Rachel joined the DaDaFest team as a freelancer in August 2016 as Festival Producer. Her current role gives her the opportunity to work directly with artists from multiple disciplines and to ensure their work is produced and presented without compromise.
Rachel studied BA then MA Theatre and Performance at Aberystwyth then worked with the Centre for Performance Research as a Curator, Producer and Project Manager.
Rachel moved to Liverpool in 2005 to begin work at MDI (Merseyside Dance Initiative) as Project Development Manager a role that cemented her passion for dance and combined work with communities and working directly with artists on creative projects. During this time she worked on MDI’s Leap Festival, managed the community and outreach programme, developed MDI’s health and wellbeing programme and the African and Caribbean dance strategy. In 2012, Rachel was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to research performance for, with and by older people on the East Coast of the USA which fed into the development of work with older adults at MDI.
Many years ago she became part of the international family of La Pocha Nostra performing at Liverpool Biennial at Bluecoat and Tate Modern as part of Live Culture and she still jumps at an interesting performance opportunity!
Rachel has an MA in Cultural Leadership from John Moores University, is Chair of Homotopia Ltd, Liverpool’s long running LGBTQ+ organisation, Acting Chair of ZU-UK – London based immersive theatre organisation and on the board of Lisa Simpson Inclusive Dance in Knowsley.