Lea Anderson is one of the most influential contemporary dance artists in the late nineteenth century. Her work incorporates popular culture, humour and often-cinematic skill, which separate her work from other choreographers. The 1989 work Flesh and Blood was the first post-modern dance piece to be set for A-Level dance students and put Lea Anderson on the contemporary dance map. Her two companies, The Cholmondeleys (pronounced chum-leez) and The Featherstonehaughs (pronounced fan-shaws) continue to perform work that challenges and inspires dance audiences around the world.
The Cholmondeleys were originally a trio named after an Elizabethan painting hanging in the Tate Gallery, London. The three founding members: choreographer and dancer Lea Anderson and dancers Teresa Barker and Gaynor Coward all graduated from London’s Laban Centre for Movement and Dance. A dropout from St Martin’s School of Art, Anderson had fronted rock bands prior to emerging from Laban.
