Rodney Bell

Rodney has been dancing professionally since 1995, having started out as a Touch Compass founding member. Proud to be a pioneer for inclusive dance, Rodney has performed both nationally and internationally, winning an Isadora Dance Award while dancing in the US with Axis Dance Company. Rodney was also the winner of the Attitude Artistic Achievement Award, in 2016, and the Arts Access Aotearoa Artistic Achievement Award in 2017, 2018 The Grant Tilly Actor of the Year and the Creative New Zealand, Ngā Taonga Toi a Te Waka Toi - Te Tohu Iho Pūmanawa award 2020. Increasingly, Rodney actively works not only as an artist but also as an advocator and provocateur, calling for stronger integration and providing voice for people with diverse requirements to have more choice and control over their lives, especially Hau Tipua (Persons with a Disability and their Whaanau–family). Rodney feels very strongly about making Performance spaces as accessible as possible–not only physical access, but also supporting access for the hearing and sight impaired. Rodney finds himself working across varied media, including film, documentaries, and in motivational presentations. With his strong focus on Universal Access, Rodney is also extensively involved in organisations that advocate for and pursue wide access for people with and without a Disability. Honoured to be dancing with Touch Compass, Rodney hopes to continue to change the way we all view dance and emulate what Touch Compass has done for him by supporting young artists with a Disability. His motto is: He waka eke noa–a canoe we are all in with no exceptions.