Artist's Biography

Maria Blundell-Palethorpe

Teacher | Choreographer | Dance Artist | Performer

Maria Blundell-Palethorpe is a teacher, choreographer, dance artist, and performer with over twenty-five years of

experience in dance education and choreography.

Maria trained for six years at the Central School of Ballet, followed by three years at London Studio Centre and a year at

London Contemporary Dance School. In 2002, she founded her own dance company, Pasgetti. She later gained an MSc

in Dance Science (with Distinction) from the University of Wolverhampton in 2013.

Teaching

Throughout her career, Maria has taught extensively across the UK, continually developing her practice to inspire and

challenge dancers of all levels. She is known for her fun, fast-paced, and athletically demanding classes that combine

energy, rigour, and creativity.

Maria has significant experience teaching young people contemporary dance, including GCSE and BTEC courses, and was

a Contemporary Technique Tutor on the Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) programme for several years. Through

her work with DanceXchange (now FABRIC Dance), Laban, CambsDance, The Junction, and Dance4, she has helped

nurture elite young dancers aged 12–18. She also led the Making Choreographers course, mentoring students aged 12–16 in

the craft of choreography.

Maria was a Visiting Lecturer at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (2008–2025), where she taught Physical Theatre

and Contemporary Dance Technique, and Guest Lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton (2011–2021), teaching

Alvin Ailey repertoire to third-year BA dancers.

She is currently an Associate Lecturer at the University of Worcester (2023–present), delivering modules on Dance

Science, Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary Techniques, Dance for Camera, Teaching and Leading, and Visual Studies

for the BA Dance course.

Since 2024, Maria has also been leading the dance course on the Musical Theatre programme at the Oxford School of

Drama and teaching Acro and Contemporary at the Sheila Price Dance School. In addition, she delivers Bronze and

Silver Arts Award programmes at The Cotswold School.

Choreography

Maria has an extensive and diverse choreographic portfolio, spanning theatre, contemporary dance, and physical theatre.

She has been commissioned by the Birmingham School of Acting to choreograph Spring Awakening and A Clockwork

Orange (both performed at The Crescent Theatre, Birmingham). Her work A Street of Crocodiles premiered at The Patrick

Centre, Birmingham, before touring to Budapest in 2016.

In collaboration with director Stephen Simms, Maria created The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which premiered at The Old Rep

Theatre, Birmingham, in 2017 and toured to Serbia and Hungary. That same year, she was commissioned by the Royal

Birmingham Conservatoire to choreograph Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson—the British premiere of the Broadway

musical—which was later performed in a private showing for Andrew Lloyd Webber in 2018.

Her other credits include Pentecost (directed by Aleksander Dundjerovic), Rhinoceros (directed by John Adams), and 3

Winters (directed by Lise Olson), all staged between 2017–2018. She choreographed The Terror (premiered at The Crescent

Theatre, 2019, and toured internationally), followed by Nosferatu (2020) and A Bride of Frankenstein (2021), the latter

premiered via Zoom during the pandemic.

Most recently, Maria choreographed High School Musical at The Cotswold School (February 2024) and choreographed and

directed new works for third-year Worcester University students including Rotten to the Core (2024 UK tour) and Leap

of Faith (2025 UK tour). She is currently creating State of Flux for the second-year student tour(UK) and is about to start

choreographing The Addams Family Musical for The Cotswold School in Feb 2026.

Maria is deeply passionate about developing each dancer’s individual skill set and helping them realise their full potential.

Her greatest strength lies in empowering dancers to become their best selves, both technically and artistically. Known for her

down-to-earth, inspiring, and supportive teaching style, Maria creates an environment where students feel challenged,

valued, and motivated to achieve their goals. She believes in nurturing confidence, creativity, and self-expression through

movement, ensuring every dancer finds their unique voice.

TESTIMONIAL

 ‘She has the ability to cajole and nurture the dancers around her to enable them to achieve a strong sense of performance

and choreographic shape’ . Veronica Lewis MBE, Director London Contemporary Dance School.