Rebecca joined Ludus dance in 2020 and is working to enable creative opportunities for young people through dance, in particular those facing a complex transition to adulthood. Her expertise lies in business management and youth work, having worked within prisons, social justice and Toyota offending teams throughout her career. Oh, and she’s a professional dance practitioner too-she studied Theatre Studies at Lancaster University, is a ballet and Pilates teacher and has had direct links with Ludus Dance since she was a teenager.
Sophie joined Ludus as a member of Ludus Youth Dance Company in 2018 whilst studying at UCLan. Having maintained a relationship with Ludus as a freelancer, Sophie joined us as an Alien on our Alien Needs our Help project and worked as one of our Dance Development Officers (Maternity Cover). Following a break away travelling the world, Sophie returns as our Office and Projects Manager.
Meg joined Ludus as a volunteer whilst in her final year at Lancaster University, studying Theatre and English Literature. She helped to facilitate our Studio Training Programme on a Tuesday evening, as well as performing in Light Up Lancaster in 2024. After graduating and moving home, Meg aided us with the marketing for our 50 celebration, and in March 2026, she officially joined the team as our Marketing Officer.
Why did Linda join the board?
Linda joined our board she believes in our central mission to enrich and change children and young peoples’ lives for the better through dance.
She has experienced the positive benefits of dance and wants to support young people in the local area, and the wider region, to have the same opportunities to engage in this art form that uniquely brings together physicalmovement with creativity and imagination.
She is committed to supporting our small team to make the most of all available resources to make significant changes in the lives of as many young people as possible through dance.
More about Linda...
Linda originally trained as a dancer at a dance school and a state secondary school in Morecambe. She went onto Alsager teacher training college to train as a dance teacher followed by taking a post graduate diploma in Dance Theatre, at the Laban Centre. She was awarded a MA in Language, Arts and Education from the University of Sussex. Her first teaching post was at Heysham High school where she taught dance alongside Emily Hargreaves. Following working as a school dance teacher she worked in various contexts including community dance (as one of the first dance animateurs), dance/arts development agencies (the first Director of South East Dance specialising in dance film andnew technologies), higher education (University of Surrey dance department as Senior Professional Training Tutor), local authorities and working with government departments and funding bodies.
In 2004 she formed Youth Dance England (YDE) and led the organisation until 2016 when it merged with other organisations to form One Dance UK. At YDE she set up a national network of regional coordinators and commissioned Ludus to host the NW coordinator. She was awarded a MBE for services to dance, an Honorary Doctorate Arts by De Montfort University and Honorary Life Memberships of the Foundation for Community Dance and National Dance Teachers Association. She is currently a free-lance consultant working with, amongst other organisations, The Royal Ballet School and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing.
I joined the board after working with Ludus on a Slice project, working with a primary school and local library; exploring getting young people into libraries through movement. After seeing first hand how young people grew in confidence and explored their creativity through dance, I knew I wanted to get involved more.
I now freelance in alternative provision education across Lancashire, working one to one with vulnerable students. I also deliver creative nature inspired workshops to children and families, and I am a NatureWell Facilitator.
I love that Ludus works with young people who might not otherwise get these experiences. As a late diagnosed autistic person, I value how inclusive Ludus is and hope that my lived experience of neurodiversity helps the organisation continue to reach diverse groups.
Gillian is one of the newest members of our board. An avid lover of the arts, she has been making contemporary physical theatre for over 2o years. During that time, she has been fortunate enough to have had access to an amazing level of support and kindness in the sector!
In joining our board, Gillian sees it as the perfect opportunity to be able to give back, and pass on the support that she has been so lucky to receive.
Adam joined our board alongside Gillian in 2026. He has been writing about arts organisations and best practice for many years.
Adam feels that being on the board of Ludus has given him the perfect opportunity to put this knowledge and experience to good use. Being a Lancastrian, Ludus has been a constant presence in his life and a real touchstone for what a contemporary arts organisation from the North West can achieve.
I joined Ludus in 2023 as a freelance dance artist. My time with Ludus has been so fun and I have had the privilege of working with them on numerous projects. These projects include co-leading HAF, devising and performing at Light Up Lancaster (2023, 2024, and 2025), choreographing and performing for Ludus @50 anniversary show. I am very grateful for all the opportunities I have had the pleasure to work on with Ludus.
I am currently working as a performer in Tokyo, Japan, and I am loving being able to perform and travel on this side of the globe! Alongside my work at Ludus, I am a freelance dance artist across the North West. This includes performing indoor and outdoor theatre work, and teaching contemporary dance within community and educational settings. Outside of freelance life, you can catch me in a coffee shop, reading a book, or chugging a cuppa tea (pass the biscuits please!)
My favourite memory from my time at Ludus so far has to be creating and performing as part of "Big Headz" at Light Up Lancaster 2025. The creation of the show as well as the performance was so much fun! Working alongside such a talented and creative team really supported my growth as a dance artist, as well as the show itself being so fun to perform. An experience I will never forget!
Working as a freelance dance artist, I love that everyday is different. I am an individual who loves to keep learning and developing myself as a human and dance artist, so with each day bringing new experiences, I feel that I am constantly growing. Being freelance also allows me to meet so many talented and interesting individuals; I am always being inspired.
My advice to someone that's thinking about becoming a freelancer... "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them" - Walt Disney. A quote I have lived by since High School and is a reminder to me to have courage and go after my dreams. It will take time, but trust the process and trust yourself. Also, don't be afraid to reach out to others in the industry - it can help you form connections which could lead to exciting opportunities!
Ludus' play-based approach to learning and dance development is something I love and think is unique. It allows the space to be accessible and exudes creativity. It enables dance to be inclusive and highlights the endless possibilities of creation.
I started working with Ludus in 2023, as a freelance artist. Since then, I have enjoyed working in several roles, including as a performer, studio programme leader and project manager. One of my favourite projects has been to co-create and deliver Creative Intensives, to engage young people in creative dance, film and nature. I also really loved choreographing and performing at Ludus@50 in 2025.
Outside of Ludus, I work as a dance artist, in performing, teaching and chorographical practices. I love performing in outdoor and immersive roles that encourage the audience to engage with performers in new ways, and am also very passionate about getting more young people into dance.
My top advice for someone considering a freelance career would be to seek out as many opportunities that interest you, take risks, and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself!
What makes Ludus unique is the strong values of play and young people at its core. Within every project and opportunity, we always strive to put young peoples’ experiences first, and of course, keep playing and being creative, always!
I first joined Ludus in 2023 for Light Up Lancaster as an emerging dance artist. Since then, I have since had the joy of taking on different freelance roles for various projects, such as: teaching for Studio Training Programme, co-designing and leading Creative Intensives and performing at different events including Ludus Dance's 50th anniversary.
Outside of Ludus, I work as a freelance dance artist, working with different organisations and creatives as a performer, facilitator and choreographer. Alongside this, I am also a Pilates teacher, working for different studios across London.
The main highlight of being a part of Ludus so far, was getting to choreograph my own work, which was presented as a part of Light Up Lancaster 2024. I felt that this opportunity really supported the development of my creative practice.
What I love most about freelancing is how varied it is. No two projects or roles are the same, which keeps things exciting and facilitates a lot of room for growth and learning. I thrive in environments where I get to work with other people and am passionate about collaboration: being freelance allows you to connect with many different artists.
My advice to anyone considering becoming a freelancer, would be to hone in on the relationships you have. Most of my jobs have come through people I know or people I’ve worked with in the past.
Ludus supports young people through to young adults in all stages of their dance life. When I joined Ludus for LUL in 2023, that was one of my first jobs as a professional dancer; I was able to learn so much about creating a dance work in collaboration with a younger cast. As well as this, Ludus always encourage ambition, creativity and play, something I feel is lacking in most traditional dance education.
I joined Ludus In September 2025 as an emerging artist working on their Studio Programme. Since then, I have been a part of many exciting experiences including performing at: Ludus@50, Light Up Lancaster and Lancaster Light Switch on, and through this teaching on the studio programme has been the continuous thread.
Outside of Ludus I am juggling a fair few hats, working on projects for Socially Engaged Arts with Born and Bred Dance Theatre, pushing my focus on inclusive and accessible arts which has been presented through my work with TripleC youth theatre and Venture Arts, and developing my passion for community arts and creating fun and positive memories through movement, incorporating my key values of inclusion, individuality and creativity.
One of my favourite memories of Ludus so far is probably from Light Up Lancaster! The creation period where we created these cheeky and absolutely hilarious characters to take into town was just brilliant, and seeing the joy they brought to the evening for people was very exciting and heart-warming – it also brought back out the inner cheeky child where you can always have fun and play!
Being a freelance dance artist is exciting because saying that you dance for a living and you enjoy what you do is something I, and my younger self, is very grateful for. One of my favourite parts of the industry is working with such vibrant people and collaborating creatively, learning from one another and celebrating everyone’s individuality. Being able to be part of fun, quirky and cool projects is also amazing where you get to see the audience connect with art!
A piece of advice I would give someone who is wanting to be a freelancer is go for it, you will never know otherwise! Say yes to everything and just truly enjoy it, don’t live in your head. Be bold, be brave, be you.
Ludus is unique in so many ways! It’s a space for play and creativity, where play is the centre of their practice in teaching and performance, which is the human’s natural instinct! As a youth-led company it gives everyone professional opportunities that projects the voices of the young people of today. Their play-centred approach means that young people can explore and learn through their choices. This mixed with didactic teaching creates a balance that teaches creativity, ownership and independence.
I first joined Ludus in August 2024 as a support artist for the HAF program. Since then, I continue to work within the HAF program, and most recently I worked as a co-lead with Sophie on the Easter sessions.
When I'm not working for Ludus, I work as a freelancer for other companies including LPM Dance, Tramshed Theatre Company and Dance Syndrome as well as being co-founder of Nehrlich-Tams Dance Company.
I think seeing the faces of the young people at the end of a performance is always a highlight. The huge smiles and sense of pride in themselves for what they have achieved across the week make me so grateful to be able to do this work.
Working as a freelancer is amazing because every day, every group, every workshop, every performance is different. I'm excited to meet new people and create new things.
My advice to someone thinking about becoming a freelancer, would be that this will be one of the hardest, yet most rewarding things you will do! Don't be afraid to say yes to the things that scare you but also don't be afraid to say no if you feel a job isn't a good fit.
What makes Ludus unique to me are the people and the relationships they create: they make a place what it is.