Wilkie Branson

Choreography - Winner 2012

The focus of Champloo Dance of which Branson is director lies in both dance and film with its origins rooted in b-boying or breakdancing. He started dancing at college with cinematographer Rob Saunders and having later moved to Bristol in 2002 joined with other breakdancers to form the Physical Jerks b-boy crew. The group often represented the UK at bboy battles in Europe and the US while Branson, fascinated with the possibilities of film and dance, developed his film-making skills alongside while on tour.
His focus gradually shifted towards dance becoming more about expression and art and Branson pushed the boundaries of both the expressive performance movement within breakdancing and explored the combination of live theatre with film. White Caps, his first large-scale work, combines live dance and film and has been staged to great acclaim at Sadlers Wells and the Bristol Old Vic before touring internationally. This unique fusion would be further tested if he won the award – working on a full length feature where the principle language is dance.