TravCast - White & Givan

Traverse Theatre

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellaghar, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse. In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Errol White and Davina Givan of the renowned group White & Givan. Errol White (Creative Co-Director) Trained at the Northern Contemporary Dance School, Errol White has performed with some of the UK’s best known contemporary dance companies including Phoenix Dance Company, Scottish Dance Theatre, Random Dance Company and National Dance Company of Wales. He has performed internationally working alongside a number of distinguished directors and choreographers including Rui Horta, Bill T Jones, Kenneth Kvarnstrom, Darshan Singh Buller, Fin Walker and Janet Smith and Ashley Page. Errol was the Artistic Director of National Youth Dance Wales from 2009 till 2013. Currently he is the Creative Co-Director of the Scottish contemporary dance duo White & Givan (previously Errol White Company) A teaching artist and performer, Errol has over 20 years’ experience, including five years as Rehearsal Director with Scottish Dance Theatre. As guest lecturer in dance colleges and other educational settings throughout the UK Errol shares his legacy of practice teaching the next generation of contemporary dancers. He also leads residencies and classes for professional dance companies. In 2014 and in collaboration with Davina Givan, he launched Scotland’s first paid pilot apprenticeship programme, Evolve. Errol is a recipient of the Dance Europe Magazine’s Critics Award for Best Male Performer (2003/2004), the Marion North Mentoring Award for Choreography (2002), the Lisa Ullman Travelling Scholarship Award (2009). His most recent choreographic collaborations with Davina Givan include the successful and critically acclaimed works Three Works (2009) and IAM (2012). Davina Givan (Creative Co-Director) Davina Givan is an experienced and highly articulate artist who trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds. Edinburgh born, Davina has worked and performed with Richard Alston Dance Company, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Scottish Dance Theatre and also as the Creative Director of National Youth Dance Wales 2009-13. Currently, she is the Creative Co-Director of the Scottish contemporary dance duo White & Givan (previously Errol White Company). Throughout her career Davina has worked with internationally renowned choreographers dancing original roles for Richard Alston, Darshan Singh Buller, Janet Smith, Henri Oguike, Ashley Page and Jan De Shenkle. She has received several awards including the Critics Award by Dance Europe Magazine (Best Female Performer 2001/2002)The Mitchell Dance Award (1993), and a nomination for the highly-prized Outstanding Young Artist category in the Critics Circle Dance Awards (2002). An experienced teaching artist and facilitator, Davina generously shares her practitioner experience working across age groups and in a variety of educational and professional settings in Scotland and internationally. In 2014 and in collaboration with Errol White, she launched Scotland’s first paid pilot apprenticeship programme, Evolve. Her most recent choreographic collaborations with Errol White include the successful and critically acclaimed works Three Works (2009) and IAM (2012). In 2015, White & Givan were invited to work with Orla O’Loughlin, Artistic Director and Joint CEO of the Traverse Theatre in the capacity of Movement Directors and Choreographers for the new play Swallow by Stef Smith. Swallow won the Scotsman Fringe First Award and the Scottish Arts Club Theatre Award-First Place when premiered in the 2015 Fringe Festival at the Traverse. Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk Conceived, produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain