A woman in a wheelchair is being lifted by another woman

A person with angel wings is sitting on a drum

A man and a woman are dancing tango in a dark room.

A man and a woman are holding hands in the water.

A woman is balancing a ball on a horse 's leg

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Marie - Louise Flexen is a highly creative individual who is passionate about delivering work of outstanding quality within the arts and creative health & wellbeing sectors. She offers

30 years of experience in the expert field of dance and performance, with a specialism in collaboration & combined arts. She is available for commissions and projects on a rolling basis, as an independent freelancer, Primarily working across

Gloucestershire, Wiltshire & Oxfordshire.

Biog

Marie-Louise is a seasoned professional dance artist, performer, and award-winning choreographer with 30 years of experience

In 2015, she was honored with a Dance UK Award for being an inspiring leader of the future. A finalist for the prestigious contemporary choreography award, The Place Prize, in 2005 and nominated for a Total Theatre Award in 2007, Marie-Louise has led numerous Arts Council-funded projects and commissions for a variety of thrilling collaborations and her own productions since 2003. Currently she is movement director and choreographer with NPO Mandala Theatre Company, Oxford & is a core member of

Hook and Loop Collective ,Gloucestershire. She toured the UK with the rhythm tap dance company Sole Rebel and participated in several projects with Swindon Dance's resident company Swerve Dance Theatre 2013 to 2018. From 1994 to 2002 She was a core company dancer with the internationally acclaimed Seven Sisters Group, whose innovative productions were programmed at venues such as The Royal Opera House, Royal Festival Hall, The National Theatre, St Pancras Chambers, V&A Museum, Selfridges,

The Place Theatre, and train stations across Europe. Following this, she performed with dance company El Paller in Catalunya.

Throughout her career, Marie-Louise has worked extensively as a freelance performer with independent choreographers and directors, including Yael Flexer, Rosemary Lee, Andrew Tidmarsh RSC, Lila Diallo, Helen Crocker & Robert Hyllton, Tony Adigun, and Mehrdad Seyf 30 Bird Productions and Peter Anderson.

Marie-Lou’s is also a vintage song and dance performer and The Mary Lou Revue, has become recognised for delivering engaging, top-notch performances that appeal to a wide audience that has been awarded ACE funding for two tours, Bedside Cabaret & Bandstand Cabaret. She has created performances with horses alongside seasoned equestrian Melanie Fauske, and has choreographed and performed with Curious Company for over 20 years with outdoor productions such as Mr Wippy & the Conette’s, Alice & Mr Chirrups Global Bug Safari, and The Little Mermaid, an aqua spectacle featuring dance and synchronized swimmers. Her work in the entertainment industry includes diverse clients such as the BBC, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Pierre Cardin, Yves Laurent, and Star Cruises Asia, among others. Marie-Louise has entertained at numerous celebrity events, parties, award ceremonies, film premieres, and music concerts, including performances with Sparks and Jarvis Cocker. With many years of experience in teaching dance, she leads inclusive dance practices and specializes in dance movement for the elderly and individuals living with dementia.

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What's Happening

Bird Nerd & The Red List

Funded by The Arts Council England

Development, supported by Hawkwood College & The Francis W Reckitt Arts Trust & Swindon Dance.

'Bird Nerd & The Red List' follows the journey of the birdwatcher as they embody four different birds; Lark, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Swift and Nightingale. It offers a fascinating exploration through dance, music, sound and spoken word. Performed and created by Marie-Louise Flexen with a sound track by Steven Skinley costume by Katie Taylor,tap choreography by Hannah Ballard of Sole Rebel & dramaturge by Susie Donkin of Spitz & Co

The piece is suitable for all ages, it will be approx 40 minutes duration and we can source an additional post show bird talk or participatory creative activity for you if you like. The piece also highlights ways to take action to support these endangered birds. Future performances of the piece include, Swindon Dance , Stroud Arts Festival with Stroud Valleys Project, Wiltshire Music - Celebrating Age programme, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust's Hillfest, Festival of Nature National Trust - Tinkley Gate, Dancin Oxford & further performances & community workshops throughout 2025 - 26 to follow.

Mandala Theatre Company

Marie-Louise works on choreography & movement direction at

Mandala Theatre Company ( NPO ) Oxford.

Mandala Theatre Company To find out more about this company and the amazing work they do please visit http://mandalatheatre.co.uk

Swindon Dance

Associate Artist Programme 24- 26

Education, Creative Health & Wellbeing

Marie-Louise Flexen is an experienced dance, creative movement teacher and facilitator. One Dance UK awarded her a South-West 'inspiring leader of the future' Working freelance Marie-Louise facilitates dance across a wide range of community settings for children, teens , young adults & adults .She has extensive experience of delivery in creative health and well being, participatory arts and inclusive practice. She has reached hundreds of people who face disabling barriers such as physical and learning, dementia, frailty, addiction recovery & mental health. She has worked with disadvantage children, ex offenders, refugees & children in referral school. Marie-Louise leads InterdepenDance ( IDance ) with Cirencester Dance Club, a creative dance, movement & social session for adults with disability & neurodiversity that is funded by Barnwood Trust.

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With Johnny Charles Kilminster

You got good Ideas Mary-Lou,

This is going to be brilliant

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Intergenerational Dance Performance

Youth Dance & Physical Theatre Projects

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Reviews

Marie-Lou combines a high level of performance skills with excellent person-centred practice. Her approach is very empowering for participants who become genuinely engaged in a creative experience rather than being passive recipients of entertainment.

Diane Amans Independent Dance Artist / Professional Development Consultant

As support workers we currently have four residents between our two houses that attend a dance class with Marie -Lou. All are autistic but two also have very impaired Vision , one of whom is in a wheelchair. The classes have had such a big impact on our guys socially for interactions, self esteem, self confidence and physically with improved mobility, stamina and ability to work alongside others to meet the same goals. Our resident who is in a wheelchair has a noticeable improvement in the range of arm movements he can make and that is all down to the dance teachers and the support of this group. Every week the ladies and gent that we support look forward to coming, often telling friends and families that they have dance on Friday which is great as it helps focus their week on what they are doing and what they can look forward to.Marie Louise and Louise have both been fab at encouraging and teaching our residents to have the confidence to learn, enjoy and be proud of what they achieve. We hope this class continues as it is such a valuable resource to us and the people we support

Angela and Jill - Support workers, Prospect Place Cirencester.

CLIENT LIST

Mandala Theatre Company
Open Arms Collective
The Velcro Collective
IID inclusive integrated dance
Prema Arts Centre
Flexi Hub - Education Cooperative Stroud
Cirencester Dance Club
Paternosta school
Order of St Johns Care Trust homes.
Horsfall House care home
Ashgrove care home
Reach Incluisive
Swindon Dance
Bath Dance
Gloucestershire Youth Co
South Gloucestershire Co
Chelt & Tewkes Dance Co
L'ouveture Educational Trust London.
The River Severn Project,
National Star College
GDance.
Bournside school
Braydon Forset school
Stroud Schools project
MJUK
Roses Theatre
Bath Spa University Performing Arts Degree

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Dance in Care Settings

Inclusive Dance

https://cirendanceclub.org.uk/interdepen-dance/

I Work With

Hook & Loop Collective

Interactive and joyful ways to connect with creativity & nature

https://thevelcrocollective.com
Mandala Theatre Company

Joining people together to empower enlighten and transform

https://www.mandalatheatre.co.uk
Curious Company

Curious entertainment for exceptional
events. Down the rabbit hole

https://curiouscompany.co.uk
The Mary Lou Revue

Fabulous, fun & classy vintage song & dance for events & occasions

www.themarylourevue.com