Greta Mendez

Greta Mendez MBE (born 1954) is a Trinidad-born choreographer, former dancer and carnivalist, who has worked as a dance and drama tutor, theatre and movement director, performance artist, producer, and filmmaker. Her performance credits include the Scottish Ballet, MAAS Movers and the Royal Opera House, and she has directed for Talawa Theatre Company and elsewhere, in addition to significant involvement with the Notting Hill Carnival, producing numerous bands and being a winning masquerader, among other contributions.

Backkground and career Mendez has said: "Dance was and still is my first language. In Trinidad we learnt, Scottish, Irish and Morris dances. We tasted African and Indian dance. We learnt the waltz, the foxtrot and, of course, Samba, Rumba etc. But the world is much bigger than that in terms of dance language. Therefore I knew I had to travel abroad in order to learn more." Mendez has performed as a dancer internationally and at a variety of venues, including the Royal Opera House, as well as in prisons and on television. She is recognised for her work at MAAS Movers, the UK's first black contemporary dance company, at Nin Dance Company and her own Battimamzel Dance Company. and has also been an Advisor and Assessor for the Arts Council.

In the 2021 New Year Honours, Mendez was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to dance.