Holly Riseborough – Independent Artist
Dancer, Artist and Creative Practitioner
Holly Riseborough is a professional dance artist and member of Anjali Dance Company.
Holly is an experienced performer who brings energy, individuality and a strong sense of connection to her work. Alongside performing with Anjali, Holly is developing her practice through workshops, participatory projects, community engagement and opportunities to explore her own creative ideas.
Holly is passionate about dance and the opportunities it creates to connect with other people. She is particularly interested in sharing dance in welcoming and accessible environments and in encouraging other people to find their own ways of moving, creating and expressing themselves.
Dance, Participation and Community
Holly is particularly interested in bringing dance beyond traditional performance spaces and connecting with people in their own communities. Through Anjali’s Dance in Libraries activity, Holly performs her own solo work and leads workshops for children, families and young people, creating welcoming and accessible opportunities to explore movement, creativity and self-expression.
Holly also brings these skills to dance parties and other participatory events, where she uses her experience as a professional performer and facilitator to create relaxed environments where everyone can join in, regardless of previous dance experience.
For Holly, this work is about more than delivering a performance or workshop. It is about meeting people, sharing her experience as a professional dancer and showing that dance can be for everyone. Her work across performances, workshops, dance parties and community projects reflects her growing practice as both an artist and facilitator.
Holly Riseborough
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Holly Riseborough, performing at Kenilworth Library.
Photo by: Andrew Moore
Holly Riseborough and Com.Dance dancer performing at Hijinx Festival, 2026.
Photo by: Kristen Mcternan
Holly Riseborough rehearsing during residency in Germany.
Photo by: Jennifer Rohrbacher
International Experience
Holly’s career with Anjali has also provided opportunities to work internationally and to take part in creative exchange with artists from other countries.
She was involved in El Movimiento, an international collaboration between Anjali and DaDa/DaDance artists in Mexico and Peru. The project brought learning-disabled dancers together across international borders to develop new dance work for camera.
International Exchange: com.dance, Germany
Holly has been involved in Anjali’s international exchange with com.dance in Freiburg, Germany, as part of the Cultural Bridge programme. In 2024, Anjali and com.dance began developing a relationship through artist exchanges, workshops and shared creative activity, bringing learning-disabled dancers from the UK and Germany together.
Holly took part in the Cultural Bridge UK Residency at De Montfort University, where dancers from both companies continued to develop and share their work. The residency explored how dance could create a non-verbal form of communication, allowing the artists to connect and collaborate across language and cultural differences. The work was performed as part of the Hijinx Festival in Cardiff in 2026.
For Holly, the exchange has provided an opportunity to work alongside new artists, experience different approaches to dance and contribute to an international creative process. It has also supported her development as a performer and collaborator, building connections with other learning-disabled artists and contributing to Anjali’s growing international network.
International exchange remains an important part of Anjali’s work, providing artists such as Holly with opportunities to develop their experience and make connections beyond the UK.
Working with Communities
Holly’s practice extends into community engagement and partnership projects.
She has been involved in Anjali’s engagement work with 49T at Croome, National Trust, contributing to a workshop developed alongside the wider project.
Working in this context has given Holly an opportunity to bring her experience as a professional dancer into a new environment and to connect dance with heritage, place and community.
Holly also teaches bespoke workshops and classes, adapting her approach to different groups and settings. This has included working with Access Sport, where she has shared her skills and experience while encouraging participants to engage with dance and movement in an accessible and enjoyable way.
For Holly, this kind of work creates a two-way exchange: she shares her skills and experience, while also learning from the people and communities she works with.
Holly Riseborough co-leading a workshop at the Access Sports Multisports event.
Photo by: Romy Whai
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Holly Riseborough performing at Kenilworth Library.
Photo by: Andrew Moore
Looking ahead
Holly is continuing to develop her practice beyond her work as a professional performer, building on her experience across performance, workshops, dance parties and community engagement. These opportunities have given her experience of different creative and facilitation roles and are helping her develop confidence in exploring her own ideas and artistic voice.
Her next major step will be Lab 17, a development residency beginning in early 2027. Through mentoring and dedicated time to explore her ideas, Holly will have the opportunity to experiment, ask questions and consider where she wants her practice to go next.
Lab 17 will support Holly to take greater ownership of her creative development and explore what it means for her to work as an independent artist. It marks an exciting new stage in her journey, building on her experience as a professional dancer while giving her the space, support and encouragement to develop her own creative voice.
Alongside the residency, Holly will continue to perform, teach and connect with audiences and communities, using her growing experience to create opportunities for others to experience the creativity, freedom and connection that dance can offer.
Want to Get Involved?
We are interested in connecting Holly with people and organisations who want to support, develop or collaborate with learning-disabled artists.
We welcome enquiries from funders, producers, venues, artists, creative collaborators, organisations, commissioners, partners, educators, community organisations and anyone interested in Holly’s work.
Whether you would like to explore a performance opportunity, workshop, dance party, residency or community project, invite Holly to contribute to an event, support her artistic development, or explore a new creative collaboration, we would love to hear from you.
Get in touch: info@anjali.co.uk
Photo by Elly Welford