Dan Styles

Education

Equipment

My Equipment/Kit: A wide variety or guns, swords and other weapons, Crash Mats, roll mats, gym mats, stunt harnesses and rigging equipment

I can use: A wide variety or guns, swords and other weapons, Crash Mats, roll mats, gym mats

About me

Coming from a background of both performance and production I have experience in most roles both in front and behind the camera.
I'm an experienced fight co-ordinator, certified teacher (British Academy of Dramatic Combat) and fight performer working with many aspects of violence and action. I have choreographed and co-ordinated fights, action sequences and other violence on a wide range of productions for stage, screen, motion capture, green screen, and live events.
Referees:
Directors/producers/fight co-ordinators Available upon request
Additional information:
“The hard work and talent of you and your team transformed the films, thanks”

Jonathan Elliot – Director - 'Ancient Black Ops' (Yesterday Channel)

“Dan Styles is an exceptional talent who made our production run smoothly in relation to fight choreography and stunt work and was very aware of health and safety. He understands cameras and was an excellent advisor to the director on the day to ensure gag’s and stunts worked first time.”

Luke McGibney - Producer of ‘Richard III’ (film)

The stunts were awesome”

Dominic Burns – Director – 'Allies' (feature film)

“Thank you so much for all your hard work and talent and ability. You really made these films sing for me."

Zackary Adler – Director – ‘The Rise and Fall of the Krays’ (feature film)

“Dan Styles deserves special mention for his stunningly realistic fight direction.”

Peter Brown – LondonTheatre.co.uk ***** review of ‘Skin Tight’ at the Park Theatre 2013

“The fight scenes - orchestrated Dan Styles - are breath-taking and the erotically charged knife 'dance' - for lack of a fitting title - is simply unforgettable.”

Vicky Ellis – What’s on Stage ***** review of ‘Skin Tight’ at the Park Theatre 2013

"Dan was brilliant! Not only in the actual choreography of the fight, which was exactly what we wanted, but also in explaining, step by step, the options and alternatives we could safely use for the scene. I won't hesitate to give Dan a call next time we need a fight choreographed or stunts peformed."

Alex Walker – Director and Producer of ‘Fossil’

“The direction of the fighting – as choreographed by Dan Styles – is certainly one of the highlights of this piece.

Laura Walton – One Stop Arts **** review of ‘Skin Tight’ at the Park Theatre 2013

"As we were behind schedule, Dan managed to successfully and safely put together a deadly fight between an older actor and a 9 year old so we could shoot it all from one angle! Both the actors and the crew loved him, and he was a total pro throughout the shoot."

Patrick Myles – Director of ‘Santa’s Blotto’ (Selected for the London Film Festival)

“It cannot be often that credit needs to be given to a fight director (Dan Styles) but, along with Jemma Gross, they contribute to making everything brutally realistic, riveting and visually startling.”

Stephen Bates – The Public Reviews **** review of ‘Skin Tight’ at the Park Theatre 2013

“It quite capably fills those gaps with great action”

J Hurtado – review of ‘Tooting Broadway’ at the London Indian Film Festival 2012

“Dan's confident and self assured manner put all of my actors at ease. The scenes Dan worked on were challenging to say the least, involving punches, kicks to the face and body and two different stabbings using different weapons; tough enough for a professional actor but our cast were made up of non-professional young people with varying levels of experience on the stage. It didn't seem to matter, Dan put them at ease and got them working at optimum level with no fear. The results were spectacular - resulting in easily the most shocking and exciting scene in the play. And most importantly the fights were totally believable. I wouldn't hesitate to work with Dan again.“

Anna Jordan - Director of 'Tomorrow I'll be Happy' (stage)

The lovers scene in the forest was done with full physical theatricality, and that leaping, catching, rolling and tumbling requires meticulous choreography and rehearsal, and to get it so split-second right the first night of a run is a major achievement.

Peter Viney – Blog review of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

"The wrestling scene (between the wrestler Charles and Orlando) not only produced the best choreographed wrestling I have seen in a play but helped to establish Orlando as someone whom one could well understand Rosalind finding irresistible."

Patrick Phillips - Review of ‘As You Like It', at Kentwell Hall (international tour).

“The wrestling match was very well staged. I expected something rather unconvincing that wouldn’t fool a hardened Czech audience but the locals were clearly impressed.”

Peter Toth – Review of ‘As You Like It’, at Ostrava, Czech Republic

“The wrestling scenes were superb; I was in the front and still winced.”

Stella Phillipps – Review of ‘As You Like It’, at Reading

“Scenes are punctuated with such physical violence they make you feel hostile, The intimate setting means fight scenes could appear choreographed, however this is quite the opposite, where they feel so un-staged and confrontational, the audience audibly gasping throughout”

Kate Hudspeth – Bargain Theatre review of ‘Skin Tight’ at the Park Theatre 2013

Fight director Dan Styles’ expertise has obviously been important and fortunately both actors already had stage fight training but they make it pretty scary.”

Howard Loxton – British Theatre Guide review of ‘Skin Tight’ at the Park Theatre 2013

"Thank you so much for all your work on and help with the fights for ‘The Three Musketeers' - You have been a superb trainer. It has really been a pleasure for all of us to work with you and we literally could not have done it without you.
"I am delighted with the ambition and that you are so keen to get things right and get the best out of them. Overall, I think the variety of the fights and their comedy element will be superb and make this a really memorable show!”

Paul Harvey - Director of ‘The Three Musketeers'.

“The fight scenes in R & J [Romeo & Juliet] have been a major talking point as audiences loved them! Thank you for doing such a great job with these.”

Gillian Roca - Producer (GB Theatre Company) of ‘Romeo & Juliet’ and ‘Twelfth Night’

"Your work's had a real impact, and the fights are really memorable, and an integral part of the show. Brilliant, and thanks again!"

Cameron Jack - Director or ‘Lord of the Flies'

“I will recommend Dan's own services should you ever be in need of a fight choreographer for something. He choreographed me in my last piece of stage work, was truly excellent to work with, took clear note of what was doable and what wasn't, and made me look convincingly murderous and dangerous (not as easy as it may appear).”

Lee Ravitz – Actor in ‘Titus Groan’

License & Passport

Skills

Secondary Job Title	Armourer
Job Titles	2nd AD (Assistant Director), 3rd AD (Assistant Director), Line Producer, Casting Assistant, Casting Director, Choreographer, Director, Stunt Coordinator / Stunts, Health & Safety, Producer, Production Assistant (PA), Writer, Armourer
Years in industry	6+ years
Organisations / Memberships	Shooting People (UK)