Birch & O’Shea have worked collaboratively since 1994. Their first project together examined how, as artists from different creative backgrounds, they communicated ideas. This project kick-started their creative partnership and resulted in them working with film, text, movement, sculpture and digital imagery to create gallery installations Territory 1 and Territory 2. They exhibited these works in Yorkshire and the South West. They have created work for theatre including dance works commissioned by the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and a full evening’s performance – Inscape, which was toured nationally. In addition to their work together Trish O’Shea and Simon Birch work independently.

Trish works as a freelance artist, project manager and creative consultant and devises and delivers training, creative consultation activities and creative workshops. Creative Consultation work has involved Trish working in St Helens (‘Imagining St Helens’ Initiative), in North East Sheffield on the neighbourhood regeneration scheme for SOAR (which included her co-ordinating the youth film project ‘Voices’), in Falsgrave and Staithes for Scarborough Borough Council and in Liverpool New Deal for Communities. Trish has delivered training in community engagement for Bolton BC and Scarborough area PACT groups. She delivers creative workshops around issues such as stress, change, team working and emotional intelligence.

In partnership with artist Ruth Ben-Tovim, Trish has recently created Encounters, a shop based arts residency that examines, records and responds to aspects of local community. By using the visual image, photography, the collection of memory and story, visitors to the shops become involved in the act of exploring place, culture and community. Recent creative consultation projects include Encounters at St Peters, Encounters at Ripley and Encounters at Mount Pleasant Park.

Simon works as a freelance artist, choreographer, rehearsal director, technique teacher and delivers workshops on creativity and movement. He has worked as a lecturer and Head of Year at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Whilst lecturing he ran the Performance and Movement Studies modules of the BPA Hons degree and taught contemporary dance technique and Yoga.

As a dancer Simon has performed in works created by Nigel Charnock, Liv Lorent, Gill Clarke, Emilyn Claid, Janet Smith and Debbi Purtill. As a choreographer he has created work for Akram Khan, Nexus Dance Company, Northern School of Contemporary Dance and Newcastle College. In 1995 Simon was invited as a choreographer to study on the International Dance Course for Professional Choreographers and Composers led by Sara Rudner and Nigel Osborne.

Simon teaches technique classes for professional dance companies and works part time as a rehearsal director for BalletLORENT. He is often invited to mentor professional choreographers and performers.

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