Andy Instone Biography

A brief history

Andy is considered to be one of the hottest choreographers on the UK scene. He started dancing at 8 and by 15 had a reputation as the 'Hip-Hop Master' at his school. At only 15 Andy wanted to prove that all boys dancing was a very powerful image and wanted to eradicate any previous misconceptions about boys that dance. He involved over 20 boys from the local football team and started a 'boys club' that performed with his school in national dance competitions.

Andy choreographed school productions and various national shows. At the age of 18 he established his own dance company, Urban Strides Limited. Urban Strides specialise in performances, workshops, dance academies and university classes, as well as community work throughout the country. His work took him to the Bullwood prison facility in Essex where he taught the "lifers" and young offenders as featured on ITV's 'The Real Bad Girls'.

Andy has worked with some of today's best choreographers including Buddha Stretch and Terry Wright who created works for Michael Jackson, Missy Elliot, Mariah Carey and Will Smith. He has made it his mission to travel and learn from the pioneers of authentic street dance and funk styles.

Andy choreographed his first pop video at the age of 22 and because of his determined mindset, earned himself a scholarship at the prestigious Millennium Dance 2000. This is where he added to his Hip-Hop skills with classical training. Andy boasts extensive performing credits including dance captain on the 'Smash Hits UK tour'.

Now a multi award winner and a judge for the, "UK HIP HOP CHAMPIONSHIP", "UK STREET DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP" and the UK Vauxhall Tribes Top Urban Talent Tour. Andy is an International master class teacher and has created works in Dubai, Cannes, Los Angeles and Prague. He has recently appeared on MTV, MTV Hits, MTV Base, MTV Dance, Trouble T.V. and CBBC. Andy still loves dancing as well as choreographing and performed on the main stage at Glastonbury in 2005 with headline act Basement Jaxx in front of a live audience of 75,000 aired live on BBC 1, 2 and 3. He has choreographed and artistically directed several music videos in varying styles and prides himself on his versatility. Andy was the youngest person in the UK to write, co-ordinate, choreograph and present his own DVD, "Phat Moves - Street Dance Grooves". Following on from the success of Phat Moves Andy co-created "Urban Dance Explosion" (a compilation album with Warner Music) and not only choreographed, co-ordinated and presented the DVD but also co-produced and held the position of the artistic director. In the summer of 2005 he choreographed and presented "CDUK Dance Workout" released December 2005. Andy is an Ambassador for international charity "Global Angels" alongside Daniel and Natasha Bedingfield, Lemar and Jamelia, choreographing their live concerts. Andy co-choreographed for Her Majesty the Queen for the second time in 2005 at The Royal Variety performance live on ITV. In 2006 Andy choreographed two performances for Blue Peter for his Dance Troupe and appeared on the Blue Peter website teaching viewers how to street dance. In July 2006 Andy worked with Vauxhall Motors in association with Sean Paul at the launch of the Vauxhall Corsa. Later on that year Andy was Artistic Director of Vauxhall Tribes, a unique showcase of the UK's finest breakdancers, beatboxers, street dancers and turntabilists in the country. In 2007 he was Artistic Director for Vauxhall Tribes 2007 and judged the best of the UKs urban talent alongside Dizzee Rascal. Following on from his success with Vauxhall they have sponsored Andy with a Team Truck. Andy feels at home choreographing for stage or screen and relishes the challenges of both.