Josh was raised in Newtown Powys, Mid Wales, where he developed an early interest in gymnastics. At the age of 14, he began his dance journey, self-training on a mattress in his back garden. His formal dance training commenced at 16 in college, where he studied performance and production arts, earning a UAL diploma. During this time, he had the opportunity to perform in scare mazes and explore his passion for acting, which introduced him to contemporary dance and earned him an award bursary.

Josh was later accepted into Bath Spa University to study contemporary dance. His experiences include participating in the company module V3NTURE, attending intensives with Alleyne Dance, Trash Dollys (Sam Amos), and Amy Foskett, and performing in RES24. Leaving Bath Spa, he received an award for Outstanding Achievement in creative dance practice 2024.

In his artistic pursuits, Josh values connection, flow, and the aesthetics of movement, drawing inspiration from cinematography and research. He is influenced by the writings of Fernando Pessoa and integrates his lived experiences into his work. Outside of dance, he enjoys music, nature walks, history and old cameras.

Photo credit: Josh Hawkins