Dana MacPherson is a somatic movement practitioner and choreographer who lives on the Isle of Raasay. Her performance, teaching and research are inspired by land and sea, informed by the living stories which emerge when immersed in the wild beauty of the West Coast.
Her work-in-progress CALA brought together mulit-disciplinary artists to develop a vertical dance piece for harbour spaces. CALA places performers and audiences together in rhythm with the ocean, on the water, within the tidal zone where the veil is thin and worlds meet. Part of her project research took place in Glendale where the late George MacPherson assisted with knowledge of local sea myths. One story told of a hidden well, which is now dry.
Dana is a PhD student at Kings College London, her research Dancing on the Moon is a physiological investigation of dance as an exercise countermeasure for simulated lunar gravity; through the lens of somatic movement, vertical dance and contact improvisation. She loves to sail and surf and is a firm believer in the benefits of the beauty and freedom found in the great outdoors. She is also a keen Ki-Aikido Practitioner and runs a small club on the Isle of Skye. Her work, such as CALA, raises awareness for policy change such as One Blue Voice with the Ocean Race, which recognises ocean rights.
Dana will undertake a Creative Practitioner Residency at The Tin Church in October 2026. At the Tin Church, Dana will spend time looking into the history of wells across Skye. She will explore their legacy as water sources and past gathering places for community, considering their contemporary fate as stories are lost and waterways are damaged with changing infrastructure and climate. This residency is supported by Creative Scotland.
