Biography
Born 1958 Grimsby, UK. His father (Joe Benjamin) was a pioneer of the Adventure Playground, his mother (Rivka Black) an artist, costume designer at Sadlers Wells and later teacher at Goldsmiths College (brother of designer Sir Misha Black).
Early years were spent traveling, dropping out of university, playing various sports, learning Tai Chi (Miss Li in London) and body work with Franklyn Sills. Aged 27 he took a degree in Dance and Fine Art at what was then Middlesex Polytechnic, studying Humphrey Technique with Lesley Main and Release with Judy Sharpe. On graduating he met Celeste Dandeker (through his involvement with the charity ASPIRE) In 1990 they began teaching together and soon after founded CandoCo Dance Company, the first professional company for disabled and non-disabled dancers. As joint founder and Artistic Director, Adam choreographed and performed with the company until 1996 (see Past works ) and then directed the education program, establishing a reputation as a teacher of integrated work, later as a teacher of improvisation.
In 1998 he left CandoCo, (by then an established and award winning company) and struck out in a variety of different but equally challenging directions. His book Making an Entrance. Theory and practice for disabled and non-disabled dancers was published by Routledge in 2001. He worked in South Africa as artistic director of Tshwaragano Dance Company, and also in Ethiopia for the Adugna Dance Theatre Company. In Europe he made work for his own performance projects Adam Benjamin and dancers, and The Stare Cases Project as well as directing movement for the Besht Tellers and A and BC Theatre Company. Thanks to support of Yuko Ijichi he developed a growing body of work in Japan, both within community dance and with professional performers such as Kim Itoh and Chieko Matsumura. While working in Japan he met and married his wife Tamami.
As an improvisor he has performed with Jordi Cortes, Chieko Matsumura, Rick Nodine, Kim Itoh, Chris Lechner, Thomas Mettler, Yann l’Heureux and Eric Languet. He currently performs with 5 Men Dancing.
He has received numerous awards; while at CandoCo he collected a TimeOut London Performance award for Flying in the Face of..., and the Sainsbury’s Award for Education. In his final year CandoCo collected the Prudential Award. With Tshwaragano he received Best Ensemble at the FNB Vita Dance Indaba Awards. Remix Dance Company were awarded the Arts and Culture Trust Awards: Cultural Development Project of the Year, 2002 following his production of ‘Taking Care of Small Things’. He has been a Wingate Scholar, an Associate Artist at The Place and received an International Artists Fellowship from Arts Council England. In 2006 he became one of the first choreographers to be awarded a Rayne Foundation fellowship. He now teaches on the faculty of Theatre and Performance at Plymouth University.
Adam lives in Cornwall with his wife Tamami and their
three children. See also Tai Chi and Shiatsu
