Frog in Hand began with a cast of frogs performing circus tricks under the artistic direction of sisters, Noelle Hamlyn and Colleen Snell, who were one and five years old at the time. From this whimsical debut springs our firm belief that art begins in humble places – including the mud and grass of our own backyards. Although we are now a diverse collective of dancers, choreographers, musicians, actors, spoken word poets, designers and visual artists, we are still inspired by where we find ourselves.
We are storytellers. We are inspired by local tales, people, and communities that now extend beyond our back yard to include professional training at The Banff Centre, LADMMI, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, London Contemporary Dance School (UK), Shiseikan Budojo (Tokyo) and Barefoot College (Tanzania). With dance at the forefront, we blend disciplines, treasuring the interaction between space, place and the possibilities of narrative. We seek to blur boundaries that separate art forms, artists, audiences and communities; we collaborate with others who have similar aspirations.
Frog in Hand Company members have trained with Gaga Movement (Israel), Jacob’s Pillow, Third Rail (NYC), Peggy Baker Dance Projects, and ProArteDanza. We are all committed to listening for stories and working in community context. Since our first professional performance in 2012 we have produced 45+ original creations and 3 festivals sharing stories with audiences in parks, schools, gazebos, staircases, fountains, abandoned factories, elevators, galleries, street corners and theatres.
