Our People

Andi Johnson
Organisational Archive Researcher

Andi Johnson
Organisational Archive Researcher
Andi Johnson is a PhD student in Dance at De Montfort University, working on a collaborative doctoral project with FABRIC to curate their archives.
They have a Masters in Library Sciences from Queens College, City University of New York and a second Masters in Dance Philosophy and History from Roehampton University. Their research primarily focuses on dance and archives, with a specific concentration on digital archives and ephemerality.
Andi is also one of the organisers of Dancing with Decolonisation, a yearly conference that investigates links between de/coloniality and dance from international perspectives.

Anita Harvey-Warne
CAT Admin Assistant (Maternity Cover)

Anu Gamanagari
Yuva Gati Co-ordinator

Anuradha Chaturvedi Seth
Yuva Gati Principal Artist, Kathak

Anuradha Chaturvedi Seth
Yuva Gati Principal Artist, Kathak
Anuradha Chaturvedi is a Reading based Dancemaker and teacher. She has studied Kathak under late Pundit Arjun Mishra in Lucknow India and is a recipient of Sringaarmani from Sur Sringaar Samsad, Mumbai, India. Anuradha has been a performing artist for nearly 15 years and she works as dancer, choreographer and teacher in Reading and surrounding areas. She has done Sangeet Praveen from Prayag Sangit Samiti and also holds ISTD’s level 6 Diploma in Dance Pedagogy. She is the founder and artistic director of Drishti Dance, performing arts organization known for its Vibrant Youth Dance wing, which has represented Southeast Region in National U Dance in 2018 and 2019.

Atxarte Lz. de Munain
Senior Producer

Becky Bailey
Director of Engagement

Cara Verney
CAT Admin Assistant (On Maternity Leave)

Chelsea Gordon
Assistant Producer

Clare Lewis
Deputy Chief Executive

Clare Lewis
Deputy Chief Executive

David Bowley
Company Administrator

Dwayne Church-Simms
Assistant Producer - Learning

Ebenezer Apata
Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate

Ebenezer Apata
Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate

Emma Hayes
Senior Operations Manager

Farai Pfende
Board Member

Farai Pfende
Board Member

Freya Coles
Assistant Producer - Learning

Hannah Sharpe
Director of Producing and Programmes

Hayley Arthur
Senior Producer - Learning & Skills

Helen Lound
Producer (On Maternity Leave)

Imogen Wilmot
Centre for Advanced Training Teaching Assistant

Imogen Wilmot
Centre for Advanced Training Teaching Assistant

Isla Clarke
Finance Co-ordinator

Jade Barnes
Centre for Advanced Training Teaching Assistant

Jade Barnes
Centre for Advanced Training Teaching Assistant

Jerry Dawson
Assistant Producer: Engagement

Jerry Dawson
Assistant Producer: Engagement

Jessica Ashley
Producer (Maternity Cover)

Jim Hendley
Producer

John Houlden
Board Member

John Houlden
Board Member
John is a Birmingham based finance professional with a range of experience including corporate finance, audit and accounting and most recently was a partner with EY in their Birmingham office working with high growth and entrepreneurial businesses in the region.
Originally from Leeds, John lived in Nottingham for a number of years and has lived and worked in Birmingham for the last 35 years. John has lived in Harborne for the last 20 years and in addition to the arts enjoys golf, tennis and cricket.

Libby Aldrich
Senior Communications Manager

Max Simpson
Front of House Coordinator

Max Simpson
Front of House Coordinator

Mira Balchandran Gokul
Yuva Gati Principal Artist, Bharatanatyam

Mira Balchandran Gokul
Yuva Gati Principal Artist, Bharatanatyam
Mira Balchandran Gokul had a rigorous full time training at the Kalakshetra College of Fine Arts participating in their world renowned dance dramas, festivals and lecture demonstrations. As a child she trained in Kathakali and Mohiniattam and have been exposed to a wide variety of dance and theatre forms of Kerala. These combined experiences have laid a strong foundation and appreciation of all art forms of performance and a passion to share her knowledge and experience with young people.
Mira has worked with pioneering tutors and choreographers in India and England. She is Co-Founder and CoArtistic Director of SANKALPAM, an international touring dance company that has created and toured over 14 new works and presented an annual programme of classical work with accompanying education and training programmes.
In the UK she has collaborated, as well as attended residencies, with a wide range of artists such as choreographers Luca Silvestrini, Lea Anderson, Stephanie Schober, jazz saxophonist Iain Ballamy, Yoruban Dancer Peter Badejo, lighting designer Lee Curran and Theatre Director and scholar Philip Zarrilli amongst many others. She brings to this role a wide network of contacts both in India and England, as well as a wide understanding.
In addition, Mira has worked with MDI, a leading national dance agency in Liverpool, as Youth Dance Development Officer to roll out the national programme for Children and Young People in Merseyside and as Big Dance 2012 Coordinator to lead on developing the dance programme in the North West, as part of the London Olympics Festival 2012. The flagship project brought together over 1000 participants aged 8 – 86 years from across the North West to create the largest dance performance in the country.
Mira was part of Kaleidoscope Arts, a combined-arts collective in Sefton that was nominated in 2008 and 2009 for the Cultural Champions of Merseyside award. Through a recent master’s programme from University of Manchester she has focused on the role of the dance artist in conflict situations. She has continued this research and in 2016, along with dance researcher Debbie Fionn Barr, presented work at conferences in Stockholm, Lincoln, Leeds and Oxford University. She was selected for the Dance UK mentoring programme 2015/2016. She has performed and taught extensively and has been a dance research consultant, mentor and judge on youth dance panels in India and England.
Mira was a Judge for the category finals of BBC Young Dancer 2015 and Mentor for the BBC Young Dancer 2017.

Monique Royle
Board Member

Monique Royle
Board Member
Monique graduated from Northumbria University with a degree in Estate Management before qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor in 1998. She started her career working for Marston’s as an Estates Surveyor before moving to an area manager role looking after an estate of public houses.
She has worked for a number of property consultancies in Birmingham specialising in the hospitality sector and is now Risk Management Director for Alternative Markets at Colliers International Property Consultants.
Outside of work she has been the West Midlands Regional and then National Chair of the National Association of Women in Property and has been heavily involved in the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors being West Midlands Regional Chair and also sitting on Governing Council, the over sight and strategic planning body of the institution reporting into the Privy Council. Monique has also been a Trustee of Queen Alexandra College, Harborne a National College and Charity for people with disabilities which offers courses for young people aged 16-25yrs as well as employment focused and supported living programmes.
Monique lives in Harborne and enjoys yoga, walking her dog and socialising with friends and family as well as going to the theatre and of course watching dance performances.

Natalia Bateeva
Company Administrator

Nathan Lafayette
Front of House Coordinator

Nathan Lafayette
Front of House Coordinator

Paul Russ
Chief Executive and Artistic Director

Paul Russ
Chief Executive and Artistic Director

Pete Shenton
Board Member

Pete Shenton
Board Member
Pete Shenton has been working as a dance artist, comedy performer, deviser, writer, director, and teacher since 1994. He is one half of the pioneering comedy dance theatre makers New Art Club, with whom he has been presenting groundbreaking performances nationally and internationally since 2001. Their shows have been made for and performed in a huge variety of contexts and venues from small pubs, school playing fields, major international dance and comedy festivals, opera houses, football stadiums, and theatres. Their work has been translated for performance into French and Mandarin.
He is a Senior Lecturer in Dance and Acting and is at De Montfort University. He is currently working on his PhD by Professional Experience, exploring the concepts of being and play in the context of the collaborative creative process and performance of New Art Club.
Pete is resident director and writer for Unanima Theatre, who devise and perform work based on the lived experience of the company members, all of whom have learning and or developmental disabilities.
He has worked on various theatre projects as a director/choreographer/movement director, including for Curve Theatre, Derby Theatres, Spark Arts, Bamboozle and Laurie Lorry. He works regularly as a mentor/artistic advisor/dramaturg with a wide variety of artists and companies, including recently with choreographers J Neve Harrington and Rita Marcalo and early years dance company Turned on its Head.
He lives in Leicester with his partner, two grown-up children, and their moderately well-trained dog. In his spare time, he likes to attend live music gigs and has the dubious pleasure of being a fan of Leicester City FC and Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

Richard Woods
Board Member

Richard Woods
Board Member
Richard is a Nottingham-based architect who is a co-founder and Practice Partner of Urban Fabric Architects, an award-winning practice with a particular interest and expertise in cultural, community, education and regeneration projects. He also teaches architecture to post-graduate students at the University of Nottingham. He recently further qualified as an Accredited Conservation Architect, and has carried out conservation and refurbishment works on many heritage assets throughout the UK.
Through this time he has won many design awards, and has developed industry-wide recognition for his skills as an architect, design champion, conference speaker, writer, technical advisor, RIBA assessor, awards judge, and professional mentor. He designed the Academy of St Francis of Assisi in Liverpool, which was described by the Independent newspaper as ‘Britain’s Greenest School’ and Perthcelyn Primary School which was long-listed for the Stirling Prize. He is a Design Review Expert Panellist for both Design:Midlands and the Design Commission for Wales.
He has a strong interest in environmental issues, and his design work is highly informed by extensive community engagement and a keen response to place. He has a particularly interest in post-war modern architecture, and is an active member of the 20th Century Society.
Richard was born in London, and studied and practiced architecture in Cardiff, before moving to Nottingham in recent years.

Ruthba Choudhury
Communications Manager

Sandrine Monin
Interim Artistic Associate, Contemporary

Sandrine Monin
Interim Artistic Associate, Contemporary
Sandrine Monin is a freelance dance artist and choreographer based in Leeds, whose mission is to connect and empower people through dance and storytelling.
Sandrine is passionate about the exploration of emotions and raising mental health awareness through dance. Using dance as a channel for deeper connection.

Saniel Jones
Finance Manager

Shane Shambhu
Yuva Gati Artistic Associate

Shane Shambhu
Yuva Gati Artistic Associate
Actor, Director and Choreographer, Shane Shambhu is an award-winning artist and the Creative Director of ALTERED SKIN. Shane is a Complicite Associate and an Associate Lecturer at East 15 Acting School. Shane has an extensive performance career spanning different artistic genre’s and includes work with: Short Films Letters From Afar (Omni-kizzy Productions) and Boat (Just So Films), Complicite’s award-winning A Disappearing Number (National Theatre Live and BBC Radio 3), Icon Theatre’s award-winning Release, Theatre Ad Infinitum, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, Royal Opera House, inDance (Canada), Nina Rajarani’s Quick! (Place Prize Winner 2006), New Art Club and Menagerie Theatre to name just a few.
Shane’s recent work has involved working as Movement Director for Tara Arts’ Game Of Love and Chai with Writer, Nigel Planer and Director, Jatinder Verma and Crying in The Wilderness Productions’ Conundrum opening at Young Vic, London in 2019. He is currently touring Altered Skin’s Confessions Of A Cockney Temple Dancer with dates set for 2018/2019 and 2020.
Beyond creative works Shane Shambhu is a speaker presenting at conferences nationally and internationally and also co-project lead on Ensemble Mathematics, a curriculum and professional development project, which explores the impacts of using drama in the teaching of primary mathematics, and The Natya Project, a project aimed at discovering career progression routes for young bharatanatyam professionals.

Shekinah Yuhanna
Communications Officer

Sophie Humphries
Engagement Producer

Zara Portlock
Audience Engagement Manager
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