Episode 10 – Ingrid Mackinnon

‘The things that you think about yourself is what you’ll ultimately become. So pay most attention to your thoughts…pay real attention to your inner dialogue.’

Ingrid Mackinnon (@ingridmackinnon on Twitter and @ingridmackinnon on Instagram) is a movement director, choreographer, teacher and dancer. To give a senes of the breadth of her professional experience in these fields here’s an outline of some of the things she’s been involved in.

Movement direction credits include Bonnie & Clyde (UWL: London College of Music), Hamlet (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama), First Encounters: The Merchant of Venice (Royal Shakespeare Company), Typical (Nouveau Riche), The Border (Theatre Centre), Breathing Space (Royal Court), Liar.Heretic.Thief (Lyric), ReImagining: Cacophony (Almeida), #WeAreArrested (Royal Shakespeare Company), Kingdom Come (Royal Shakespeare Company), #DR@CULA! (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama), Fantastic Mr. Fox (associate movement director- Nuffield and Lyric Hammersmith), Hansel & Gretel (assistant choreographer – Uchenna Dance), The Headwrap Diaries (assistant choreographer – Uchenna Dance), Our Mighty Groove (rehearsal director – Uchenna Dance).

Performance credits include Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Tavaziva Dance, Disney’s The Lion King (West End), Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Green Candle Dance Company and Uchenna Dance.

Ingrid is a certified STOTT Pilates instructor in matwork and reformer. She holds a BA in Kinesiology from Western University in Canada and an MA in Movement: Directing & Teaching from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Ingrid is also co-founder of MoveSpace.

At the time of writing, Ingrid teaches at her alma mater Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has previously taught at WAC Arts, Mountview, London Studio Centre and London Contemporary Dance School.

In our wide ranging conversation we cover:

The importance of being present and maintaining your spark
The value of moving from being a minority to a majority or personal growth and increased self awareness
Travelling widely to better understand your place in the world
Finding your voice to fight for what you need
Differences between working as an artist in an international touring company, on cruise ships and on the West End
Being shaped more by the rejections that the achievements
Her process as a movement director and storytelling through the body
The journey to become a whole person