Vanessa Ewan, LCMD

Vanessa Ewan joined Central in 1989. Having graduated from the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance, she pursued a career exclusively with actors working at most of the major drama schools, including E15 (where she was Head of Movement), Webber Douglas, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

Since her arrival at Central she has been responsible for the co-development and implementation of the three-year movement curriculum for BA (Hons) Acting. Vanessa co-authored the first ever MA in movement for actors, MA Movement Studies, of which she is Co-Course Leader.

In 2006-2007 she was an external movement advisor within the consultancy programme in curriculum development for the RADA Movement Review.She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

The focus of her work with the actor is Movement Expression: Observation; Neutrality; Laban Analysis; Animal Study; Efforts of Action Drive; Dance for the Actor and Character Transformation, and her focus with the specialist movement practitioner is on the Pedagogy of Actor Movement.

She is also coach, movement advisor and choreographer for theatre, film and television, and has worked as choreographer or movement director on over 80 public productions at Central, most recently The House of Bernarda Alba, directed by Claire Lizzimore, 2009.

Research areas

> Movement and the actor
> Movement labs on Laban’s Eight Efforts of Action Drive
> Movement curriculum for Actor Training’ with Debbie Green
> Founder member of 'The Actor’s Body: Image and Identity', issues around image, actor training in higher education and industry practice