Mary Collins is an early dance specialist.
Her research and teaching approach has inspired musicians to look afresh at the dance music which is at the heart of the Renaissance and Baroque repertoire
A practitioner and researcher working with many of the world’s leading exponents of early music, she performs with the London Handel Players and Florilegium, giving master classes, lecture-recitals and workshops to dancers and musicians throughout the world in addition to reviving original choreography and gesture for theatre
Mary teaches at many other leading conservatoires in Europe and is a faculty member of the Austria Barock Akademie. She receives regular invitations to work with renowned period ensembles including the Orchestra for the Age of Enlightenment, OAE Academy, the European Baroque Orchestra and Irish Baroque Orchestra.
Mary’s work enables young musicians to develop a more informed approach to the realisation and performance of the dance-based baroque repertoire, empowering them to challenge established interpretation and to imbue iconic pieces with fresh and exciting perspectives. Similarly, she encourages dancers to develop musical fluency, enabling clearer communication between the disciplines and a restoration of the synergy which historically existed between them.
In collaboration with a small group of renowned baroque instrumentalists, Mary is currently preparing to publish a comprehensive resource for musicians on historical performance practice; this seminal work will be the first practical multi-disciplinary resource available to 21st century players.