CHOREOGRAPHIC CREATIONS

Helen’s choreographic work is highly physical, story-driven, and tender, with a fierce determination to hold space for true integration of artistic form.

Her practice engages the body as an instrument of detail, utilising the nuanced dynamics of precise, physical connection to create emotionally resonant work, often exploring themes of vulnerability, mental unrest, and resilience. Her work invites audiences to witness touch, timing, and the power of shared linguistic intention to build living, breathing dialogues.

Helen is Artistic Director of Beyond Words Dance. Her adaptation of Max Porter’s Grief Is The Thing With Feathers’ will tour nationally from 2026-2027.

MOVEMENT DIRECTION / COMMISSIONS

Helen has created new work in theatres, warehouses, outdoors stages, large-scale live productions, care homes, and as part of vocational choreographic study. She was nominated for a Women in Dance Award with AWA Dance (Advancing Women’s Aspirations with Dance) in March 2021.

‘When I Was 10’, a commission for Total Insight Theatre (2025 &2026), ‘RE-WIRE’ Movement Direction, Birmingham Opera Company (2026). ‘No Photos” Ryan Sinclair (2026) ‘Fountain of Light’ site-specific R&D (2025, 2026), Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, final year piece (2024), ‘Three Poems,’ joint commission by Hounslow Acton for Youth & Apple T.V. (2023) ‘Descent’, for Midlands Actors Theatre (site-specific production, 2022 &23), Curated by Carlos, Birmingham Royal Ballet (2021), I’d Do It All Again’, Midlands Actors Theatre, care home community touring (2019), ‘The Darlaston Dog Fight’ with Regional Voice (2017) ‘STAY’, commissioned for the Birmingham Weekender Festival (sign-language / gesture integration, 2017. ‘Marina’, solo performance as part of Poetry International Festival (2016).

CURRENT PROJECTS

NO PHOTOS (TOURING 2026) RYAN SINCLAIR

No Photos is a spoken word show that explores social anxiety, self-image, and visibility through the lens of a man who never wants to be in the picture.
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RE-WIRE BIRMINGHAM OPERA COMPANY 2026

The production brings together six world premieres of newly commissioned works, made with and about the people of Birmingham. Jonny Danciger serves as Creative Director on the project, with Harry Lai as Project Music Director, Mariana Rosas as Chorus Director, and Helen Calcutt as Movement Director.

WHEN I WAS 10

Total Insight Theatre 2025 & 2026 (TOUR)

The creation of bespoke gestural choreographic language to translate the emotional and narrative content of Total Insight Theatre’s powerful new verbatim theatre work ‘When I was 10’, directed by Kieran Vyas and produced by Total Insight.

FOUNTAIN OF LIGHT (R&D movement & dance)

MIDLANDS ACTORS THEATRE, 2025

The research and development of a new site-specific work by Midlands Actors Theatre, directed by David Allen. Performed at FABRIC studios and Huntington Hall.

“An extraordinary work of art — a world-class piece of contemporary dance.” — Max Porter

BEYOND WORDS

GRIEF IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS

BEYOND WORDS (VISIT SITE)

Grief Is the Thing with Feathers is a ground-breaking dance adaptation of Max Porter’s award-winning novella, directed and choreographed by Helen Calcutt. Through an evocative interplay of words and bodies, and through the company’s unique gestural system ‘Hypha‘, the work renders grief as fully kinetic and alive.

Touring across 2026–2027, the production is supported by Arts Council England, One Dance UK, and the Good Grief Festival

WHAT IS HYPHA?

Hypha is a codified gestural system of text-to-dance translation, offering dance and theatre makers alike a method through which to embody words with unmatched physical rigour and faithful attention to the texture and personality of text, whether written or spoken. Listen, watch, read and find out more.