London Dance Award nominee Alexander Whitley: 'I've been particularly inspired by the philosophy I've been reading and studying for the past few years, which … apply to all levels of the creative process and most fundamentally to the examination of the body and the mind, (or the mind in the body!) and how dance seems so well positioned to address these questions.'

Where did the dancing bug come from, and who has been your support throughout your career?

I started dancing when I was three, so I don't really have any recollection of a burning desire to do it - it's just something I've always done. According to my parents I would bounce around with excitement whenever there was music playing so they thought it would be a good idea to channel the energy! I was fortunate to have a really good teacher in the neighbouring village - Michelle Moatt (sister of Jonathan Burrows) who was very tolerant and supportive, doing things like letting me out of class to go and see the new tractor in the village that all the other boys were excited about! I have her to thank for pointing me in the right direction and Jonathan also for being a mentor throughout my career. My aunt Ann Whitley, also a dancer and then choreologist, has also been hugely supportive and helped keep my mind open to contemporary dance when I was studying at the Royal Ballet School.

Does working as a choreographer give you a different perspective on your own work as a dancer?

Absolutely. As soon as I began to choreograph I developed a lot more sympathy towards the people at the front of the studio in rehearsals or creation! Understanding the differing priorities and concerns of the people involved in putting dance productions together has made a difference to how I try and conduct myself in rehearsals and what I expect of others involved. My choreography has also informed the choices I've made about where I've danced throughout my career, moving away from ballet and gravitating towards companies and choreographers that inspire me creatively and allow for and encourage a creative and intellectual input from their dancers.

What are your hopes for the UK dance scene as a whole in the next few years?

That the funding cuts don't have too severe an impact on the type and amount of work that can be made, especially outside of the major institutions. I've been fortunate to have worked for and been supported by these institutions throughout my career, but I've taken a huge amount of inspiration from people working independently, making brave and challenging work. I hope there remains an environment in which people are encouraged to take risks and explore the art form, because this, I feel, is what keeps it most alive and vibrant and distinct from the commercial imperatives of the rest of the world.

When do you feel most artistically driven?

This varies and can be in a number of situations. On the whole, being in the studio, either making my own work or working with another choreographer on something is the most exciting part of what I do and where I feel most driven. But the drive to make my own work can come from a number of sources - a book, a film, a piece of music, another dance piece - that might spark an idea or just give me the urge to create something when inspired by the impact of what someone else has created. I've been particularly inspired by the philosophy I've been reading and studying for the past few years, which, although potentially obscure, has opened my mind to questions and considerations that apply to all levels of the creative process and most fundamentally to the examination of the body and the mind, (or the mind in the body!) and how dance seems so well positioned to address these questions.

You have worked with a huge amount of eminent individuals in the dance world, are there any artists you would particularly like to collaborate with at the moment (either for the first time, or as a return to a dance partnership)?

Yes, I've been fortunate enough to work with and draw inspiration from some great people throughout my career. William Forsythe is someone I've not had the chance to work with and would very much like to, although I'm getting a bit more selfish these days and feeling more of an urge to put my creative energies into my own work rather than into someone else's! The more I make my own work, the more I look outward to people in other art forms and disciplines that I can collaborate with, people like the Icelandic cellist Hildur Gudnadottir whose music I used for a piece I made for the Royal Ballet or the new media collective Marshmallow Laser Feast! I really like Crystal Pite's work as well and there are a host of dancers I've worked with before or watched that I'd love to be able to get into the studio and work on something with.