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Xavi De Santos is a Bath-based performance practitioner, facilitator and Lecturer in Dance at ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿. Alongside his teaching, he maintains an active creative practice, having devised and performed work over the last decade with Dust Ensemble, Yama Dance Company and AllouAqui Dance Theatre, the company he co-founded.

His work centres on creating performances with and for dancers, actors and multidisciplinary artists, often blurring the boundaries between these disciplines. His interdisciplinary practice has a strong focus on the theatrical potential of the moving body, an approach he has developed since beginning his training in his hometown of Porto, Portugal. Xavi later trained at ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ and most recently completed an MA in Performance Practice at Middlesex University in 2024, where he specialised in composition strategies and practice-based research.

At ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿, Xavi teaches on the BA Dance programme, where workshop facilitation and module leadership form a significant part of his teaching. Since 2017, he has contributed to both the BA and MA Dance programmes as a Guest Artist and/or an Associate Lecturer, delivering creative modules, performance projects and specialist workshops. Since 2022, he has also worked as an Associate Movement Lecturer on the BA Acting programme. He is currently completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE), continuing to develop his teaching practice through critical reflection and research.

Xavi's research originated during his MA studies at Middlesex University, where he explored the Inner Voice as a tool for movement and text improvisation, devising and performance-making. Working with interdisciplinary participants including dancers, actors and musicians, he investigated creative processes that foreground intuition, sensation and inner speech. His research examines how performers can access and activate inner awareness through embodied practices, and how this influences artistic expression, lived experience and connection with audiences. This research continues to inform both his teaching and artistic practice. Xavi regularly facilitates Inner Voice workshops with MA Dance students at ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ as well as through

Xavi was shortlisted as a finalist in the Bath Creative Awards 2026 in the categories of Inspirational Person and Creativity for Good in recognition of his recently founded Creative Playgrounds in Bath and Trowbridge, as part of his ongoing commitment to making creativity more accessible and strengthening connections within the wider artistic community.