About:

People

All or Nothing was created by Artistic Director Jennifer Paterson in 2006 to support her ambitious vision to make aerial an integral part of the arts in Scotland.

Since then she has worked with, and developed all kinds of people to keep All or Nothing running, teach classes, make performances, work with non-performers and develop health, safety and teaching standards for aerial in Scotland.

This work wouldn’t be possible without the passion, commitment and creativity of the support staff, tutors, performers and board members who work and collaborate with the company.

Staff
Tutors
Board Members
Performers & Collaborators
Technical & Production

Jennifer Paterson

Artistic Director

I love aerial because of so many reasons! I love the feeling of flying and freedom. I love the challenges it brings you mentally and physically, altering perspective and how you look at the world. Its brilliant to see people do something they never thought they would be able to do. And I love the other worlds it creates and takes you somewhere else.

Sharisse Tindell

Engagement Manger and Tutor

I love aerial because being in the air makes me feel strong and happy. I am passionate about helping people of all ages and abilities challenge themselves to try new things, work hard, and feel good.

Andrew Green

Edinburgh Class Coordinator and Tutor

I love aerial for it’s creative outlet and the fun you get to have keeping fit (plus all the wonderful students I get to meet).

Grace Turner

Dunblane Class Coordinator, Tutor and Performer

I love the feeling of flying, figuring out the knots and holds to defy gravity. I’m predominantly a silks, rope and cloudswing aerialist, I enjoy the flow and travel that these equipment offer and I think this harks back to my training as a dancer, how to connect and sequence skills together in a choreographic phrase travelling up and down between the sky and the ground. It is such a joy to get to give flight and empowerment to our students through teaching aerial for All or Nothing.

Instagram

Beverley Grant

Performer and Facilitator

I love aerial because it means I can fly like a superhero, run up walls like spiderlady and spin like a tornado. It gives me a moment of freedom while flying and whirling in the air.

Instagram

Website

Chrissie Ardill

Performer and facilitator

I love aerial because there is always something new to learn and work is different every single day. I feel lucky to perform in amazing places, work with lovely people and dangle upsidedown.

Instagram

Website

Marie Williamson

Performer and Facilitator

I love aerial because why just dance on the ground when you can also dance in the air!?

Freya Jeffs

Performer

I love aerial because it makes me feel like I can fly! It looks spectacular to an audience and behind the scenes I love sharing the fun and beauty of the experience with my incredible colleagues.

www.freyajeffs.com

A woman in a long purple dress is flying from a crane in front of an Abbey lit up in red lights. It is nighttime

Saya Yamaguchi

Performer and Tutor

Aerial lets me defy gravity, dance, move and find balance in the air. It makes me feel strong, creative and focused, and I love sharing that feeling through teaching and performing.

A woman in white is hanging by one arm from a rope. She is looking up and is on a stage with a black crash mat underneath her

Oran Longmuir

Performer and Tutor

I love aerial because it is a chance to move and play in a different way-there are endless possibilities!

A person is hanging upside down on a fabric, their legs sticking out to the side. It has theatre lighting

Kit Rodman-Orr

Performer and Tutor

I’m a multidisciplinary artist working in English and Scottish Gaelic. I love aerial because it literally lifts me up! It’s a creative and constantly evolving artform that engages me on both the physical and mental level and I love working with students and seeing their confidence grow.

Hannah Wright

Tutor

I love aerial dance because it feels like the impossible made possible and it appeals to the young girl in me who used to marvel at the performers in the circus. I love encouraging and supporting students to learn and have fun.

A woman with a long sleeve black t-shirt and animal print leggings is sitting on a trapeze with her left leg pointing along the trapeze bar and her right leg pointing down

Hannah Uttley

Tutor and Facilitator

My favourite thing about aerial is the way that it brings people together and empowers individuals and communities. I love to see people growing in confidence through aerial, finding a community and learning about themselves. Personally, I love the creative outlet that aerial gives me.

Wesbite

Instagram: @hannah_l_uttley

Barry Lenkov

Tutor and Facilitator

I love being with people as they discover aerial for the the first time. It’s that feeling of being free and flying, the strengths that it gifts you. I can never get enough of that. It’s really special sharing that with others.

A middle aged man stands in a black t-shirt reaching up with his hands resting on the bottom of an aerial hoop. He is looking at the camera

Claire Crook

Performer and Rigger

I love aerial because it is challenging and fun, makes me feel strong and powerful and opens up a whole world of creativity and physicality. I’ve been doing it for over 20 years and am still learning.

Website

Lucy Power

Tutor

I love aerial. For me it’s dancing in the air! The freedom, creativity and friendship that comes with aerial is incredible. I love teaching as much as I love performing. I have been teaching with All or Nothing and Dance Base for over 10 years, and I perform trapeze and corde de lisse with my own company’s Forest Circus.

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Rosella Elphinstone

Tutor

I love aerial acrobatics because it allows me to teach, perform, and create in a medium I find breath-taking.

Instagram

Kate George

Tutor

I fell in love with aerial dance at the circus when I was 9 years old and I first saw a trapeze artist. My mum even made me a trapeze and I practiced every night after school.

I didnt realise when I got older it could be a real job and went on to study design and illustration. I re-discovered aerial in my late 20’s and have been hooked ever since. I love both teaching & performing and feel lucky to be part of the playful world of aerial dance.

My illustration work can be found here

A woman is smiling at the camera. She has blond hair and a big scarf on

Jessica Innes

Tutor

I am a multi-disciplinary performing artist. I love aerial because of its endless possibilities and the wonderful community of people it brings together. Being with people when they take their first leap into the air is incredibly exciting and I am so lucky to be part of people’s aerial journey. All or Nothing taught me aerial so it is an honour and joy to be part of their team teaching others.

Instagram

Website

Paddy Riddle

Tutor

I love aerial because it gives you the opportunity to move your body in ways you might not have thought possible. Hanging upside down, spinning around in midair or dropping from a big height can be really freeing once you know how!

Imogen Michel

Rigger

I love aerial because it holds the potential to take theatre, dance and the performing arts into another dimension and combines a variety of technical challenges with the opportunity to be creative.

Suzanne Heffron

Finanace

I love aerial because of the fascinating people it allows me to work with.

Karen Toscani

Studio Assistant

Why would you not love aerial?! I really like it because of the risk – living life on the edge

Anne Gallacher

Chair of the Board

“I love aerial because it’s exhilarating to watch the professionals, and just as exhilarating to see people from all walks of life learning to do something they never imagined they would do.”

Anne Gallacher is Director of Luminate, Scotland’s creative ageing organisation.

Originally from Edinburgh, Anne moved to Birmingham in the early 90s to join Birmingham City Council’s museums and arts team. She went on to hold posts with West Midlands Arts (now Arts Council England, Midlands), Birmingham Royal Ballet and Watford Palace Theatre, and worked as a consultant with organisations including the Royal Opera House, The Reading Agency and A New Direction. In 2005 she was awarded a Clore Leadership Fellowship.

Anne moved back to Scotland to become the founding Director of Luminate in 2012. In her current post she works with older people, artists and cultural organisations across Scotland, and she is passionate about the positive impacts that the arts and creativity can have on our lives as we age.

Marion Bourbouze

Vice Chair of the Board

“I love aerial for its gorgeous blend of grace and skills and the sheer joy that challenging gravity brings.”

Marion is currently Head of Marketing & Communications at Imaginate where she is responsible for developing and delivering the organisation’s marketing strategy, increasing awareness of and engagement with Imaginate’s year-round activities including the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival.

She has worked in arts marketing for over 20 years. She studied Business in France and an MA in International Development at Leeds University but soon started working in the cultural sector. She helped start and worked for Scotland’s first audience development agency The Audience Business, was marketing consultant for a small community arts centre in the US before becoming Marketing Director for Scottish Book Trust. She was on the board (and chair) of Catherine Wheels Theatre Company for 16 years.

Susan Hay

Board Member

“I love the feeling of weightlessness and flying that you get with aerial. It adds another dimension to performances.”

Susan Hay , Ripple Arts is an internationally renowned creative producer, an award-winning dance film director and exhibited photographer. Susan has a strong track record for supporting and managing artists, presenting work UK wide and internationally. She has diverse experience in project management and production and has worked for Scottish Arts Council, British Council and Creative Scotland promoting the arts and brokering international relationships.

Clients include: Marc Brew Company; Joel Brown & Eve Mutso; White & Givan; Dance Ihayami and Elisabeth Schilling

www.ripplearts.co.uk

Struan Leslie

Board Member

Struan Leslie is Head of Movement at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He has been creating movement-based theatre and performance for more than 35 years as well as teaching and training at the highest level. This includes plays from ancient, early modern and contemporary periods, circus, oratorios, operas as well as his own devised productions and dance works. He has taught as a practitioner and director at all UK drama conservatoires and was the founding Head of Movement at the Royal Shakespeare Company from 2008 to 2014.

Sue Washington

Admin Officer

I love aerial because of the amazing performers, who express skill, artistry and grace combined with breathtaking fearlessness!

Jessica Shields

Boardmember

“I love aerial because it teaches me about strength, freedom, fear, vulnerability, community and dealing with frustration”

Jessica is currently a research director at the Scottish Centre for Social Research, where she leads research projects and evaluations on a range of policy topics, with a specialism in mental health, suicide prevention, health and education. She has over ten years of experience in research and evaluation in the third sector and is passionate about helping organisations to evidence the difference that they make through effective and intentional evaluation. Jessica is also a keen aerialist and has been attending classes with All or Nothing for the past seven years.