Performer Biographies

Joanne Barrett graduated with a B.FA from Ohio State University. She spent four years in Chicago working with various companies. In 1990, she was nominated for a Ruth Page Award, for Outstanding Dancer of the Year. She danced with Michael Clark for the Brazilian tour in 1990 and performed in WRONG WRONG before becoming a full-time member of Michael Clark & Company - assisting Clark with his work for the Berlin Oper. She also performed in the Michael Clark & Company Japanese tour in January 1992.

Leigh Bowery has done stacks of fabulous things. He's been great chums with Michael for years, and has made loads of beautiful outfits for him. (This biography was on the original programme, Bowery sadly passed away in 1994; Clark, although now not a regular performer on stage, stepped into his role in Mmm... for recent London productions).

Bessie Clark (Elizabeth Winifred Kiloh Clark nee Duncan) was born on a farm near Turriff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland on 1st February 1924. She worked as a nurse and married a farmer with whom she had a family of four children, two daughters and two sons, of which Michael Clark was the youngest. Her husband died in 1980. After being widowed, Bessie Clark worked as a warden in sheltered housing until she retired at the age of 65. She first performed with Michael Clark & Company in Brazil and France in 1991. She also performed with their tour in Japan in 1992.

Matthew Hawkins trained at the Royal Ballet school and danced at Covent Garden until 1981, when he opted for an independent career. He was a founder member of Michael Clark & Company during 1984/5 and returned for the '87 & '88 seasons. He has presented over twenty choreographic works in the UK including four large-scale works with his own company The Imminent Dancers Group, collaborating with the designer Pearl. More recently he has responded to choreographic commissions in Japan, Slovakia. Hungary and the Netherlands as well as touring in Russia as guest performer with a Butoh group and taking his first dramatic role as the Figment in Rose English's The Double Wedding. In January 1992 he performed with Michael Clark & Co in their Japanese tour.

Julie Hood was born in 1964. She trained at the Rambert Academy and toured with Ballet Rambert before joining English Dance Theatre in 1983. A founder member of Michael Clark & Company in 1984 she danced in many of their mid-80s productions. She performed in the first Michael Clark & Company Japanese tour in 1980 and again in the second Japanese tour in 1992.

Charles Atlas has designed the lighting for most of the productions by Michael Clark. He is one of the premier interpreters of dance for film and video, having collaborated with Merce Cunningham. Karole Armitage and Douglas Dunn. in addition to making two TV films with Michael Clark - Hail The New Puritan (1985) and Because We Must (1989). He has been commissioned to create works for television in Britain. France. Spain and the USA. In 1991 he directed the live one-hour satellite broadcast We Interrupt This Programme in conjunction with A Day Without Any Visual Aids.