Rachel Canavan
copperdot founder/owner & artistic director
Rachel graduated with a first-class degree from Brighton University in Dance & Visual Art, after a scholarship in Dance at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts where she graduated with distinction. It was in Liverpool where she realised her love for contemporary dance and it was a natural transition from competitive gymnastics.
She studied at Leeds College of Art and Design and embarked on her journey through contemporary dance, taking classes at Northern Contemporary and Yorkshire Dance. She later worked with RJC Dance Company on Tour and realised her passion for dance. She left Leeds for Brighton, the only institution at the time fusing Dance with Visual Art and she began to discover contemporary dance, interdisciplinary collaboration, site specific performance, installation and screen-based dance.
Rachel was lucky enough to be taught by Liz Aggiss, Laurie Booth, Carol Brown, Annie Pui Ling Lok and Charlie Morrisey each artist heavily influencing her practice. Following her degree she won the Burt, Brill and Carden’s Award for outstanding achievement and excellence and was commissioned as an Elevator Dance Artist by the National Review of Live Art in Glasgow. She was a finalist in the Dazed and Confused D&AD New Blood & Topshop, Re-Creation Awards and following her first commission she then worked as part of the team with internationally acclaimed dance artist Liz Aggiss on the screen dance commissions for Capture, ‘Anarchic Variations’ and the ‘Men in The Wall’. Rachel was later taught by Franz von Habsburg FBKS at the Brighton Film School on a year, long Graduate Diploma in film and photography which enabled her to work professionally in London.
Refraction Choreographed and Directed by Rachel Canavan and Performed by Ireen Kurvers (2003)
Rachel is qualified to teach Women’s Artistic Gymnastics and has taught elite level gymnasts for many years. Her experience in gymnastics training has supplemented both her work as dancer and as a Physiotherapist. Rachel has worked at Dance East Centre of Advanced Training, her passions lie with creating innovative programs optimising fitness and skills for dancers to cope with the choreographic demands put on upon them.
One of her most enjoyable experiences was preparing dancers to meet the demands of Jasmine Vardimon’s choreography as part of the Centre of Advanced Training. Rachel is a Certified Level 3 APPI Clinical Pilates instructor with a special interest in dance, she uses contemporary dance technique, Pilates for dancers, standing Pilates and Therapeutic Yoga to create programs that vary in intensity. As a physiotherapist Rachel also works with injury prevention and rehabilitation, her clients include those with acute injuries or longstanding musculoskeletal pain as well as dancers.
Moth, Choreographed and Directed by Rachel Canavan and Performed by Rebecca Hollis (2017) 
SALT (2019) Choreographed and Directed by Rachel Canavan, model Florence Eade Rachel has been supported by StartEast and Arts Council England to develop her individual practice, some of this work extended to her Dance And Parkinson’s group who worked with The Mark Morris Company as part of the UK tour Pepperland. Later Rachel was invited as a Dance Artist to train with Russell Maliphant and Adam Benjamin where she danced with the company artists learning Silent Lines. The artists then came to work with the Parkinson’s Group.
Salt, is a Screen Dance and a pilot project to test the camera work, gimble and some new ideas. It was a brief exploration and one of her first indoor endeavours for a while. Salt was presented at the Water Rats in London in October 2019, which was part of Ensembles Short and Sweet platform for 25 national and international professional artists.
Rachel works from Copperdot as a Dance Artist and Physiotherapist. She works with acute, chronic and elite musculoskeletal conditions, working with functional training principles, she collaborates with sports scientists and uses her dance medicine practice to form the basis of many rehabilitation methods..
At present she is developing a number of strands of her practice. These include Artistic Direction and Leadership through a project called ‘Invitations’. Rachel is inviting professional dance artists and creators at particular stages in their career to begin to explore their journeys together. She hopes that new collaborations will be ignited and is encouraging the sharing of practice.
She is a further developing her Individual Artistic Practice and development of Screen Dance.
‘Violet’, was recently presented at the Autumn Festival of Norfolk, Dance into the Fall, produced by Rebecca Chapman. ‘Violet’ was the first time members of Timeless Stories danced live. The members of the group have a variety of movement challenges. They train weekly in dance practice with Rachel to target these challenges.
‘Landings’ Is the platform for Rachel’s current investigation into more than ten years of choreographic practice.
Like many dancers who have de-conditioned during the pandemic Rachel is also having to retrain her body to meet the demands of her choreography. She is somewhere on that journey and is rehabilitating following the birth of her third baby. Rachel works with many mothers who dance for a living, who are on similar journeys of rehabilitation.
SALT (2019) Choreographed and Directed by Rachel Canavan, model Florence Eade 
'Violet' 2023 Choreographed and Directed by Rachel Canavan
'Violet' 2023 Choreographed and Directed by Rachel Canavan
'Violet' 2023 Choreographed and Directed by Rachel Canavan
Rachel and No3 returning to practice, or at least trying! (2021)'Landings' 2023 Choreographed and Directed by Rachel Canavan