Ella Mesma Company

Leading Diaspora Dance Theatre in the UK.

About

DSC02517Jodie Canwell

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”Maya Angelou

Founded by Ella Mesma in 2011, Ella Mesma Company is a UK-Based, multilingual, international dance and circus theatre company celebrating the richness of diaspora dance theatre. Our mission is to create a space where diversity in both stories and people truly matters. 

Over the years, the company has grown to include a diverse group of artists, each contributing their unique background and skills. Our varied dance styles span Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian folkloric dances, Salsa, Tango, Kizomba, Capoeira and contemporary dance forms like breaking (breakdance). These styles reflect the multi-faceted life experiences and identities of our company members. 

Our performances have moved audiences worldwide, with notable shows at Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba in Havana, Cuba, the Women’s International Leadership Conference in New York City, and the ICA Festival in Cape Town, South Africa.

Our Values

Imagination – Our company creates spaces to dream, imagine, and envision new futures. In our interactive, family-friendly performances, creativity, play, and curiosity take centre stage. 

Love – Infusing love and joy into every step, story, and interaction, we move from the heart. We care deeply for each other, ourselves, and Mother Earth.

Quiet Activism – We inspire change through dance, performance, and creativity, using them as powerful mediums for personal and collective healing and liberation. 

Intuition – Trusting and following our inner voice and instinct, we invite intuition to guide both our creative work and our personal journeys. Performers often shape-shift into characters to find their true essence.

Transformation –We cultivate transformation by honouring our values, the well-being of our artists, and our personal and global stories. We grow through community and connection. Dance, for us, is a healing ritual.

Contribution – Everyone’s contribution is respected and valued, empowering free, authentic, and unapologetic expression. We create supportive, held spaces where everyone – artists and audiences – are free to be themselves. 

Honouring –  Deeply honouring the ancient wisdom, spiritual traditions, and cultural heritage that shape our dances and identities, we carry them forward with love and care. Our work respects both the recognised and unrecognised African roots and lineages of all folkloric dance styles. We honour the painful colonial histories that led to the creation of these diasporic dances. We are committed to learning, growing, and striving for the truth in everything we do.

Ella

It’s great to meet you here!

I’m Ella, and my pronouns are she/her or they/them. I’m a Multidisciplinary Artist, Choreographer, Movement Specialist, Accredited Coach, Published Author, Teacher, and the Director of Ella Mesma Company.

Trained in Afro-Latin, breaking and contemporary dance, my work is deeply inspired by Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian traditions, particularly the Orishas, Yoruba deities that I have studied for 20 years, and that guide much of my movement style.

I take a holistic approach to creativity, working from a place of self-connection, bravery, and purpose. Having navigated the trauma of rape in my 20s and toxic environments in the dance world, my mission is to infuse joy, love, and healing into the company and every piece we create.

Through my work and coaching, I empower individuals to break free from limiting beliefs, embrace their cultural and social identities, and reconnect with their authentic selves, inspiring both performers and audiences to find their way back HOME to their true nature!

As a person of Black Nigerian and white British heritage, I’m passionate about ensuring the stories we tell at Ella Mesma Company amplify underrepresented superhero(ine) voices, and am committed to making dance accessible to people without a traditional theatre background. I’m super inspired by dance as a healing ritual and a gateway to transformation and positive change!

I also teach a range of classes, from dynamic technique sessions to trauma-informed wellbeing workshops. I’m a published author, and my book A Journal to Joy shares an 11-minute daily practice and transformative tools to help readers connect with their intuition and achieve their highest goddxx-like potential! I offer 1-2-1 Coaching, courses on Imposter Syndrome for Artists, Embodied Alchemy and Creating from Intuition, and run a free Creativity Circle for creative accountability. I’d love to see you there!

Testimonials