Company Chameleon started when Anthony Missen and Kevin Edward Turner met at Trafford Youth Dance Theatre in the mid-1990s. Two ordinary lads from Manchester, they shared an ambition to dance professionally. After developing their talent at Trafford, they went on to train with the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, and after graduating travelled and worked with some of the world’s most innovative dance companies and choreographers.
They came home in 2007 with the aim of setting up their own dance company – and Company Chameleon was born. Today, Company Chameleon tours internationally, staging over 50 indoor and outdoor performances every year. Wherever we perform, we lead a dance class or a workshop. As a result, we have introduced thousands of young people, from countries all over the world, to a different side of dance and movement. In 2019, Company Chameleon welcomed Dame Darcey Bussell on board as the Company’s first-ever Patron.
Kevin Edward Turner
Co-Artistic Director
Kevin started dancing at the age of eight with Trafford Youth Dance Theatre. Here, his love for dance was born and he learned improvisation, contact improvisation and creative dance. His formal studies were at the Northern school of Contemporary Dance. As an undergraduate Kevin performed and choreographed with the National Youth Dance Company and graduated with a first-class honours’ degree.
Kevin’s professional engagements include working with Rambert Dance Company, Scottish Dance Theatre, Phoenix Dance Theatre, CassaniDance, Rubberbandancegroup (Canada), Henri Oguike Dance Company, Company Decalage, Mad Dogs Dance Theatre, Finn Walker and Roda. He has worked as an independent artist in collaboration with Gansango in Seattle, Crossfade in Budapest and Navala Chaudhari in London. He has taught in most major British contemporary dance institutions, as well as in Canada, USA, Hungary, Trinidad and Tobago, South Korea, South Africa and all-over continental Europe.
Kevin co-founded Company Chameleon in 2007 and has since created, performed, led, directed, produced, taught and facilitated performances, masterclasses, workshops, residences, interventions and participatory projects nationally and internationally.
By invitation, Kevin has featured in several television programmes and documentaries including BBC One’s Going Back, Giving Back in 2016 and BBC Two’s Dancing to Happiness with Darcey Bussell in 2018, which explored how dance can improve your mental health.
Kevin is a passionate advocate for the positive impact of dance on overall health and wellbeing and as a result has vast experience delivering workshops in many different settings from hospitals and care units to prisons and young offenders’ institutions. He has been invited to speak at various symposiums and conferences such as TEDX on the transformative power of dance and its relationship with health, wellbeing and mental health.
His stage production Witness, which drew from his own personal journey of living with bi-polar disorder, was received with critical acclaim being praised for its honesty and courage and for creating a totally original view of mental health through dance and movement.
As an award-winning dance artist, Kevin has been awarded the dance web scholarship in 2007 under the framework of Impulstanz and in 2016 won a residency at Impulstanz after winning the dance improvisation battle Rhythm is a Dancer.
In 2017, Kevin was commissioned by Manchester City Council and Library Live to create a significant site-specific work at Manchester Central Library. The Company’s biggest commission to date, the production featured a cast of 65 multi-disciplinary artists. The work went on to be nominated and shortlisted at the Manchester Culture Awards 2018 for Best Performance.
Anthony Missen
Co-Artistic Director
Anthony Missen is a Clore Fellow, a Without Walls Board Director, a member of the Greater Manchester Culture Steering Group, an Executive Member of Dance Consortia North West, a member of The UK Dance network, and part of the Manchester Cultural Leaders group. He is a founding Director of New Movement Collective and co-founder of Company Chameleon.
He received formal training at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and went onto dance with companies including Scottish Dance Theatre, Mad Dogs Dance Theatre, Cie. Willi Dorner (Vienna), and choreographers including Rui Horta, Didi Veldman and Liv Lorent.
Movement Direction credits include Dundee Rep Theatres production of Playhouse Creatures (2007) & Romeo and Juliet (2008), Oresteia at HOME Manchester (2015), Terra, the first National Theatre connections play to incorporate movement (2019), and Alice for HOME Manchester 2021.
He was the series Director for the BBC one drama series “Everything I Know About Love” by Dolly Alderton (2021/22)
Anthony has taught in most major British contemporary dance institutions, to several professional dance companies and in many countries including South Africa, Ethiopia, Israel, Trinidad, Morocco, Sweden, Spain, France, Italy, Germany and Austria. He has led many Choreographic and skills-based Residencies.
He has worked as a facilitator for The National Theatre for their Theatre Nation Partnerships programme.
David Colley
Company Dancer
David first worked with Company Chameleon in 2011. As a member of male youth dance company, Fuzzy Logic, he performed in a curtain raiser choreographed by Anthony & Kevin. Years later after graduating from London Contemporary Dance School he came on board as a post graduate apprentice dancer and upon the completion of that apprenticeship in 2016, began touring globally with the Company. David is heavily involved with the delivery of the company’s outreach work and has also taken on various choreographic projects including the making of his own curtain raiser performance for Chameleon’s ’10’ and pieces for Chameleon Youth seniors and juniors.
Alice Bonazzi
Company Dancer
Originally from Italy, Alice formally trained in dance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance graduating with a First-Class Honours degree. During her time at Laban, Alice worked with industry acclaimed professionals such as Alison Curtis-Jones, Zoi Dimitriou, Fernanda Prata, Maciej Kuzminski amongst others and she performed in works by Maxine Doyle and Sir Matthew Bourne. In 2017, she joined Company Chameleon as an apprentice dancer and kept collaborating with them as an Associate Artist.
Since 2018, Alice performed and toured works by Company Chameleon, MOTUS, Mercurial Dance and Kapow- Dance Circus Theatre amongst others. The same year she also co-founded DAMAEDANCE, a collaboration with dance artist Sara Marques and the two have been creating and touring ever since. In 2019 DAMAE were accepted as part of the Without Walls programme and were co-commissioned by the Hat Fair and Stockton Riverside International Festival to produce and tour their debut work IRMÃ-sister, which premiered at GDIF in September 2020 and toured nationally and internationally over spring/summer 2021.
The duet are currently working on developing a new ambitious outdoor show (After)Party, set on a rotating set. Alice is thrilled to have joined Chameleon as a Company Dancer in December 2021.
Kadafi Mulula
Apprentice Company Dancer
Kadafi was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and moved to England when he was five years old. He grew up in Leeds, where his high school teachers supported and encouraged him to dance as they saw potential in his skills. His dance background is self-taught in hip hop and acrobatics. He has undertaken contemporary and ballet training at De Montford University and is currently working with Company Chameleon as an Apprentice as part of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance Apprenticeship Scheme.
Leanne Feeley
General Manager
Leanne worked in arts and cultural management in local government for over 15 years including at Tameside, Salford and Stockport Councils. With a background in contemporary dance and a founder member of Third Estate Music & Dance, she previously lectured in dance and worked with Dance Manchester (formerly DiGM). Leanne is on the Board of Directors at Brighter Sound in Manchester.
Sam Broadbent
Learning & Participation Manager
Sam graduated from York St John University with a first class degree in Performance: Dance and then went onto to train professionally at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Sam has performed for 12 Degrees North, working with Alesandra Seutin (Vocab Dance) and Gary Clarke and in several productions by Balbir Singh Dance Company. As a Freelance Dance Artist Sam has worked for a number of organisations including The Lowry (Centre for Advanced Training, The Lowry Youth Dance Company), Rosie Kay Dance Company, Dance Manchester, Edge Hill University and University of Salford. She was Community Dance Artist for New Adventures and Re:Bourne’s production of Lord of the Flies at both The Lowry and Bradford Alhambra, and in 2015 became Access & Education Officer at Phoenix Dance Theatre where she delivered a wide range of community and education programmes. Sam joined Company Chameleon in 2017 in the role of Learning & Participation Manager.
Nicola Mullen
Marketing & Communications Manager
Nicola has 20 years’ experience in arts and culture marketing. She has led on the marketing and communications for Company Chameleon since 2014. Since setting up her own consultancy in 2008, Nicola has led on branding projects, marketing campaigns and strategy development for a range of clients including Artistry Youth Dance London, One Dance UK, Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Arts (Cap & Dove); Z-arts, MADE (Manchester’s Culture & Education Partnership), Community Arts North West, Brighter Sound, Gallery Oldham and Oldham Council. Nicola has experience at board level as a former trustee at Brighter Sound, Odd Arts, and on a primary school governing body.
As a Brand expert and coach, Nicola set up Brand Warrior in 2022, a concept which brings to life her passion for branding as a tool for business, creative and personal development. Supporting people in the creative industries to connect with their brand and grow a thriving creative business, through Brand Warrior, Nicola delivers 121 brand coaching and workshops, and is currently developing an online group programme. Motivated by the creativity of branding, Nicola loves seeing brands been brought to life in a way that is true and authentic to the people and ideas behind them.
Clare Brennan
Company Co-Ordinator
When you meet Clare one of the first things you will notice is her sunny disposition, smiley welcome and enthusiasm for making dance happen. Graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University in the early 90’s with a Creative Arts degree, she joined Dance Manchester in 1995 as Company Administrator whilst also working as a freelance teacher in contemporary dance. Changing roles in 2008 to project co-ordinator, Clare has worked in the dance sector now for almost a quarter of a century, working with and alongside Greater Manchester communities, schools, professional and emerging artists and cultural organisations.
Juliana Javier
Associate Artist
Born in San Francisco, Juliana graduated from San Francisco School of the Arts. She continued her studies at Point Park University in Pittsburgh and culminated her studies at the Conservatorio Superior de Danza Maria de Ávila in Madrid, receiving a Bachelor of Arts. She has trained with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Lines Ballet and San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. Juliana has worked with Luke Murphy, Bennyroyce Royon,Tom Weinburger and performed works by Ohad Naharin, Jose Limon and Martha Graham. After graduating she joined Dantzaz Konpainia for two years, where she toured throughout Europe performing works by Itzik Galili, Wubkje Kuindersman, Janis Claxton, Jorge Jauregui, Lukas Timulak and Victoria P. Miranda.
Gemma Nixon
Associate Artist
Over a 20-year career, Gemma has danced with some of Britains foremost companies including The Royal Ballet, Rambert, Company Chameleon, Alexander Whitley Dance Company, Russell Maliphant Dance Company, HeadSpace Dance and Scottish Dance Theatre. She has worked with choreographers including Christopher Bruce, Johan Inger, Rui Horta, Javier De Frutos, Siobhan Davies, Didi Veldman and Aletta Collins amongst many others.
Her work extends to mentorship, coaching, choreography, rehearsal direction and teaching.
As Associate Artist with Company Chameleon, Gemma has worked as a dancer, choreographer, rehearsal director, teacher, production assistant and mentor.
Gemma co-founded New Movement Collective, co-creatingacclaimed works including “Please Be Seated”, “Nest” and “Casting Traces”- commissioning by Southbank Centre London, Stone Nest London & Dance East.
Gemma co-founded Goddard Nixon with celebrated artist Jonathan Goddard, highlights include “Experiencing Death” (Human Rights Watch/The Royal Court Theatre London) collaborating with theatre director Simon Godwin and Martin Crimp, and “Middlemost Nowhere” in collaboration with lighting designer Michael Hulls.
As part of Manchester International Festival 2021, Gemma was the Assistant Choreographer on “The Global Playground”, a Theatre Rites and MIF co production, Directed by Sue Buckmaster and Choreographed by Gregory Maqoma.
Sara Marques
Associate Artist
Sara Marques, began her contact with Contemporary Dance at the Balleteatro Professional School in Porto, where she concluded her course in 2014. She later joined the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (Leeds) where she graduated as a Professional Contemporary Dance Performer in June (2017) with a 1st class BPA (Hons) degree. During her time in Leeds, she had the fortuity of performing with Kassichana O.- Jameson in the contemporary finals of BBC Young Dancers 2015, worked with Gracefool Collective, Hannes Langolf (DV8), Kerry Nicholl,, among others. Over this past year she has worked in the role of apprentice with Company Chameleon through NSCD’s Postgraduate Apprenticeship Scheme. Later as Chameleon Associate Artist , Sara had the opportunity to perform in a number of site-specific, outdoor and indoor settings nationally and internationally, worked with Navala Chaudari, representing Company Chameleon in Sweden where had worked along with Norrdans ( Sweden), Thomas Noone Dance ( Spain) and Spelbound (Italy). A longside, Sara is been working with Jamaal Burmark in Birmmingahm in his new project “Extendeplay” , developing and performing “[IRMÃ]” a co-creation with Alice Bonazzi at DepfordX Fringe Festival, Resolutions19 and in CIDADE+CORPO in Porto, Portugal in 2019.