I am a choreographer, performer and presenter.  Born in 1963,  I started dancing aged 27 after a background of carpentry, and social/political activism.  As a dance maker I’d say my work is generally rooted in the post modern, experimental dance scene, influenced by my eclectic dance training and varied tastes and interests.  I like to push boundaries, explore edges, re-contextualise and generally mix things up a bit.  If anything,  I see my performance work as a quiet cathartic scream and personal antidote to a world that fundamentally makes very little sense.

In 1995 I received a BA (Hons) in Dance and Independent Learning from Middlesex University and 1997 was invited to become an Associate Artist at The Place Theatre, from which time I have been working as a professional choreographer and performer.  From 1995 – 2000 I worked under the name of M.E.Parker.  My  work has been performed in England, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Israel, Sweden, France and throughout Scotland. In 2000 I moved with my family to the Findhorn Eco-village, Moray in North East Scotland.

My recent practice has been significantly enhanced and developed by two important collaborations; with seminal choreographer Deborah Hay, through her Solo Performance Commissioning Project (At Once 2009, I Think Not 2011); and with composer Matteo Fargion, with whom I made the live dance and music piece Extremely Bad Dancing to Extremely French Music and our new work Extremely Pedestrian Chorales. 

Previous working partnerships include composers Philip Jeck and Yannis Kyriakides and lighting designer Charles Balfour.

In addition to my dance and performance practice, I am Creative Director of Moray based arts company Dance North Scotland, programming and directing their RISE! festival of contemporary dance and performance.  I am co-founder  Culture Café, local arts network and an active member of the local and national arts sector.

Current  Choreographic and Performance Projects include:

Extremely Pedestrian Chorales (2018 – )
A quartet by Karl Jay-Lewin and Matteo Fargion
Premiered at Findhorn Bay Festival. Touring.

***** The Herald  **** The Scotsman

Extremely Bad Dancing to Extremely French Music (2013 – )
By Karl Jay-Lewin and Matteo Fargion
Performed by Karl Jay-Lewin and Tim Parkinson.
Toured – Cardiff (Wales), Eden Ct (Inverness), Dance Live (Aberdeen), Universal Hall (Findhorn), Tramway (Glasgow), Traverse (Edinburgh), Dance Base (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

For a full list of previous choreographic and performance work, please visit the Work & Projects page.