Hey, it's me – Xavi De Santos – a Bath-based freelance performance practitioner. My interdisciplinary practice merges dance, theatre and improvisation, with a strong focus on the theatrical potential of the moving body. I create work for and with dancers, actors and multidisciplinary artists, often blurring the boundaries between forms while exploring how movement can communicate story, emotion and connection.
Over the last decade, alongside facilitating at Bath Spa University as an associate lecturer for the Dance and Acting degrees, and working with dance schools and community groups in Bath and Bristol, I have been devising and performing with Dust Ensemble, as well as for the company I co-founded, AllouAqui Dance Theatre.
My professional training began in my hometown of Porto, Portugal, where I studied physical theatre at Balleteatro - this early grounding in embodied performance and theatrical play continues to inform my creative approach. I then moved to the UK to complete a BA in Contemporary Dance at Bath Spa University, where my interest in choreography, improvisation and collaborative cross-disciplinary processes deepened. Most recently, I completed a research Master’s in Performance Practice at Middlesex University in London, with a particular focus on improvisation and devising strategies.
Last year, I founded and have been running Bath’s Creative Playground, a community-rooted space where people can reconnect with their creative selves. After several months of bringing creatives together, I expanded the initiative and created Trowbridge Creative Playground as part of my ongoing commitment to making creativity accessible and strengthening the artistic community.
Xavier De Santos
