In motion, we meet our softness, our strength, our unseen selves
In motion, we meet our softness, our strength, our unseen selves
Hello, I’m Ruby, a dance movement psychotherapist, socially engaged creative practitioner, artist and teacher based in Findhorn, North East Scotland.
I work across the fields of dance, movement, therapy, theatre, education, and training.
I have been practicing in community/professional arts settings and within the health, social care, and education sectors for three decades.
I offer a bespoke range of creative and therapeutic services to support individuals, families, schools, community groups, and organisations.
My work is grounded in a rich knowledge of the body as a resource for comfort, creativity, insight, and healing.
It is through our body and through movement that we experience the world, develop our sense of self, and cultivate connection with others.
Whether working within a 1:1 dance movement therapy session, leading a community group, facilitating creative and embodied learning in a primary school, or in a staff training, the body and movement are at the centre, and its wisdom at its core.
I am guided and inspired by the many ways the body and movement communicate to us our needs, thoughts, feelings, and experiences — how it connects us to a core sense of our aliveness.
If you want to explore your personal and creative development through dance movement psychotherapy, or introduce new creative and embodied learning approaches into your school, community group, or organisation, I will be happy to work with you to discover the perfect form and offering to meet your aims and intentions.
Experience & education
I began my training in Community Drama at Telford College in Edinburgh and went on to graduate from Dartington College of Arts with a BA (Hons) in Theatre Studies, specialising in movement-based performance and collaborative arts practice.
Over the past three decades, I’ve created more than 30 professional and community-based performances across the generations - centering on inclusivity, creativity, and co-creation.
I received my MSc in Dance Movement Psychotherapy with Distinction from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. During my three-year training, I completed placements within NHS Adult Mental Health Services, where I established and evaluated a Dance Movement Psychotherapy group for participants diagnosed with schizophrenia. I also spent a year working with the NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), supporting children and young people navigating trauma, life challenges, and attachment issues through a responsive, creative DMP approach.
For 11 years, I worked as a Theatre Arts Worker within the Creative Engagement Team at Eden Court Theatre in the Highlands, co-directing the Integrated Performance Group—a company of over 50 adults with additional support needs.
Throughout my career, I have developed and facilitated trainings in creative and embodied approaches to learning, wellbeing, and social care across a variety of settings.
I’m trained in the Ways of Seeing method developed by Dr Suzi Tortora—a two-year postgraduate training programme that supports the development of attuned, movement-based therapeutic relationships between children, families and caregivers. This work deepened my understanding of nonverbal communication and the attachment relationship through movement and sensory experience.
I currently lecture on the BA (Hons) Drama and Production degree at Inverness College / University of the Highlands and Islands, where I also hold a Masters Level 11 Teaching Qualification in Further Education.
Authentic Movement has been a part of my personal and professional practice for over 30 years. I continue to participate in retreats and ongoing study in The Discipline of Authentic Movement with Fran Lavendel.
My approach is also informed by training and experience in:
Body Mind Centering (BMC)
Laban Movement Analysis (LMA)
Bartenieff Fundamentals
The Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP)
Butoh
Contemporary Dance
Yoga
Contact Improvisation
