🌊 Set sail on a joyful, high-energy adventure!
Thomas Small presents a new show for families commissioned by Citymoves Dance Agency that will premiere as part of the 2025 Tall Ships Race in Aberdeen in July 2025.
Captain is ready to launch - ropes coiled, ship prepared, mission in motion. But Shipmate? They're too busy dancing to their favourite tunes! But when a message in a bottle washes ashore, the real adventure begins. With a crumpled map, a boat to build, and a sea full of wriggly eels, Captain and Shipmate must learn to work together if they want to complete their quest.
Packed with physical comedy, playful choreography, and feel-good music, this whimsical voyage celebrates friendship, teamwork, and the power of imagination.
With special appearances in the crew from Citymoves’ youth dance group Fusion, we're ready to set sail, first port - the Tall Ships Festival!
🎶 Featuring dance, laughter, and classic family tunes
💙 Anchors aweigh! Join Captain and Shipmate as they discover that with a little imagination - and a lot of teamwork - anything is possible.
Tour Dates
Cast & Creative Team
Benji Knapper (they/them)
Benji is a London based freelance artist. They trained at Rambert School, graduating with a first class honours degree before joining Balletboyz in 2018. During their time with BalletBoyz, Benji has performed many programmes with works by Maxine Doyle, Xie Xin, Holly Blakey, Christopher Wheeldon, Vidya Patel, Thick & Tight, Russell Maliphant, Edd Arnold, Ivan Perez, Shelley Maxwell and more. They have also performed numerous work for TV and film.
Benji has also worked with James Cousins Company for National Theatre, DeNada Dance Theatre and Staatsoper Unter Den Linden under direction of Aletta Collins.
Benji has lead workshops internationally for BalletBoyz and has facilitated classes for Rambert School, Central School of Ballet, Laban, Yorkshire Ballet Seminars and for many professional companies.
Benji is thrilled to be returning to Shaper/Caper with SmallTown Boys.
Ellis Saul (she/her)
Originally from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Ellis found dance at Dame Allan's Schools and began training as part of the Dance City CAT scheme. Ellis graduated from London Contemporary Dance School with a first-class honors degree and a recipient of the Peggy Hawkins Scholarship for outstanding potential.
Upon graduating, she was part of the post-graduate company EDge 2016, touring widely around the UK and Europe. Ellis went on to complete her Master’s degree with distinction at LCDS.
Ellis has since performed with Tony Adigun’s Avant Garde Dance, in the role of Nancy, touring ‘Fagin’s Twist’ around the UK as well as China and South America. She has performed works by Crystal Pite, Mathieu Geffre, Alexander Whitley, James Cousins, Renaud Wiser, Shaper/Caper and Joseph Toonga.
Ellis became an alumni choreographer in Youth Dance England Young Creative’s programme and choreographed work in collaboration with Wimbledon College of Art and for the Newcastle CAT. She is the choreographer to circus artists, Nikki & JD and collaborated in ‘Knot’, which has since won the Total Theatre & Jacksons Lane award for Circus 2019.
Alongside performing and choreographing, Ellis now works as a freelance company manager for Avant Garde Dance and as a rehearsal director.
Concept, Choreography, and Direction:
Thomas Small
Boat Design:
Claire Halleran
Company Dancers:
Benji Knapper and Ellis Saul
Devised with the Company Dancers.
For more information, please contact:
Melissa Rutnagur
Artistic Creation Producer