Richard Chappell: What we do and why we do it

My creations explore human connection as an act of restoration, making space for people connect deeper with themselves, each other and the land around them. Our work shines a light on what people have overcome and where they are going through the lens of climate and social justice, community strength and artistic expression. We celebrate brilliant people's bravery, sensitivity and boldness. 


I see my work as a continuum, where one work starts where the last left off. This evolution of my practice helps me to make sense of the world around me. I use dance as a way to celebrate care and togetherness. I believe understanding and acknowledging loss plays a huge part in hopeful creation. My work frames the audience experience on an emotional level, lifting people up without striving to be intellectual. 


Our work shapes virtuosity as an expressive tool, energeticly blending contemporary dance, ballet, contact work and acrobatics. I find things that overwhelm me beautiful and try to frame each work as sensorial experience for audiences. Through close and recurring relationships with dancers, lighting and sound designers, musicians and visual artists, we form a world for performances and audiences to inhabit. Audience responses to our work are passionately vocal. 


Within the first five years of my career, I worked as a support worker carer for Robert Owen Communities. The experiences I learned in this role are instilled in my practice, framing my understanding of access, communication and mutual respect. Our work regularly features intergenerational community casts, highlighting how transformative and enduring dance can be for people’s wellbeing. 


My personal history plays a big part in my identity and my role within the dance sector. I am a queer artist from a single parent, low income household in a rural part of the UK, where provision for and access to dance is challenging. RCD’s vision is to create high quality work within these communities, celebrating their stories and representing them on UK and international stages. Energy transference feels key to how my work interacts with architecture, nature and people’s bodies. I am a passionate climate activist who grew up in the countryside and am deeply inspired by ecosystems and how life finds its way through movement, adaptation and evolution. 


As an dance activist, my work acknowledges the impacts of dancers and artists and as co-authors. RCD prioritises the worker in the decisions we make and actively works to  better the sector’s support structure for freelancers, helping artists achieve their best work.