I’m the Founder and Creator of Dancing Hedgehog – Where small characters tell big stories. This is an animation and storytelling studio, with a focus on character creation through multidisciplinary techniques. We use improv for storytelling, animation and coding to understand and develop characters and their stories. I hope our approach will help give a voice to even the smallest of characters and help us better understand each other. Please have a look at our website to see what services we offer, including improv workshops and books on procedural animation for little creatures!

I have experience in teaching Computer Animation Techniques at university level and improvised theatre at any level. I am passionate about creating characters (improv theatre, storytelling, design, modelling, rigging, animation, scripting), understanding different forms of behaviour and how they create empathy in audiences.

My current work is in creating online courses on procedural animation for little creatures. I organize events like the CAVE Animation Jam for universities like Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). I also run seasonal improv theatre classes for mothers and babies (Teggies Improv), drop in classes for adults (Ratby Improv) and occasional improv workshops for universities.

In my full time lecturing years I led units such as 3D Fundamentals, Modelling, Rigging and Innovation for VFX on the BSc Computer Animation and VFX course, at MMU. Before this role, I did an ​Engineering Doctorate (EngD) ​in​ Computer Animation at the University of Bath, UK, within the Centre for Digital Entertainment (CDE) and Fat Pebble (Brighton). I have a PGCert Learning And Teaching In Higher Education and am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Before my teaching role, I did an ​Engineering Doctorate (EngD) ​in​ Computer Animation at the University of Bath, UK, within the Centre for Digital Entertainment (CDE). The EngD allowed me to collaborate with Fat Pebble, a games company from Brighton, to bring their plasticine characters from the 2D realm to 3D. Now I focus my efforts on creating books and tutorials about rigging and animating little creatures with personality, using Maya and Python scripting.

On the storytelling side, I have over 11 years experience in improvised theatre, mostly participating or running drop in classes in places like Bath and Manchester. I have also performed with various groups, trained with well established improvisers like the Maydays and ran workshops for students and staff at universities in Bath, Manchester and Cardiff. To find out more about my experience, please click on the Improv section of the menu. I also enjoy writing poetry, short stories, travel blogs and taking photographs, as you will find in the Storytelling section.

My main R&D interests​ are in different forms of character movement: procedural, behavioral (Laban motion analysis, emergence theory, AI, theatre etc) and physics based, movement and pattern analysis, expressing emotions, humour and other human behaviours through abstract movement (automata) and mathematical functions. I want to know what the essence of a character looks like, to better understand it and, by extension, better understand each other.

My Other Websites

Dancing Hedgehog Studio
Ana Takes Photos

Video channels

Dancing Hedgehog Vimeo
Anamaria’s Youtube
Teggies Improv Youtube
Ana’s Research and Play Youtube

Stay in touch

My email: anamaria@dancinghedgehog.co.uk

Social media: LinkedIn