Anna Olejnicki - Artistic Director, Choreographer & Dancer
Anna began her professional dance career over 15 years ago, training at a local dance school, with no other formal dance training. She began her professional career working as a commercial dancer/choreographer for fashion shows and events across the UK.
Alongside this she developed a specialism in Hiphop dance teaching across the region. This work developed rapidly and she founded and became Artistic Director of Hype Dance a dance performance and education Company in 2001.
She has choreographed Routes (2006) Altered Equal (2007), which toured in 2007, and re-worked and performed in both Routes (2008) and a solo piece Barriers (2008). Educational Hiphop Dance projects she has devised and delivered for include ones for clients such as Danceworks UK, Robert Hylton Urban Classicism (UK), Decadance Theater (USA) and Renegade Dance Theatre (Germany).
Anna is committed to Hiphop dance training and in 2009 established Hype-D Apprentice scheme for emerging dance artists, hosted Skills and Drills North in partnership with Robert Hylton, her mentor, and received Arts Council funding to run HEX, a Hiphop exchange for young performers taught by Jenn Weber (Decadance, NYC) and Future (FUSE Dance, NYC).
Anna has continued her own development as a dance teacher with formal qualifications and holds Fellowship qualifications in Jazz, Modern & Streetdance, Membership qualifications in Ballet & Stage with both IDTA & BATD, and is a Member of Royal Academy of Dance.
Anna undertakes various dance education and training projects across the country and in 2010 will be working with Creative partnerships for the third year running, choreographing for East Riding Youth Dance, and Community work with The Royal Ballet School amongst other things.
Anna has been awarded a Lisa Ullmann Travel Scholarship, and was shortlisted for the O2/Grazia Magazine national Entrepreneur of the Year in 2009 and has recently joined the outreach teaching staff for The Royal Ballet School.
Anna is now a CDET Recognised Qualified Teacher. This is a new standard and Anna is proud to be one of the first teachers to be awarded this recognition.
Anna has recently been recruited by The Royal Ballet School to teach on their outreach project "Primary Steps".
