Esther Huss
Esther Huss is a German-British contemporary dance artist and choreographer. She makes work that is responsive to the enviroment it is shown in and adresses social issues such as motherhood and women's treatment in health systems[1]. [2]
Huss co-founded the inclusive dance company Dandelion Collective[3] and is a co-founder and artistic director of The Tute, a community arts venue in Cambois, Northumberland.[4][5]
Her recent work in Northumberland is made with particular contexts in mind such as timber merchants and miner's welfare halls.[6]Her work is responsive to the environment she makes it in and therefore frequently collaborates with academics specialising in landscapes[7]. Reviewers and arts writers note her contributions to both community-engaged dance and site-specific performance.[8][9]
Life and career
Huss was born in the Black Forest region of Germany and moved to the United Kingdom in 2000.[10] She trained at London Studio Centre, where she completed a BA in Theatre Dance in 2003,[11] and later undertook Butoh training with Yoshito Ohno in Yokohama.[12]
From the early 2000s she worked as a freelance dancer, performing in productions including Turandot and Faust at the Royal Opera House. She has collaborated with choreographers such as Jacky Lansley, appearing in several projects presented at venues including Modern Art Oxford.[13]
Huss co-founded the inclusive dance company Dandelion Collective, which ran for more than a decade.[14] After relocating to Northumberland in 2019, she shifted her focus toward interdisciplinary and site-specific work. In 2020 she co-established The Tute, a community arts organisation based in the former Cambois Miners’ Welfare Institute, where she serves as joint CEO and artistic director.[5][4]
Her work in the region has been noted for its community engagement and use of industrial and rural spaces.[8] A 2023 feature in The Guardian highlighted her role in developing participatory dance and arts projects in Cambois and the surrounding area.[4]
Selected works
- The Shore is Our Oyster (2025), dance film directed by Katja Roberts.[15]
- Hips & Skins (2024), interdisciplinary collaboration with Jacky Lansley; presented at The Tute and Dance Research Studio.[16][17]
- Beneath Us (2023), performance commissioned for a disused lead mine by the Northumberland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
- Stairwall – The Things We Find (2022), a touring interdisciplinary work combining dance, visual art and music; described in regional coverage as a piece engaging with North East industrial heritage.[18][8]
- Stairwall – The Things We Climb (2021), performance created for The Tute.
- Suited (2021), solo work presented at Dance City, Newcastle.
Publications
- Huss, Esther. “Scoring Dark Ecologies: The Secret Dance of the Seaweed.” Cultural Geographies in Practice (2025).[19]
- Huss, Esther. “Performing Rurality: Lucy Suggate, Julie Cleves and Robbie Synge, and Esther Huss.” Motor Dance Journal 2 (2023): 140–141.[20]
- Huss, Esther. “Becoming Us: Finding solidarity across difference.” Performance Research 27, no. 5 (2023): 96–110.[21]
References
- ↑ "Interview with Alex Oates & Esther Huss of 2024 arts festival Rude Health". www.culturecalling.com. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ↑ "News and Events – Dance Research Studio". Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ↑ "Alex Oates and Esther Huss - Rude Health Interview". Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Winship, Lyndsey (2023-04-25). "'Mam, show us your interpretive dance!' How a former mining village got into the groove". The Guardian.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "About Us". The Tute. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
- ↑ InNewcastle (2022-10-17). "Moving dance tribute to the North East's heritage reinvigorates industrial communities". Home. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ↑ "Dance of the Seaweed | School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape | Newcastle University". www.ncl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Two dates left to see 'Stairwall – the things we find' by Esther Huss". Culture Northumberland. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
- ↑ Wolfe, Lisa (2025-12-16). "Toot Tute". Total Theatre. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ↑ Johnson, Naomi (12/10/2025). "Interview: Esther Huss". The Voice Mag. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "Artist Development Bursary: Stairwall". Dance City. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
- ↑ "CV". ESTHER HUSS. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ↑ "The Free Artist? – Esther Huss". Dance Research Studio. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
- ↑ "Interview: Esther Huss and Alex Oates on Rude Health". Beyond the Curtain. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
- ↑ "Esther Huss". First Night Magazine. 2025-10-27. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
- ↑ Frankel, Dora (2024-10-18). "Theatre Review: Hips&Skins". British Theatre Guide.
- ↑ "News and Events – Dance Research Studio". Retrieved 2025-11-18.
- ↑ Frankel, Dora (2022-11-06). "Theatre Review: Stairwall – the things we find". British Theatre Guide.
- ↑ Veal, Charlotte. "Cultural Geographies in Practice". Cultural Geographies in Practice: 1–13 – via Sage Journals.
- ↑ Dammers, Katy (2023-11). "Duets and Dialogues". Motor Dance Journal (2): 140–141. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Lansley, Jacky (2023-05-12). "Becoming Us". Performance Research. 27 (5): 96–110. doi:10.1080/13528165.2022.2160909.
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