Dance Base announces Kally Lloyd-Jones as new PRIME Artistic Director
We are happy to announce Kally Lloyd-Jones as the new Artistic Director of PRIME, Dance Base’s in-house performance company for dancers over 60. Kally will begin rehearsals with PRIME in September, taking over from former PRIME Artistic Director Steinvör Palsson.
Kally Lloyd-Jones was born and raised in Scotland and has worked extensively as a choreographer, director, movement director, dancer and teacher in the UK as well as internationally. As founder and Artistic Director of Company Chordelia, Kally has created over 13 full length dance theatre productions for the company, winning her accolades for both directing and co-producing. She has worked with companies including; the The Royal Ballet School, David Hughes Dance Company, Desrosiers Dance Theatre, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Scottish Opera, The Citizens Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Bristol Old Vic, The Tron Theatre, The Traverse, The Lyceum, Welsh National Opera, Glyndebourne Opera, Royal Swedish Opera, Danish National Opera, Liceu Barcelona, National Theatre of Scotland and Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Founded in 2015, PRIME was born from a desire to change the under-representation of older dancers on stage and to actively challenge stereotypes around ageing, ability, and who can be a dancer. In 2025, PRIME celebrates its 10th anniversary with the launch of a new book, PRIME at 10, a special anniversary Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme with two shows, PRIME at 10 and DOUBLE TAKE a double bill with Dance Base’s in-house performance company for young dancers aged 14-21.
Kally will help PRIME to evolve and grow, with PRIME auditions to be held for all dancers (both new and returning) from September, allowing a greater number of people to participate in PRIME over time. In addition, Dance Base has created a new public programme class for dancers over 60 with a focus on technique, improvisation skills and artistic development. Contemporary Intermediate class (60+) will join Ballet Vintage, Tap Vintage, Move into Dance Vintage and Mature Latin Movers in Dance Base suite of public classes for older dancers.
We’re very much looking forward to welcoming Kally to Dance Base, and would also like to sincerely thank Steinvör for all she has given to PRIME over the past three years—she will be greatly missed.
About Kally Lloyd-Jones
Kally Lloyd-Jones was born and raised in Scotland. She initially trained at the Theatre Arts Ballet School and Central School of Ballet in London and has an MA in English Literature and Film Studies from Glasgow University.
She has worked extensively as a choreographer, director, movement director, dancer, teacher and choreologist in the UK as well as internationally and has also developed significant experience in senior management and leadership roles in both Canada and the UK. Kally was Joint Director of the Byre Theatre in St Andrews from 2019 – autumn 2023 and was a founder member and then Chair of The Work Room from 2016- 2021.
She has worked with companies including the Royal Swedish Ballet, The Royal Ballet School, David Hughes Dance Company, Desrosiers Dance Theatre, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Scottish Opera, The Citizens Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Bristol Old Vic, The Tron Theatre, The Traverse, The Lyceum, Welsh National Opera, Glyndebourne Opera, Royal Swedish Opera, Danish National Opera, Liceu Barcelona, National Theatre of Scotland and Edinburgh International Book Festival.
As founder and Artistic Director of Company Chordelia, Kally has created over 13 full length dance theatre productions for the company including The Seven Deadly Sins, Dance Derby, Nijinsky’s Last Jump, Lady Macbeth: unsex me here and The Chosen. Kally was awarded a Herald Angel for directing The Seven Deadly Sins, a co-production with Scottish Opera and Company Chordelia received the Sunday Herald Culture Award for Best Live Performance 2017 and was twice in the Guardian’s Top 10 Dance Shows of the Year.
Kally has directed opera productions for Scottish Opera, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Byre Opera, Edinburgh Grand Opera, Tête a Tête Opera and Joby Burgess, and Bloomsbury Opera.
Recent credits include choreographing The Merry Widow, Trial by Jury and A Matter of Misconduct for Scottish Opera/Opera Holland Park/D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, Grease for Pitlochry Festival Theatre and directing Le Vin herbé for Byre Opera. Kally is currently working on Revel, a new show for Company Chordelia, in collaboration with Steinvor Palsson.
Kally is a member of Equity, Federation of Scottish Theatre and The Work Room.