The Cedar Dance Theatre Company

The Cedar Dance Theatre Company was established in London in the early 1970s under the artistic and choreographic directorship of Janet Randell, and quickly became established as one of the leading contemporary dance companies of its time. Renowned for its artistic excellence, the company under Randell’s leadership has continued to perform dances of depth, originality and inspiration, choreographed for stage and film, to great critical acclaim. It is now one of the longest established U.K. contemporary dance companies.

The Company attracts leading as well as emerging young dancers, keen to be challenged by choreographer Randell to explore her range of innovative and modern dance styles. Each dancer is considered a soloist in his or her right, and one of Randell’s aims is to draw the unique artistic talent out of each individual dancer. Integrating technically demanding digital choreography with live dance, her works extend the boundaries of experimental, independent and creative dance.

The Cedar Dance Theatre was one of the first companies to incorporate ballet dancers from companies such as the Royal Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre, Dutch National Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, with modern dancers from Rambert Dance Company, Nederlands Dans Theater, Diversions, London Contemporary Dance Theatre, The Place, London, and other major companies and dance institutions, including the London Contemporary Dance School and Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance.

The Cedar Dance Theatre performs the dance works of the choreographer and artistic director Janet Randell, with the collaboration of musicians, composers, and designers. Randell continues to create challenging, imaginative, musical and expressive dances ranging from the dramatic, uplifting, beautiful and witty, to the meditative and abstract. She confronts a wide range of subjects in her repertoire, including social, personal, historical, spiritual and Christian issues. Her most recent dance film Passing Moments, raises human and personal issues over mental and physical survival, set within the context of the story of Anne Frank and the Holocaust.

The Cedar Dance Theatre Company has performed in middle scale theatres in London and throughout the UK. The company has also given master classes, residencies, educational workshops, lecture demonstrations and performances for TV. Most recently, Randell has been producing dance films and various digital dance projects for The Cedar Dance Theatre Company, incorporating her work with Cedar Dance Animations. In 2009 and 2010, the dance company filmed performances of new live dances and choreographic works created/directed by Randell using 3D animation software, in the Robin Howard Theatre, London, and Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury.