Adrian Wanliss - Founder/Director

Adrian Wanliss is a Jamaican-born Black dance professional, cultural leader, and arts advocate whose work bridges performance, management, and social impact. With more than 15 years of international experience, he has built a multifaceted career as a dancer, choreographer, mentor, writer, and consultant across the Caribbean, the United States, Canada, and Europe.

​

Trained in both ballet and contemporary dance, Adrian holds a BA in Stage Performance and Choreography from Codarts University of the Arts in the Netherlands and an MA in Arts and Cultural Management from Leuphana University in Germany. As a performer, he has worked with renowned companies including Scapino Ballet, Introdans, and Ballet Chemnitz, performing works by acclaimed choreographers such as Jiří Kylián and Martha Graham. His artistic journey later expanded into dance theatre through his work with Tanztheater Braunschweig, where he also began taking on wider creative and leadership responsibilities.

​

Alongside his performance career, Adrian has developed a strong profile in cultural management and international arts leadership. He has held management and coordination roles within organisations and festivals such as TANZ | MODERNE | TANZ and TANZBüro Chemnitz and has contributed to European initiatives including Rail2Dance. His work is rooted in a deep commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in the arts, with a particular interest in building access, representation, and meaningful cross-cultural exchange.

​

As Founder and Director of Project Hummingbird Ltd., Adrian is committed to creating opportunities for artistic development, international collaboration, and community engagement in Jamaica and beyond. He currently balances this work with his role as consultant and manager at Ballet Chemnitz in Germany, bringing together artistic insight, strategic thinking, and a global perspective on culture and society.

​

In addition to his leadership in the arts, Adrian is also a freelance writer whose work explores cultural policy, arts management, and decolonisation within the performing arts.