eyed Soul Dance and choreographer Jess Curtis, who introduced her to Contact Improvisation. She has received a Creative Scotland Award and a DaDa (Disability and Deaf Arts) Award for Performance Arts. A student of Shannon Technique — a movement style created around the use of crutches developed by Bill Shannon (aka The Crutchmaster) — she has been invited to participate in workshops with Lloyd Newson, Candoco Dance Co (with Nigel Charnock and Hofesh Shechter) and most recently to give a demonstration of her unique dance vocabulary to Peter Brook and his company. She is a member of Jess Curtis/Gravity, touring in the award-winning Under The Radar, and the newly formed Stumble danceCircus. Her latest work, mobile (a solo dance/aerial piece), was a commission for DaDaFest International 2008 (the largest disability arts festival in the UK).
