Spotlight: Dollie Henry MBE
- MDance Company
- Jun 25
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 30
Dollie Henry MBE has spent over four decades shaping the international jazz dance landscape. With a distinguished career spanning more than 46 years, she is recognised worldwide as one of the most influential and pioneering voices in jazz dance and theatre. As a theatre performer, choreographer, director, and jazz artist, Dollie’s work continues to inspire artists of all generations.
She is the founder and Artistic Director of the BOP Jazz Theatre Company. Now in its 27th year, BOP has become a benchmark for jazz theatre productions in the UK and beyond. Dollie’s creative work has been commissioned and performed globally by major dance companies, theatres, and artists, earning her acclaim as both a choreographer and creative mentor.
Her vast experience includes directing and choreographing for West End productions, theatre plays, film, TV, concerts, and jazz theatre. She has served as a lecturer and choreographer at institutions such as Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Mountview Arts, Wilkes Academy, and London Studio Centre, and remains a highly respected guest teacher across the globe.
Dollie is also known for her dedicated advocacy in the fields of diversity, equity, and inclusion (EDI) in the performing arts. In 2021, she co-founded Jazz Theatre Arts UK with One Dance UK, a platform committed to preserving the history, context, and legacy of jazz arts while nurturing future generations.
Her book The Essential Guide to Jazz Dance, co-authored with her husband, jazz composer Paul Jenkins, is widely celebrated as a definitive guide to the art form. In June 2022, her services to dance were honoured when she was awarded an MBE on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Honours List.
At JazzDayz 2025, Dollie brings her incredible knowledge and artistic energy to dancers in Bamberg. Don’t miss this chance to train with a true legend of jazz theatre.
JazzDayz 2025 Timetable – Dollie Henry MBE
18th October 202
Jazz Art (Part 1) with Dollie Henry (10:00 – 12:00)
19th October 202
Jazz Art (Part 2) with Dollie Henry (10:00 – 12:00)
