Yorkshire Dance is pleased to announce that Louise Allen is joining our team as Interim Executive Director. Lou has worked in the performing arts for over 25 years across dance, music, creative learning and broadcasting.

She joins Yorkshire Dance from Luca Silvestrini’s Protein where she was Executive Director during which period the company successfully moved into its new home of Woolwich Works and won The Stage Award for Community Project of the Year.

Prior to this she was Head of Operations at Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures where she developed and grew the charity and launched the company’s award-winning Green Adventures sustainability programme.

Before joining New Adventures Lou worked in live music at the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the BBC following early career experience in teaching music and language. As Artistic Projects Manager of the BBC Concert Orchestra Lou commissioned and produced high profile collaborations with artists such as Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead), Will Gregory (Goldfrapp), Anne Dudley (Art of Noise) and comedian Bill Bailey.

Lou is passionate about improving opportunities and outcomes for young people and volunteers as a mentor for the charity Arts Emergency and is a co-opted Governor and Vice Chair at Princess May Primary School.  She is an alumnus of Oxford Cultural Leaders and a Fellow of the RSA.

Lou takes over from Bhuvan Sharma as Interim Exec Director and we are delighted to have her onboard.

Image credit: Kaasam Aziz