Senior Dance Artist Hannah Sampson reflects on a landmark year at Stopgap Dance Company - from award-winning performances and international touring to creative collaboration, advocacy, and the rhythms of everyday life as a dance artist. Hannah shares a personal look at growth, movement, and their hopes for the year ahead.
Listen to Hannah reading via Soundcloud
Looking Back on 2025
Last year was a lot of fun. Busy, but fun. My days were full of travelling, touring, leading workshops, performing, attending events, inspiring young people and audiences, and proudly representing Stopgap. 2025 gave us many opportunities to reflect, learn, and grow – not only as dancers and teachers, but also as an office team.
Firstly, I’d like to welcome our new Future Leaders, William Spencer and Kajsa Sundstrom, who recently joined the company. Will is our Assistant Artistic Director under creative leadership, and Kajsa is our Assistant Artistic Director for advocacy, education and training. They are both working closely alongside Lucy Bennett and Laura Jones. Although this isn’t exactly one of my personal highlights, I’m really looking forward to seeing what they bring to the company in the year ahead.
Hannah, Lucy Bennett and Monique Jarrett with the award trophy and the award logo on the right.
A haze of golden light spills around Hannah as they balance with one leg bent and raised to the back in an attitude position. Photo by Chris Parkes
A dark performance space, Hannah on the right looks up into the hand of a dancer reaching up next to her. Photo by @junpeiiwamoto
Hannah and other participants smiling brightly during conversation at the lab, in a wooden floored studio. Photo by Annette Etges
My Highlights of 2025
So, what were my personal favourite moments from 2025?
- Being nominated for and winning the One Dance UK Award for Artistic Innovation in Dance for our indoor production Lived Fiction
- Sharing my story during The BIG GIVE speech at our Winter Platform
- Performing Lived Fiction in Singapore, Switzerland, and London
- Working and performing in England and Japan with Yukio Suzuki on our project, Beyond
- Leading a workshop alongside Access Artist, Lily Norton in Germany for Un-Label
- Being interviewed on UCB1 Radio, discussing Strictly Come Dancing and my role as a Senior Dance Artist with Stopgap Dance Company
- Representing myself as both a Board Member and a Dance Artist
All of these highlights are part of my day-to-day life as a Senior Dance Artist, advocate, teacher, and performer.
A Day in the Life of a Dance Artist
So what does a typical day involve? My role includes maintaining my fitness, understanding and listening to my body through movement, and balancing movement and admin tasks both at home and in the studio. Alongside this, I occasionally contribute to my voluntary role as a Trustee Board Member with Unlimited.
Most of my time is spent travelling, teaching, and performing—both across the UK and around the world.
Looking Ahead to 2026
2025 gave us so many great memories, and I’m excited to see what 2026 has in store. Here’s some of what I’m most looking forward to:
- Performing Lived Fiction and Reflections
- Staying active and engaged on Instagram and LinkedIn
- Starting a new training session at the gym
- Continuing to represent Stopgap and Unlimited as an advocate, teacher, and performer
Happy New Year – and stay tuned!