Citymoves Core Staff

Hayley Durward, CEO

Hayley trained as a dancer at Laban, before lecturing at the Arts Educational School London in contemporary technique for 5 years - becoming the founder and Artistic Director of their touring company. She has taught freelance for many Scottish based companies, including Scottish Ballet, Scottish Dance Theatre, the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, Barrowland Ballet, and Starcatchers.

Hayley is chair of the board of trustees for Shaper/Caper and is a member of the advisory board for the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance. She currently works at Citymoves Dance Agency Aberdeen as CEO after being Dance Development Manager in Professional Pathways for 10 years.

Email : hayley.durward@citymoves.org.uk

Gillian Farquhar, Dance Development Manager

Gillian trained at Evolution School of Dance from the age of 3 and gained her Associate teaching qualification with the Scottish Dance Teachers Alliance. Gillian worked as an office administrator for 5 years before studying at Dance College Whitstable in Kent. Whilst in London Gillian attended workshops lead by Darcey Bussell at the RAD Head Quarters to become a fully qualified DDMIX Instructor. Since returning to Aberdeen Gillian has gained her ISTD Diploma in Dance Education in Modern Theatre, Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies with The Royal Academy of Dance and became a fully certified Acrobatic Arts teacher. Gillian continues to enhance her knowledge and skills by attending a variety of courses each year.

Gillian began teaching freelance for Citymoves in 2018 before joining the team as DanceLive Coordinator in 2020, progressing to Dance Development Manager in 2021.

Email : gillian.farquhar@citymoves.org.uk

Amy Park, Dance Development Manager

Email : amy.park@citymoves.org.uk

Megan Joyce, Dance Development Coordinator

Megan has come full circle back to Citymoves after starting her time here over 10 years ago, when she first joined Fusion Youth Dance Company at 14 years old! She stayed with the youth company for four years where she assured her love in dance, taking on some assisting and lead tutoring with Citymoves throughout this time, then leaving at 18 to train in Professional Stage Dance in Edinburgh. After her training and exams she performed in shows, taught classes and created her own choreography works. A sudden move saw her back to Aberdeen where the position of Dance Development Coordinator was open and was naturally right for Megan to apply for! Luckily, she was given this role and was so pleased to be back in the place that built the foundations for Megan's career. Being part of the team and organisation is a huge privilege to her, which she really does love!

Email : megan.joyce@citymoves.org.uk

Sheila Harkes, Finance Coordinator

Sheila started her career as a Quality Controller for J&J Crombie, a woolen mill who produced the famous Crombie Coats alongside other high quality woolen garments. After taking a career break to focus on raising her three children, Sheila studied Accountancy before embarking on a career in finance that stretched over 30 years. Initially starting off working for the NHS as a Management Accountant, she found herself down the line as Finance Manager for a large Norwegian oil services company travelling for work in Paris, Copenhagen, England and Orkney.

Sheila took early retirement in 2015, but by 2019 was itching to get involved with something else. With no interest in going back into the corporate world she came across Citymoves by sheer luck. Now having been with Citymoves for 3 years she loves her job, stating its so different to her past career – a part of something that enriches the local community and people's lives.

Email : sheila.harkes@citymoves.org.uk

Thomas Shepherd, Marketing Executive

Thomas is not a trained dancer, however he grew up attending ballroom and breakdancing classes and was constantly surrounded by dance throughout his life. This gave him an understanding of the physical and mental benefits dance and movement can bring to the body and mind, and after graduating from Grays School of Art was delighted to take this position at Citymoves. Studying Communication Design, Thomas specialised in graphic design and brand identity throughout his degree, something he was keen to bring to the table at Citymoves with a focus on refining their branding and marketing material. Since starting in February he's loved being a part of the creative community in the North East, and he's excited to be a part of it in this time of growth.

Email : thomas.shepherd@citymoves.org.uk

Lynn Shaw, DanceLive Manager

Lynn trained as a dancer at Telford College in 2004. Since then, she has worked as a freelance dance artist in Scotland with a particular focus on youth dance and co-founded Fusion Youth Dance company at Citymoves Dance Agency in 2008. Lynn recently received an MEd in Learning and Teaching in the Performing Arts through The Royal Conservatoire, researching how dance be harnessed to provide a different platform through which people can express their feelings and emotions. Due to her interest in arts and health Lynn further trained to become a Trauma Informed and Mental Health Practitioner, using creative therapies as an outlet to work with young people.

Email : lynn.shaw@citymoves.org.uk