Rae Piper & Paul Chantry
CHOREOGRAPHERS and movement Directors
Rae has enjoyed an extensive performance career, in which she has performed in London’s West End, regional UK theatres, contemporary ballet companies, and operas for companies including The Royal Opera House. Rae is also an ex-aerial acrobat and ex-contortionist, and has performed at national and international cabaret and circus venues. Paul Chantry and Rae Piper are a vibrant and skilled choreographic duo whose work includes the Olivier-nominated David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny, and more recently Billionaire Boy, the Horrible Histories stage shows, a special anniversary commission for the Prince of Belgium, Opera, Theatre, Musicals and more. The two started out performing as a pas de deux couple, then progressing to working as co-choreographers and movement directors, and then founding Chantry Dance – a touring theatrical contemporary ballet company.
Rae and Paul’s extensive experience and varied backgrounds have made them masters of their art, and they are in demand across a wide variety of theatrical genres for their innovative and exciting creativity.
Since working together, Rae and Paul have embraced their diverse performance careers to inform their distinctive and dynamic choreography.
Paul’s performance career started after training at Central School of Ballet. After dancing in various contemporary and ballet companies, he has worked closely with Javier De Frutos on Eternal Damnation to Sancho and Sanchez (Sadler’s Wells), and was part of the original and revival casts in The Most Incredible Thing (Sadler’s Wells). He has performed in numerous opera productions for The Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Scottish Opera, Grange Park Opera, Opera North and English Touring Opera.
Chantry Dance was formed when Paul and Rae were commissioned through Sadler’s Wells by the Chinese Ministry of Culture to choreograph 5 pieces for the Chinese Calligraphy, Music and Dance Concert which was then performed on the main stage at Sadler’s Wells. Following this incredible debut, Chantry Dance has created over numerous works including six UK tours, a triple bill in collaboration with Ronald Corp OBE, and various major commissions.
Rae and Paul’s choreographic work crosses many genres.
In Opera, they have worked for The Royal Opera House, the Teatro Dell’Opera Di Roma, Mahogany Opera Group, English Touring Opera and Grange Park Opera. They have choreographed The Merry Widow and Die Fledermaus for The Royal Festival Hall, and their subsequent revivals for Opera Danube, St John Smith’s Square. Paul and Rae also choreographed The Magic Flute and La Traviata for The Merry Opera Company, with the latter being nominated for Best Opera, by The Off West End Theatre Awards.
In Theatre work, they have choreographed for many regional theatres and companies including the World Premiere of David Walliams’s Gangsta Granny which enjoyed runs at the Garrick Theatre and the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End, and several UK Tours. The show was nominated for an OLIVIER AWARD for Best Family Entertainment, and also the winner of “Best Home Produced Show” from the What’s On Reader’s Awards. Following the success of Gangsta Granny, Paul and Rae have more recently choreographed David Walliams's Billionaire Boy, which is currently on tour throughout the UK.
They also choreographed the UK Premiere of The Last Days of Mankind for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Royal. Rae and Paul have enjoyed working with Birmingham Stage Company on a number of productions including Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors & Vile Victorians, and Horrible Christmas (UK tours) and Tom’s Midnight Garden (The Old Rep, Birmingham and UK tour). They have also worked internationally in Munich creating choreography for Cherry Docs with BeMe Theatre.
Rae and Paul's Dance Theatre work includes Anyone For Tea for award-winning company Les Enfants Terribles, and Shadowbox for BESIX and the Prince of Belgium.
Their Musical and Pantomime work includes for Little Wolf Productions and Derby Arena, Greenwich Theatre, Neverland at The Lakeside Arts Centre in Nottingham, and Sister Act and Our House for Pimlico Opera.