Previous Projects

May 2018 - Pas De Deux.

During January 2018, Joe filmed with Resource Productions for a short film. This film was released in May 2018 as part of the Channel 4 Random acts comissions. This was Joe's first performance in a short film. Click on the view more icon below to view the film in full.

2018

May 2018 - Fusion .

Joe was involved in Fusion at Sadlers Wells. Fusion was the world's first inclusive ballroom and latin showcase, curated by Rashmi Becker from Step Change Studios. Joe choreographed and performed in two pieces for this project. Click on the view more icon to view the trailer from the show.

Photography by Stephen Wright.

2020

Ballet Cymru Digital Content and Inclusive Dance Camp. Spring and Summer 2020 - Joe began working with Ballet Cymru as a company dancer just as the first lockdown happened in March 2020. Joe began his contract with the company by creating and producing remote digital content between April and June of 2020. Joe assisted in the delivery of summer inclusive dance camp, delivered via zoom in August in 2020.

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Photography by Sian Trenberth

April - July 2020 - Capezio Live classes. During COVID restrictions Joe and his sister Holly taught weekly classes through capezio instagram. These classes were catered to differing abilities with seated options for different exercises during the ballet class.

July 2020 - Conversations for future selves.

Joe was part of the conversations project run through the Welsh Arts Council and Nesta. This project highlighted the difficulties that people living with a disability were facing throughout the COVID pandemic. Joe created a short film entitled Y Ddraig. This film followed the momentum created by the #weshallnotberemoved campaign. Click here to watch the film Y Ddraig in full.

October 2020 - Plethu/Weave.

Joe was part of the Plethu/Weave programme through the National Dance Company of Wales. For this project Joe collaborated with Poet, Aneirin Karadog. Joe and Aneirin created O'r Lludw. The film focused on challenging perceptions of disability as we enter a new and exciting chapter in the integrated dance sector.

Strictly Cymru Schools. Ballet Cymru Leonard Cheshire - Joe returned to the studio with Ballet Cymru in September 2020. Joe was part of the Strictly Cymru Schools project curated by Leonard Cheshire and Ballet Cymru. The Project gives participants with additional learning needs the chance to engage with dance and create and perform a routine in the Strictly Cymru Compeition. Joe was part of the learning pack for the 2020/21 participants to learn some movements remotely. This video package will be in circulation for the next three years. To find out more info click here.

Joe with participants of the Strictly Cymru Schools 2020/2021 compeition, after coming to watch Ballet Cymru Made in Wales in November 2021. Photography by Leonard Cheshire.

Ballet Cymru Research and Development Period November and December 2020 - In November 2020 whilst in the midst of Covid restrictions, Joe returned to working with rest of the company dancers at Ballet Cymru in person. During this time the company began to develop ideas and movements in preparation for the 2021 production of Giselle which was created in collaboration with Artistic Directors of the Company, Darius James and Amy Doughty. Joe also worked with ex Alvin Ailey Dancer Marcus Jarrell Willis on creating a piece specifically for film.

Stills from Ballet Cymru's Flame Lily and Isolated pulses, two digital films developed during the R&D period in November 2020.

2021

January 2021 - Concurrent.

During January 2021 Joe collaborated remotely with fellow freelance dancers Ann Wall and Emma Slater . The three dancers created a neo-classical piece set to music by Max Richter. Each dancer filmed from their respective homes and sent the footage through to artist Carl Chapple for him to create artwork from the choreography.

The piece is to be made into a short film which will be shared on social media.

Artwork by Carl Chapple

April 2021 - Light. was created by freelance dancer and choreographer Suzie Curren. The film was adapted from the song "Light" from the musical Next to Normal. The project brought together dancers and singers who had work cancelled or postsponed due to the COVID restrictions. The project was created entirely remotely and explored the benefits of technology by making it appear that all the dancers and singers were in the same room. The project from inception to completion took place between January and April 2021.

Still from Light. Choreographed by by Suzie Curren in 2021.

Ballet Cymru Remote work and Continued Research and Development January -April 2021 - During the early part of 2021, Joe continued to work with Ballet Cymru both remotely and later on in person. Between January and February Joe assisted in the remote delivery of weekly dance sessions to participants of the duets programme. Joe also was a co-course leader for the February Half-term inclusive dance course.

Between March and April 2021 Joe continued to engage in a research and development periods with Ballet Cymru in preparation for the production of Giselle. Joe spent two weeks in person working in a close contact bubble as well as engaging in the process remotely. During this time Joe participated in two dance films one based on the work being developed for Giselle and the other with ex Ballet Cymru Dancer Krystal Lowe.

Joe also created his own short film depicting his own personal feelings of Lockdown and the pandemic. To view this click here.

Joe rehearsing in the Ballet Cymru Studios. Photography by BBC News.

Ballet Cymru rehearsals and performances as a company dancer May - November 2021 - Joe worked with Ballet Cymru as a full time company from May 2021. Joe performed with Ballet Cymru in a reimagined version of the Ballet Giselle with music composed by Catrin FInch and choreography created by the company dancers and Amy Doughty and Darius James. Joe performed in a total of fourteen performances of Giselle, in a UK tour spread across England and Wales. The tour began in Lichfield Cathedral in July and ended in Llanelli in November.

During the autumn Joe created a soloist role in Murmurations, choreographed by ex Ballet Boyz and Welsh dancer Liam Riddick. Murmurations was performed in Newport and in Sadlers Wells as part of the Made in Wales programme. A film version was created to be viewed as part of Ballet Cymru's digital programme.

Joe also performed in Poems and Tiger eggs set to Dylan Thomas' poems narrated by Cerys Matthews with music by Arun Ghosh.

Following the conclusion of Joe's contract with the company in 2021, whilst incredibly grateful and thankful for the opportunity, Joe made the decision to pursue opportunities as freelance artist in 2022.

Photography by Sian Trenberth.

September 2021 - Paralympic Homecoming with the Royal Ballet and Birdy. In September 2021 Joe became the first dancer using a wheelchair and crutches to perform with the Royal Ballet. Joe performed at the Wembley Arena for the Paralympic Homecoming celebrating the amazing success of the Paralympic GB Athletes achieved during Tokyo 2020. Joe performed a bespoke piece he created alongside Royal Ballet Dancer Kristen Mcnally, to the emotive song " Nobody knows me like you do" by international singer and songwriter Birdy. It was a true full circle moment for Joe and he really enjoyed performing alongside talented dancers from the Royal Ballet. Click on the image to see the performance in full and click here to see Joe's interview with ITV News about the event and his hopes to collaborate with the Royal Ballet again.

Photography by Getty Images.

Royal Opera House Insights: How can we make the arts more disability-inclusive? - As part of the Royal Opera House inaugural celebration for International Day of persons with Disability, the Opera House put together leading voices from the inclusive arts sector to discuss strategies for the future and continued progression. Joe was honoured to be featured as a panelist for this event on the 3rd December 2021. To find out more about this event including info about the panelists and also to watch the event in full click here.

2022

Ballet Cymru Digital Stage - Whilst working with Ballet Cymru in 2020 and 2021, under strict COVID restrictions, Joe was part of six short films intended to be released on the Digital Stage. Joe worked with choreographers including Liam Riddick, Amy Doughty and Darius James and Marcus Willis. Joe also created and choreographed his own film expressing the thoughts and feelings throughout the pandemic through movement. The Ballet Cymru Digital Stage was launched in March 2022.

Photography by Patricia Powell-Main from Creation by Joe Powell-Main for Ballet Cymru Digital Stage.

The Royal Ballet - Draft Works - During March 2022 Joe was part of a research and development period with Kristen McNally (Principal Character Artist of the Royal Ballet), Alexander Campbell (Principal Dancer of the Royal Ballet) who choreographed and directed the early stages of a new creation for Joe and Isabel Lubach (Artist of the Royal Ballet) . A section of this new creation was performed as part of the Royal Ballet Spring Draft Works at the Linbury Studio Theatre on the 4th and 5th April 2022. For info about Draft Works click here. Hopefully this project will continue to develop and expand in the near future.

Joe Powell-Main and Kristen McNally in new creation by Kristen McNally and Alexander Campbell. The Royal Ballet Spring Draft Works 2022. Photography by Asya Verzhbinksy.

I am 8 Wales wide Workshops - Joe led workshops between March and May in 2022 on behalf of Sweetshop Revolution as part of the first phase of the I am 8 project. The workshops that Joe has lead have been in Powys in collaboration with Impelo Dance and in North Wales in collaboration with Wisp Dance Club. The workshops have been focused on learning about the experiences of a child during the COVID pandemic and also providing a fun and positive environment. Joe worked with children with a wide range of needs and abilities many children that participated in the workshops had never had any previous experience of dance before.

I am 8 R&D Period - During May 2022 Joe was part of a week long research and development period with Sweetshop Revolution at Memo Arts Centre in Barry South Wales. Joe united with four other freelance dance artists and Artistic Director Sally Marie, to begin creating work based on the experience of being an eight year old. The information gathered by Joe and other dance artists in workshops in schools across Wales was used as the starting point for the creative process. The week culminated in a twenty minute showing for ninety local school children, to gain a greater understanding for the next phase of the project. The intention is to expand on this creative process, with a full length production based on the 2015 production of I am 8 , this new production being performed at Welsh venues in 2023. For information click here.

In rehearsal with Josie Sinnadurai May 2022. Photography by Roy Campbell.

One Young World Manchester Summit 2022 - Joe performed at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester as part of the Opening Ceremony on the 5th of September 2022, for the Manchester 2022 summit. This was the biggest performing arts event that has taken in place in Manchester. The event was produced by Private Drama Events. Joe, directed and created an original contemporary lyrical ballet piece, entitled Undone. Alongside creating this piece, Joe also performed in it with two dancers based in the North-West, professional ballet dancer Elizabeth Griffiths and current dance student at the Arden School of Theatre Scott Kidd. The piece was accompanied with live music provided by the Untold Orchestra. To catch up on the live streamed event click here.

Greenwich and Docklands International Festival 2022 Sleepwalker presented by The Royal Ballet - The Royal Ballet were due to step outside to perform Sleepwalker on the 10th and 11th September 2022 as part of Dancing City at GDIF. Due to the sad news of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's death, all performances that were part of Dancing City were cancelled as a sign of respect. Sleepwalker is a new creation by company dancers Alexander Campbell and Kristen McNally , inspired by the libretto La Sonnambula featuring disabled dancer Joe Powell-Main and Royal Ballet First Artist Isabel Lubach. It is hoped that Sleepwalker will be revisited and performed again in the near future. For more info about Sleepwalker click here.

One Young World Opening Summit 2022. Photography Madeleine Penfold.

The Power of Performance: This Is Us - was a brand new large scale outdoor production commissioned by the Rugby League World Cup as part of a cultural festival around the tournament. The project was produced by Pinwheel LTD who workied with a range of artists from the creative industries, including Southpaw Dance a dance company based in the North East and led by Robbie Graham. Joe performed as part of Zone 2, celebrating the progressive nature of the Rugby League game. The production, was performed in Newcastle, Hull and Leeds throughout October 2022. For more information click here.

Sleepwalker (The Film) in presented by The Royal Ballet in association with Alexander Campbell Productions - The Royal Ballet challenge perceptions in the film of Sleepwalker, a new creation featuring disabled dancer Joe Powell-Main and Royal Ballet First Artist Isabel Lubach. Sleepwalker is a contemporary reimagining of La Sonnambula directed by Alexander Campbell and Kristen McNally. The film was created to promote the project. The footage comprised of rehearsal footage, interviews from Joe and Alexander, and also snippets from a sharing of the piece specifically for camera. The footage was filmed and edited by Sean Flanagan and Dylan Vivian. The film premiered on the 2nd November as part of the Royal Opera House's celebration of World Ballet Day 2022. To find out more about the World Ballet Day celebrations, click here. To watch the short film of Sleepwalker click here. Pointe magazine also covered the story of Sleepwalker and the hopes by all involved to continue developing this project in the future, to read this article click here.

National Youth Ballet Applied Ballet - All in! - Joe was a guest teacher on the Applied Ballet - All in project. National Youth Ballet in partnership with Parable Dance offered three inclusive training sessions throughout December for ballet teachers and practitioners to begin the process of developing strategies for making classes and training more accessible. Joe lead a practical session based on the Sugar Plum Variation from the ballet The Nutcracker. The session included the teaching of this variation through the use of the Universal Design of Instruction technique, allowing for the participants to develop skills that will help to deliver similar work using more accessible strategies. Joe did a special demonstration performance and gave insight to the lived experience of having a disability both inside and outside the studio.

2023

Beyond Syllabus Dance Conference 2023 - Joe was a guest speaker for BBODance online conference taking place on the 5th January 2023. Joe's talk entitled Challenging yourself and challenging perceptions, provided a unique insight into the lived experience of having disability both in everyday life and also in the dance studio. Joe also talked about his career so far including his recent collaborations with the Royal Ballet and Southpaw dance for the Rugby League World Cup Cultural Festival. To find out more information click here.

Snow Queen with Propel Dance - Joe worked with Propel Dance on their inaugural production, which was a brand new version of the fairy-tale The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson. The production began it's three venue tour to a sold out audience at the Old Library Theatre in Mansfield on the 14th April, and followed this with another sold out performance on 23rd April at the Midlands Arts Centre. The final performance for this pilot phase for the company and project was on the 27th April at the Arena Theatre in Wolverhampton. The hope is the company will continue to expand and develop. Propel Dance is a brand new dance company and is the first UK based dance company to be comprised of dancers, all of who are wheelchair users. In this brand new production Joe portrayed the role of a Goblin and also the central male identifying character of Kai, also known as Kay in some versions of the story. To find out more about the company and it's performances click here.

Rebecca Fowler as The Snow Queen and Joe Powell-Main as Kai in Propel Dance's production of The Snow Queen. Photography by Dani Bower.

I am 8 with Sweetshop Revolution - Following on from last year's R&D with Sweetshop Revolution, Joe returned to work with the company in 2023 for the next stage of the project. The rehearsals and creation period for this project began in February 2023 and lasted for a month and this included further workshops with children from different primary schools across Wales. Performances of I am 8, which focused on showcasing the experience of being eight years old through dance, movement and text toured to three venues in Wales. These venues were Memo Arts Centre in Barry, Torch Theatre in Milford Haven and Aberystwyth Arts Centre. Performances dates were the 24th May, 8th June and the 24th June 2023. Music for the production was composed especially for this project by composer and music artist Frank Moon.

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Northern Ballet Expressions: Translating Classical Technique - Joe was delighted to lead a sold out workshop on the 14th July 2023, as part of Northern Ballet's Expressions event. Joe's workshop focused on providing ideas and tools to give dance practitioners and teachers ideas to allow for further access for dancers with different needs in the classical ballet style. The workshop included themes from the Universal Design of Instruction Technique, a technique first developed by Swiss dance practitioner Jurg Koch . The workshop deconstructed and translated, a selection of technical exercises as well as the Bluebird Variation from Act 3 of the ballet Sleeping Beauty. Joe performed a demonstration of this variation and then allowed the participants to create their own translated versions in groups, which they also shared at the end of the workshop.

National Youth Ballet All In - Joe worked with National Youth Ballet on their inclusive project All In which formed part of his role as the new NYB Ambassador. All In, is a project aimed at working with dancers with different accessible needs to provide training and performance opportunities. The project is delivered in partnership with Parable Dance. For this stage of the project Joe provided mentorship for Beyond Ballet choreographers, Ross Black and Hannah George who worked with the dancers who were part of this project, to devise choreography based on the ballet Romeo and Juliet, which was performed as a sharing on the 1st September at South East Dance. During this week long project Joe also delivered a choreographic workshop through zoom based on the Dance of The Knights. For more information about the project click here.

Photography by Jules Renehan.

Birmingham Ballet Company Recital 2023 - Joe worked with Birmingham Ballet Company as a Principal Dancer for the 2023 season. The performance of the Aladdin and The Lamp took place on the 2nd of September 2023 at Ruddock Arts Centre in Birmingham with accompaniment from a live string orchestra. In this production Joe performed the role of the Sultan (Jasmine's Father). Joe also worked with the young dancers of BBCO assisting with rehearsals and helping to create and teach choreography, during the casting and creation days of the project.

Photography by Kate Frost.

The Sleepwalker at Greenwich and Docklands International Festival 2023 - Joe was delighted to announce the return of Sleepwalker presented by The Royal Ballet in association with Alexander Campbell Productions that was performed on the 9th and 10th September 2023 at the Columbus Courtyard site at Dancing City part of the 2023 edition of the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival.

The Sleepwalker is an inclusive and emotionally charged duet featuring Joe Powell-Main and Royal Ballet First Artist, Isabel Lubach. The duet is directed by Royal Ballet Principal Alexander Campbell and choreographed by Royal Ballet Principal Character Artist Kristen McNally. The piece is a contemporary reimagining of La Sonnabula (The Sleepwalker) and challenges perceptions of ballet, movement, perceptions and form with an atmospheric score composed by Sophie Cotton. To find out more information about this production click here.

Photography by Asya Verzhbinksy

All in! Introduction to Inclusive Ballet - Joe was delighted to share that he would be collaborating with ISTD and Parable Dance, as part of National Youth's Ballet's CPD introduction to inclusive ballet. This online event was held on the 18th October 2023, and provided an introduction to exploring the classical technique in a more inclusive way and looking at translating movement to different bodies. To find out more info clink on the ISTD link in this paragraph.

Photography by Jules Renehan.

UCEN Manchester Graduation Ceremony 2023 - Joe was delighted to share that his return to UCEN Manchester as a guest speaker for the 2023 Graduation Ceremony on the 24th October 2023. As a speaker for this event Joe hoped to inspire the graduating students to believe that anything is possible and motivate them for this next challenge as they move onto new ventures.

Let Life Dance Research and Development - Joe worked with Humans Move led by Jessie Brett on a research and development project at Theatr Brycheiniog in Brecon, looking at bringing together dancers from all over Wales, to explore the possibility of creating a family show for the future. The project took place over eight days and culminated in a small performance at theatre to a small invited audience.

2024

Empower in Motion: A dance inclusive - was a gala performance that took place on 7th February 2024 at Sadlers Wells, celebrating and fundraising for the 30th year of the charity Children Today. The evening celebrated dance at its finest, featuring well known classical repertoire and new inspiring pieces showing the power that inclusive dance has. The cast included: International Principal Dancers Daniil Simkin, Maria Kochetkova, Joseph Powell-Main (Gala ambassador), Stopgap Dance Company, English National Ballet Dancers, Gareth Haw, Shiori Kase, Sanguen Lee, Freelance Dance artist Hannah Rudd, National Youth Ballet in collaboration with Parable Dance, The Royal Ballet School and Propel Dance.

Joe was delighted to be part of this exciting event both as a performer and ambassador. He performed (by kind permission of the Royal Opera House and Alexander Campbell Productions), The Sleepwalker alongside leading freelance dance artist Hannah Rudd as well as a World Premiere of his new solo work Passionately Defiant, which was set to a dramatic piece of music and is inspired by his journey to be able to dance again after acquiring his disability. The show received five star reviews from numerous dance critics. A huge thanks to the fantastic charity Children Today and the wonderful producers of the event Ross Freddie Ray and Henry Dowden. Hopefully this just the beginning of further collaborations with the charity and wonderful producers with much more to come!

Family Sunday Dazzling Debut as Part of the Royal Ballet's Festival of New Choreography - Joe was delighted to announce he would working with the Royal Opera House Learning and participation team to deliver the Family Sunday: Dazzling Debut event which forms part of The Royal Ballet's Festival of New Choreography. Joe's workshop that he delivered alongside David Pickering and Elizabeth Foster from the Royal Ballet Learning and Participation team focused on magical family fun inspired by Joe's new creation alongside ideas which is currently in development. The Family Sunday also featured ideas and themes from new creations by Royal Ballet dancers and choreographers Valentino Zuchetti and Kristen McNally. The Festival of New Choreography is part of The Royal Ballet's commitment to champion new and diverse voices in dance and choreography, with workshops, performances and demonstrations taking place across the many spaces and stages at The Royal Opera House. Joe was delighted to be part of this festival. For more information about the festival click here.

Royal Opera House Live at Lunch: Festival of New Choreography - Joe was delighted to share choreographic work that he performed alongside Welsh freelance ballerina Ella Appleby as part of research and development inspired by the Welsh tale, Lady of Llyn y Fan Fach. Joe and Ella shared two extracts from this work in progress at The Royal Opera House Paul Hamlyn Hall as part of a special live at lunch event on the 23rd February, which was part of the Royal Ballet's Festival of New Choreography. The Festival of New Choreography is part of The Royal Ballet's commitment to champion new and diverse voices in dance and choreography, with workshops, performances and demonstrations taking place across the many spaces and stages at The Royal Opera House. Joe was delighted to be part of this festival and hopes this is the start of more choreographic development based on this idea. For more information about the festival click here.

Critical Dance Pedagogy through Discourse and Practice Symposium - is a national network formed of five hubs across the UK. The project aims to challenge the stereotypes of dance education by discovering new ideas of within dance education and highlight the need for change and continued further progression. Joe was delighted to be part of an event through Canterbury University on the 1st March 2024 which was a day filled with different workshops addressing the continued need for diversity within dance education. The event is curated by Professor Angela Pickard from Canterbury university. For this event Joe delivered an inclusive dance workshop alongside Natasha Britton from Parable Dance. For more information click here

A Universal Approach to Ballet BBODance Webinar - The art form of Classical Ballet, has so much potential to become more inclusive and accessible to dancers with different needs. But the question is how to make the technique more accessible?

In this CPD session on the 6th March, disabled dancer and BBO Patron, Joe Powell-Main, provided an introduction as well ideas on how to make a Ballet class more accessible, using some ideas from the Universal Design of Instruction technique.

This webinar was open to all dance teachers, not just BBO members and will be worth 2 hours of CPD. The CPD recording will be available to view soon.

For more information click here.

BBODance Dance Days 2024 - Joe was delighted to share that he would be performing his new creation Passionately Defiant that recently premiered at Empower in Motion during the 2024 edition of Dance Days Curated by BBODance. The performance took place at Elmhurst Ballet School on the 5th April 2024. Dance days are an opportunity for young dancers and dance teachers to come together to celebrate dance through a variety of different classes and masterclasses taught by industry professional across a few days. The intensive culminates in a performance and sharing of work. For more information on dance days click here.