MÓTUS was established in 2013 by professional dancers based right here in Milton Keynes, who through their professional work around the country, recognised that there was a huge amount of potential just waiting to be harnessed in the city. And so MÓTUS was born.
Since 2013, MÓTUS has presented festivals in 2014, 2015 and 2016, taking a year off in 2017 to allow the artistic team to lead on other collaborative events for MK50, a year long event that celebrated the 50th birthday of Milton Keynes’ designation as a new town. JUMP START is their U.Dance endorsed youth dance platform that has just had it’s third year, welcoming hundreds of young dancers to The Venue:MK each time to share their talent and passion. MÓTUS also programmes workshops and classes at all levels and is becoming a recognisable name in support of new dance work and emerging dance artists through the ADJUSTMENTS platforms. The platforms are a space to try new ideas for work and provides feedback to artists through live discussion with a live audience and panel of arts professionals.
Over the past five years, MÓTUS has been welcoming a whole range of artists, both emerging and established, to Milton Keynes. This ever growing list of talent includes Charlotte Vincent, Yael Flexer and Nic Sandiland, Kevin Finnan (Motionhouse), Theo Clinkard, Robbie Graham (Southpaw), Amit Lahav (Gecko), Keira Martin, Sally Doughty, Monica Giacommin, Nikki O’Hara, Vanessa Cook, Pagrav Dance, Ceyda Tanc and House Of Absolute, not to mention the hundreds of community and youth dancers who have been involved.
MÓTUS also creates work for commissions here at home, commemorating World War I in For The Fallen and playing with fire in The Stables Feast of Fire just last year. The organisation strives to promote dance to anyone and everyone living in Milton Keynes and beyond as a form of self-expression and discovery, as well as a way to improve and maintain health and wellbeing.