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All Play is a dance theatre company who perform in any setting, teach workshops to a large range of participants and choreograph original work on any group.

Formed in 2006 by Vanessa Cook and Nikki O'Hara All Play believe that playing games is a perfect and accessible starting point from which dance can be made or taught.

Nikki and Vanessa's working relationship started in 2001 when they first started touring and performing together. They are a complimentary female duo who make physical, raw and witty work. Most refreshingly, All Play have the ability to laugh at themselves and the human condition.

Nikki O'Hara

Nikki graduated from Bird College with a first class degree in Dance and Theatre Performance. She has since worked with Motionhouse Dance Theatre, (devising and touring Fearless, Volatile and Perfect), and Footwerk Productions (directed by Helen Parlor).

Nikki is currently working with Wired Aerial Theatre touring Handmade/ Manmade and other pieces for corporate events, most recently opening The O2 Centre as part of The Greenwich and Docklands Festival.

Nikki also holds a PGCE qualification in further education and has a varied teaching career in secondary and further/ higher education vocational establishments, including Bird College, Performers College and The Royal Ballet School teaching contemporary, jazz and contact improvisation as well as teaching and choreographing around Europe.

Also part of the central teaching team for the ISTD, Nikki has devised the new Advanced 2 Modern syllabus for boys. Nikki has established a boys' youth dance company who enjoyed a small scale tour of Hampshire in 2005, an Elite Dance Company at secondary level and has worked with young people at risk in several contexts.

Nikki choreographed and won the Southern Grand final of Global Rock Challenge in 2005, has enjoyed a successful performance for The Queen in the same year, and has been commissioned to work with and choreograph for youth companies such as Hed:Strong and Phase One.

Vanessa Cook

Vanessa completed an English/Philosophy degree at Leeds University and travelled the world before she decided to pursue a career in contemporary dance. After a year's training at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Vanessa freelanced with a number of companies including Phoenix Dance Company.

Her next five years were spent touring and teaching in the UK and Europe with Motionhouse Dance Theatre.

The most challenging and rewarding long-term teaching project in which she was involved was 'Dancing Inside', which took place in HMP Dovegate (she has published an article describing the project on article19.co.uk) Returning to freelance status, she has enjoyed making work and touring with Collision and is a core member of Wired Aerial Theatre, a bungee-assisted dance company.

This year has given Vanessa the opportunity to teach or choreograph in a variety of settings; Warwick University, De Montford University, Anjali Dance Company, C-Scape, Brits School and Shenley Court School. She has also enjoyed acting as rehearsal director for Motionhouse' current touring piece 'Driven'.

Vanessa has a keen interest in developing her skills when travelling abroad. She has taught dance and literacy in South Africa, trained in Vienna at Impulstanz and recently trained with Damian Munoz in Barcelona. She has been awarded the Lisa Ullman Travel Scholarship to travel to Israel to hone her contact skills at an international festival.