James Pett and Travis Clausen-Knight ‘in conversation’ 

with Graham Watts

20th August 2026


Susan Dalgetty Ezra, Chair of the London Ballet Circle, warmly welcomed both James Pett and Travis Clausen-Knight to the evening’s conversation. Choreographers and dancers, they followed highly successful individual careers by founding Pett Clausen-Knight Dance (PCK). With a reputation for provocative and emotionally charged works captured though their intensely physical movement language, their acclaimed company tours worldwide. Tonight they would be talking with well-known dance writer and critic Graham Watts, who Susan also welcomed. 

Graham explained that his plan for the evening was to take James and Travis through the trajectory of their careers, how they got into dance, how they got together, and what stimulated them to create PCK. 

James responded first; born in London, he had started dancing at about the age of six, although his primary activity at the time was elite gymnastics. Many dancers have been introduced to ballet through gymnastics, especially in Eastern Europe, noted Graham in an aside. When he was about nine James’ parents decided on a complete change of lifestyle and moved to Inverness, where he was able to continue with gymnastics – but the only dance class available was Highland dancing…..  He tried this but didn’t like it, saying he definitely did not want to continue. Thus it wasn’t until his last year in secondary school that he took his first ballet steps, at 16, in an ‘A’ level (presumably Scottish Highers) dance programme. 

His teacher quickly recognised his latent talent and insisted he audition in London, which he did – although he could not recall making the decision to do so. He was offered a place at the Laban Dance Centre (Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance) where he spent three hard ‘catching up’ years learning classical ballet. After that he became an apprentice with Richard Alston, gained other experience, and went on to join Wayne McGregor’s company. 

In turn, Travis then related his background. Born in South Africa, he came to the UK when his parents separated. Always fascinated by activities involving movement from a very young age, possibly to the annoyance of his parents, like James he cannot really recall what drew him initially into dance. He started with weekend dance classes at a small local school at his home in Haslemere. However, after watching his sister perform and realising that was what he wanted to do he started to take dance more seriously, went to more classes, and eventually auditioned for the Arts Educational School (Tring Park School for the Performing Arts). 

Travis secured a place at Tring, where he boarded from 13 until the age of 18. While there he would go into an empty studio at the weekend and try to be creative and express his feelings in movement – a relatively unusual activity for someone still at school. His final year included both choreography and contemporary dance and ‘things started to make a lot more sense’. He entered competitions, for instance at Spoleto (International Dance Competition, Italy) where he was awarded second prize dancing a creation of his own. That time in Italy, he said, opened up to him a whole new worldwide view of dance.

He went on to acquire a broad range of experience, for instance dancing with the Michael Clark company and, for two years, the Matthew Bourne New Adventures company in Swan Lake.

Travis had seen Wayne McGregor’s Infra on television and loved it, and had subsequently auditioned for Wayne without really realising that this was the individual who had created that piece. He became a member of Wayne’s company, very excited to be working with such astounding dancers. Some months later he was joined by James and together they were both able to benefit from the unique experience. Did you know each other before this, asked Graham. Perhaps by reputation, replied James, there was so much talk about this incredible new guy….. 

Their first work with the company was Atomos. Wayne was creating a great deal of experimental work through Random Dance, the then name of his company, and both men considered it a privilege to work with him. He is so inventive and works at such a speed; as a dancer you switch off your mind and become just a physical body for him to mould. It’s quite a ride! They worked with Wayne for some six years, during which time the company pivoted into Company Wayne McGregor and he opened his fantastic new studio complex on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. 

Travis has said a lot about choreography and the way it has always been part of his dancing life, said Graham. What about you, James? He responded that he had certainly been brought up in an essentially creative cultural environment. At Laban the work had always been quite experimental with a lot of improvisation, although with so little previous dance experience he had felt that he must remain focussed on improving his technique. Once in the McGregor company, however, he was given full rein to develop all his talents. 

So how did PCK come about, was Graham’s next question. James responded that they continually discussed elements of each other’s work within the company, bouncing ideas off each other, eventually getting together in empty studios to challenge themselves, to explore choreographic creativity. 

Wayne himself had been most helpful, inviting and facilitating the presentation of their first duet Splinter the Noise as part of the Royal Ballet’s Draft Works programme. Dame Monica Mason, then Artistic Director of the RB, had been most encouraging, praising their work and urging them to continue, a response which probably catalysed what followed. All manner of opportunities for the pair began to blossom; for instance they began to take work to Australia where they collaborated with Mara Galeazzi (former principal dancer with the RB) in some regional dance showcases. And still today through their ongoing connections with Wayne they work with elite ballerinas, for instance Melissa Hamilton, also a principal dancer at RB.

Intriguing opportunities continued to present themselves; they were full of ideas and energy and came to realise that they wanted to set their own agenda and take their work into a more independent space. And so branching out on their own just made sense although, as Travis said, “It was terrifying”. 

But then came the Covid pandemic and almost everything shut down…..  In retrospect, said James, maybe it was no bad thing because it forced them to constrain their abundant energy; to think through exactly what they wanted to do and the best way to achieve it, without the pressure of constant performance. 

I’m fascinated by the dynamic of the two of you working together, said Graham. It’s not unique; there are a few examples, but it’s a bit unusual. James explained that working together offered so many advantages. We’re always challenging each other and asking questions. You’re not relying solely on yourself to be the arbiter of whatever you create, there is always someone who you trust completely with whom it can be discussed. Someone who will look at the situation from your perspective as well as their own, added Travis. And when there are disagreements or challenges, we are forced to examine matters in more depth. 

Your joint approach goes further than the choreography, said Graham, because of the holistic way in which you work. Taking responsibility for other aspects of the show, for instance the lighting design. You may be supremely talented individuals, he added, but neither of you seem to have massive egos, which undoubtedly helps your joint approach.

Where does the spark for something new come from, Graham then inquired. Travis responded that they talk incessantly, about what they’ve seen, what they’ve read….  Sometimes it’s impulsive - one of them will pick up a word or an action which leads to development of a new creation. Other works have been thought through many times before anything physical emerges. Sometimes a piece of music will stimulate them; other times it can take a while to decide on appropriate music. They both felt it was a very relaxed way of working.

Their first show as a pair was given in Tokyo, a triple bill of their works entitled Elevation. This broke new boundaries as they were the first international contemporary dance choreographers to stage a programme at a traditional Noh theatre. What followed has been a meteoric rise to fame, said Graham, with tours and guest appearances all over the world, including a return to Japan. 

In 2024 PCK was the first contemporary dance company to take part in the Ballet Icons Gala at the London Coliseum, presenting IMAGO, their current touring work.

For a couple of years they were associate artists at DanceHaus, a creative dance hub and school in Milan. That, they said, taught them a great deal, and influenced the way in which they wish to develop their dance careers. This prompted Graham to ask about the seemingly unending invitations to appear in so many different places. He instanced their work for Santiago; Travis replied that had come about because he and César Morales (Artistic Director, Ballet de Santiago, Chile) had been in contact for a long time while César was a principal dancer with BRB, and when he got the post in Chile he invited them to stage a show there. For Santiago they created a new work Bodies of Division; it was staged alongside Sir Frederick Ashton’s The Dream to give the Chilean audience a flavour of the range of British ballet.

Bodies is a large piece of about an hour, involving at least 20 members of the company, set on dancers who had never before taken part in contemporary dance. They had to cope with the language barrier, and the fact that the company dancers were also rehearsing for The Dream. It had been a challenging but amazing experience, they agreed. A lovely company with which to work. And clearly most successful because Bodies of Division subsequently won a Critics Circle Award for the Best Dance Work of 2025 – and is returning to the Santiago repertoire in October.  

So now let’s get right up to the present, said Graham. You’re both sitting in Eden Court, in Inverness – for James, that’s back to where you started. James responded that they were now artists in residence for three years. Eden Court has excellent facilities including a large studio; essentially empty for much of the time it was crying out to house a resident company. And they now have a small, but essential, grant from Creative Scotland to create new work. 

An ongoing challenge for PCK as an independent company of, basically, just two individuals is the responsibility for every aspect of their activities; administration, design, finance, music – with regard to the last of these it was useful that James’ brother was an active musician and composer. And securing resources to fund projects is always challenging. In Inverness they are contracted to produce two works every year, which they can tour as they wish – in other words they now have a solid base for the next three years from which they can continue to present their works all across the world.

Their new piece for Eden Court, The Panic Room, is a two-act psychological thriller involving four dancers, including Isabelle Evans and Amy McEntee, who have worked with them for some time and who, they hope, will go on doing so provided the funds are available.  Based on a script by Travis, it depicts an author losing control as surreal figures invade his mind and his writing space, and James and Travis consider it to be the culmination of all they have done so far. Its world premiere is on 12th September. 

Susan thanked James, Travis and Graham profusely for between them exploring fascinating insights into the PCK Dance partnership and how it came into being. She thanked them all most sincerely for spending their evening with the Circle; it had been delightful.


Trevor Rothwell

28-08-26

© The London Ballet Circle