Francesca is an Assistant lecturer at the dance studies department since 2010 teaching practical Contemporary dance techniques, Foundations of Choreography, and Dance Devising theory/practice. Curator of the UOMSPA dance outreach programme The Evening Space (2010-2019), Artistic dance programmer for Malta International Arts Festival since 2014, creating dance residencies and platforms, Artistic Director of Dance Festival Malta a multi-disciplinary festival cultivating a dance eco-system in Malta by providing dance students and professionals with a platform for intense training and professional development. Spread over four days hosting a series of workshops, masterclasses and performances a reference point where dancers forge links with the global dance community.
Her current research investigates the Legacy of Contemporary Dance in Malta, a chronological study of events that impacted and influenced changes towards contemporary styles. She was born and trained in Malta at the Tanya Bayona Academy later specializing in Contemporary Dance and Choreography at the London Contemporary Dance School. She graduated with a Master’s Degree in Performance Dance Studies from the University of Malta in 2012. Since 1981 she has taught, choreographed and mentored extensively for several dance institutions locally and internationally, covering a diverse dance practice spectrum and developing strong, athletic, versatile dancers through rigorous training and mentoring. She is a pioneer in Malta implementing the study of professional contemporary dance covering the last 40 years and continues to develop her choreographic work within a Mediterranean context through her practice.
In 1998 she founded Contact Dance Company a vehicle to promote her own choreographic research creating, and producing interdisciplinary dance performances collaborating with local and international artists. 2001 she founded Dance Hybrid Malta, an annual intensive dance programme introducing an array of dance techniques through an international network of dance artists and composers of repute. 2011 – 2019 she formed Dance on the Move, a weekly platform of master classes hosting a rotation of celebrated local and international teachers for further training creating a momentum mix in the local dance scene. Her choreographic work has travelled to high-profile theatres and festivals across Europe and North Africa.
