Biography

Rosie Kay (BA Hons) FRSA, MCR St Cross College, Oxford was born in Scotland and trained at London Contemporary Dance School. Rosie founded the Rosie Kay Dance Company 2004-21 and is now the CEO and artistic director of K2CO LTD touring this year with a new adaptation of 5 SOLDIERS. Rosie’s works include Romeo + Juliet (2021), Adult Female Dancer (2021) celebrated as the ‘top 5 dance works of 2021’ by The Observer and nominated for a National Dance Award 2022, Outstanding Female Performance (Modern), multi-award winning 5 SOLDIERS (2010- present) based on intense research with the British Army and 10 SOLDIERS (2019), Fantasia (2019), The Guardian’s ‘top 10 dance of 2019, MK ULTRA (2017) on conspiracy theory, 'Best Dance 2017, The Observer', as well as many theatre and site-specific works. Kay is currently developing new work and preparing for the national touring Spring 2024 of Fantasia and Adult Female Dancer. Rosie choreographed the live Commonwealth Games Handover Ceremony (2018) & the film Sunshine on Leith (2013). She was Leverhulme Artist in Residence at the School of Anthropology, University of Oxford (2013). Her awards include Best Independent Company, National Dance Awards; Royal Society for Public Health Award; Bonnie Bird Choreography Award, and Young Achiever of Scotland by the Queen. In 2023 Rosie Kay and Denise Fahmy set up a new organisation Freedom in the Arts to support and protect artists and freedom of expression and work with arts institutions to protect freedom of artistic creation, debate, and programming. Kay also writes and speaks on the state of the arts and freedom of expression.