Lucy McCrudden
Founder, First Director/ CEO
lucy@dancemama.org
aka Dance Mama, is a London-based dance entrepreneur, advocate and TEDx Speaker. She is Founder of dancemama.org - a community and platform profiling significant parents in dance and the arts. Lucy has dove-tailed her own work with holding key positions in learning and participation over the last 20 years. These include: Dance Artist in Residence for DanceXchange (2004), Manager for London Contemporary Dance School, The Place, Centre for Advanced Training (2005-11), Expert Panel member of the DFE Music and Dance Scheme representing the National Dance CATs (2007-2010), Vice-Chair of Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Arts Grants Panel (2006-2009), Learning & Participation Manager, Rambert (2014-16), Chair of the Board of Trustees Dance Woking (2014-16) , Head of Learning and Participation, Rambert (2016-18), Project Manager, Chance to Dance, Royal Opera House (2019-2020) and Lecturer and Mentor, DDP, ISTD (2021-).
As an independent specialist she has taught over 19,000 people across the UK and has engaged with a wide variety of dance and arts organisations in many other capacities; consultant, management, choreography, and presenting/public speaking. She is Ambassador for the Parents in Performing Arts Campaign and Secretariat to the Scientific Advisory Board of the Active Pregnancy Foundation. She has an Honourable Mention as a Nominee of the inaugural AWA Dance Woman in Dance Award 2021. 2022 sees her commence her PhD at Christ Church Canterbury University researching pre and postnatal professional dancers, becoming a Nominee for AWA Woman in Dance Leadership Award and delivering her TEDx talk at TEDx Frensham, and shortlisted for One Dance UK's Change Maker Award 2022. In 2020 she co-Founded the International Parenting and Dance Network with Queen’s University Belfast (PI) and Texas Tech University (CI) which delivered 3 seminars in the UK and USA supported by AHRC and was shortlisted for This Mum Moves Ambassador of the Year for the Active Pregnancy Foundation Awards. In 2024 she co-authored a chapter on parenting in dance with Professor Angela Pickard in 'The Female Dancer' (Farmer and Kindred) and featured in an online campaign for Women’s Health and Barbie, 'Power of Play'
Fern Potter
First Director
Fern's expertise is in fundraising and development, having raised millions for various arts organisations, over more than 20 years. She has worked in senior development roles for a number of organisations including (most recently), Birmingham Royal Ballet, Orlando Ballet, Dance UK, Dance Umbrella, Ballet Boyz, Barbican, and was founding Director of Essexdance.
She has also worked in the corporate sector as Business Development Manager with Tom Peters Company (UK).
Fern is a skilled facilitator and mentor, with an entrepreneurial flair in leveraging funds from statutory sources and private funders. She is passionate about sharing her expertise with others through freelance training and consulting and currently mentors for the Chartered Institute of Fundraisers’ RAISE programme, Mercury Creatives and Heritage Compass programme. She is a regular trainer for Arts Funding and Philanthropy programme, and lecturer in fundraising for City, University of London’s MA Culture, Policy, and Management. She also consults on change management and Board development.
Along with being Chair of Viviana Durante Company, Fern is a Trustee of the Acosta Dance Foundation, SAFE (Supporting Asperger Families in Essex) and Co-Chair of Southend Cultural Network CIC. She holds a MA in Arts Management from City University and is a full member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraisers.
Lise Smith
Director
Trained at Trinity Laban, Lise has over 20 years' experience of producing professional touring theatre and participatory projects at all scales with clients including Akademi South Asian Dance, Kate Flatt Projects, VOXED Dance and Kamala Devam Company. Lise recently worked with Shobana Jeyasingh Dance as Company Manager from 2019-2022 and Operations Manager at Russell Maliphant Dance Company, joining RMDC for the UK tour of Vortex in 2022. . She is currently Head of Governance, The Place/ London Contemporary Dance School.
Lise also enjoys supporting emerging and mid-career artists with touring and organisational development. She produced the dance films Story of a Night Pianist with Bricolage Dance UK, and An Evening With Taglioni with Jess + Morgs Films.
Lise previously worked as a teacher and animateur for organisations including Greenwich Dance Agency, Barnet School Sports Partnership, Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds and Artis Education. As a Dance Mama she performed onstage while seven months pregnant with daughter Scarlett, who is now 7 years od.l Lise still performs on occasion - most recently at Greenwich World Festival 2017, Notting Hill Carnival 2018, and with Stage and the City in 2022.
RESEARCH ADVISORY GROUP
Dance Mama has its own Research Advisory Group, including the brightest minds in dance science, sports and exercise science and medicine to support our work as we strive to deliver the highest quality in all our endeavour.
We are privileged to say that this group includes:
Tara Choudrie, MA Research Student (Dance and Parenting), Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance & Dance Artist
Claire Cordeaux - CEO, British Association of Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM)
Dr Marlize De Vivo, CEO & Founder, Active Pregnancy Foundation, Senior Research Fellow, Canterbury Christ Church University
Dr Nicky Keay (NK), GP, Endocrinologist and Author
Rachael Kuik (RK) independent women’s health and musculoskeletal physiotherapist and Pilates instructor (supporting ENB)
Kelly Massey, Olympic Athlete, Researcher, Liverpool John Moores University
Niamh Morrin PhD (NM), Female Exercise Specialist and Founder, SOMA
Karen Palmer MSc (KP), Director, Performing Arts Development
Edel Quin Msc FHEA (EQ), Programme Leader for Dance Science, University of Chichester
Erin Sanchez MSc (ES), Manager of Health Wellbeing and Performance, One Dance UK
Bill Taylor (BT), MSc PT, SRP, MCSP, Grad Dip Man Ther Canada, Taylor Physiotherapy
Additional Advisors:
Sinem Cakir - Non-profit leadership expert
Joce Giles - Director of Engagement, Sadler's Wells (and Former First Director)
Laura Godfrey-Issacs - Midwife, Co-Founder of Maternal Journal, Artist and Activist
Doug Hewitt - Brand Strategist and Co-Founder of People Made
Martin Lanfear - Head of Performance Medicine, Scottish Ballet
Helen Laws - PhD researcher, Coventry University
Balbir Singh MBE - Artistic Director, Balbir Singh Dance Company
Gendered Intelligence
Black Artists in Dance