Company Chameleon

⭐️Announcing Obscura- see us in a theatre near you!⭐️

Company Chameleon is excited to announce a new theatre tour of Obscura, a powerful and original double bill directed by Kevin Edward Turner MBE.

In Chameleon’s second theatre tour of the year, Obscura will be performed first at Riley Theatre (NSCD) in Leeds on Saturday 3 October, before touring to Pavilion Dance South West, Bournemouth on Friday 6 November.

This double bill sees Chameleon adapt choreography for the stage that was originally made for outdoor performance.

“Obscura is about bringing what we hide into the light.” says show Director, Kevin.

“The shadows within ourselves, and the lives society would rather not see. Umbra looks inward at the parts of ourselves we deny, while Refuse looks outward at exclusion.

Together the two works explore different aspects of the human experience and share stories relevant to the world we’re living in right now.”

⭐️TICKETS COMING SOON⭐️

⭐️Chameleon Youth Juniors X RNCM Community Opera⭐️

Last month CYJ had the brilliant opportunity to collaborate with RNCM - Royal Northern College of Music on their latest community opera, The Water Mark, which was a tale of loss, magic, and the destructive power of nature and human relationships inspired by the history of Manchester’s lost waterways.

Performing alongside other community groups from across Manchester in two performances at the RNCM, CYJ explored the story of the river through movement, responding to live music and helping bring the changing water levels and journey of the water to life 🌊

Our Learning and Participation Manager, Beth, said “Collaborations like this offer our young people real industry experience of collaborating with professional artists, working and performing in a professional theatre, and the opportunity to be part of a cross-art form production.

This experience of working with a cross-art-form team of community and professional artists widens the scope of possibility for our young people. They can begin to imagine what careers in the arts may look and feel like for them in the future. It’s also a rare and wonderful experience for young people to perform to live music, which will undoubtedly elevate their connection to dance”.

📸 Robin Clewley Photography

We’re delighted to be heading to SPASA (Street Performing Arts Synergy Alliance) Summer Academy this September with our two-day workshop, Creative Enquiry!

Over the two days, you will be invited to explore concepts such as The Hour of Performance, Location, Limitations, Opportunities, Public Body-Private Body, Intent and Purpose.

Through facilitation from our Artistic Director, Kevin, and Company Dancer, Kadafi, explore the dynamics of time, play with tension and consider audience perception when bringing your creative idea to life.

Find out more and book your place: https://www.spasa.cat/en/spasa-summer

Tomorrow, Sunday 26 July 2026, Company Chameleon will take part in Manchester Day, a day of free family fun in the city centre, produced by Walk the Plank and hosted by Manchester City Council.

We’re thrilled to be taking part in the event, performing the UK premiere of The Ultimate Player’s Handbook, a co-production between Company Chameleon and Clémentine & Lisard, based in Spain.

The Ultimate Player’s Handbook is commissioned by Xtrax and the Institut de Cultura de Barcelona and funded by Arts Council England and Manchester City Council.

For the first time ever, Manchester Day will welcome performers from Barcelona’s La Mercè Festival, who will bring a taste of Catalan culture to the day. Storytelling, books, and imagination will also be woven into the programme, inspired by the National Year of Reading.

It’s the perfect setting for The Ultimate Player’s Handbook which is a vibrant street performance that explores the games we play every day, where rules are made and broken, roles shift between winner and loser, and co-operation is as vital as competition.

Join us to watch free performances of The Ultimate Player’s Handbook in St Ann’s Square at 1:00pm or 3:25pm, then stay for the Day and enjoy live music, dance and pop-up performances across the city.

⭐️Announcing our UPLIFT Artists 2026!⭐️

As part of Chameleon’s commitment to raising the bar for dance in the region where we live and supporting North West dance makers, we’re proud to announce JP Hon, Gone Rogue and Katherine Hollinson as our UPLIFT 2026 artists.

The artists will be in residence at Company Chameleon for four weeks this Autumn, developing their choreographic talent and creating a new performance piece, supported and mentored by Chameleon’s creative team.

Their new work will be showcased at our UPLIFT platform event in November, keep an eye on our socials for more info coming soon👀

⭐THE ARTISTS⭐

JP Hon

JP Hon (she/her) is a Hong Kong-born dance artist based in Manchester, UK. In 2022, she relocated to the UK to further develop her career as an international dance artist. Since then, she has toured and collaborated with renowned artists and companies, including Company Chameleon, Marina Abramović, Blenard Azizaj, WomanEer and Mickael “Marso” Riviere, among others.

Gone Rogue

Gone Rogue (they/them) is a q***r anonymous collective. Their work centres stories of non- or partially-disclosed q***rness, drawing from lived experience and conversations with communities to create dance telling felt, real stories of q***r lives. Gone Rogue has been supported by Word of Warning, Company of Others, Q***r East Festival and The Old Courts.

Katherine Hollinson

Katherine Hollinson (she/her) is a Manchester-based performer, maker, and facilitator working across dance, live performance and participatory projects.

In 2018 Katherine moved back to Manchester to have her first child. Parenthood, and the effects of the pandemic, accelerated a shift in her practice towards work that is playful, co-created and rooted in community.

📸 Ravee Roenghan | Andy Ferreira

Experience The Divination Palace in a FREE informal sharing before its international premiere in Barcelona this September!

The Divination Palace, a participatory installation by Nzi Dada Jim Parris, Xumo Nounjio and Company Chameleon is an immersive outdoor experience inspired by African art and music, where audiences become part of a vibrant, evolving world of movement, sound and ceremony.

📍Company Chameleon, Manchester
📆Sun 12 Jul 2026
⏰12-1pm/2:30-3:30pm

Expect to…
- Move together through choreographed movements
- Be immersed in a powerful African soundscape
- Raise fabric banners
- Witness new work before anyone else!

Register your interest: https://xtrax.org.uk/divination-palace-open-rehearsals-registration/

The Divination Palace was commissioned by Teatre Principal d'Olot and Xtrax and is supported by Arts Council England, XTRAX and Company Chameleon; R&D for Divination Palace has been supported by Manchester International Festival, 101 Creation Centre, XTRAX and Arts Council England.