Maiya Leeke is a Contemporary dancer, choreographer, and Grade 8 Jazz Saxophonist. Her choreographic practice is rooted in exploring the physical language of hope and freedom of her voice, uniquely questioning how a voice is more than spoken words.
She performs, teaches, and creates her own work. Maiya was a finalist in BBC Young Dancer 2022, is an alumnus of the National Youth Dance Company working with Alesandra Seutin, and has an MA in Contemporary Dance Performance from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.
Maiya is a previous Associate Artist at Mind the Gap Theatre and has toured nationally and internationally with Candoco Dance Company, and her artistic practice continues to be influenced by her research with Hawk Dance Theatre, Mimbre, and Alleyne Dance. In 2022 Maiya co-choreographed Sense, the opening ceremony of Birmingham International Dance Festival, working with 100 dancers for Critical Mass with Zoie Golding MBE. Maiya was a guest artist at Siobhan Davies Studios co-creating the mass community performance Language, and co-created Burst at Candoco Dance Company. She has produced solo work on commission by York Dance Space for York Theatre Royal and worked extensively with Joss Arnott Dance, performing, teaching, and developing accessible repertoire in ‘DANCE:CONNECTS – PULSE! 2.0’, ‘DANCE:CONNECTS’, and ‘TIN MAN’.
Alongside making work, Maiya has performed works by Ivan Blackstock, Alleyne Dance, Alesandra Seutin, Annie Hanauer and Phil Sanger, Jeanine Durning, Mimbre Acrobats, and Second Hand Dance. Maiya is a member of the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion working group for Dancers Career Development and has delivered access consultancy for Siobhan Davies Studios and FRONTLINEdance. She is a creative support artist for the National Youth Dance Company assisting their current work with Wayne McGregor and has recently completed her own artistic research residencies at Dance4 and Sadler’s Wells.
Maiya has recently been announced as a 2023/24 Young Associate of Sadler’s Wells, where over a period of two years artists are given a professional development course tailored to them, as well as the opportunity to present their work as part of Sadler’s Wells’ artistic programme.