Vertical dance is a new area of dance and performance practice which has its roots in the 1970s when postmodern US choreographer Trisha Brown made a work entitled 'Man walking down the side of a building', and it was exactly that. Since then the idea of dancing on vertical floors has spread and there are now several artists and companies who practice this dance form. Kate Lawrence's company, Vertical Dance Kate Lawrence (VDKL) operates in and from North Wales, training local people, from professional to amateur, young and old, in this form of dance. This has resulted in increased employment opportunities for local dancers. Workshops have attracted international participants, putting North Wales on the map as a special place to come for vertical dance training. VDKL is part of a network of 7 international companies - Vertical Dance Forum - who meet to improve standards of teaching and safety, share best practice, make funding applications and collaborate on creative projects.