Chisenhale Dance Space is a registered charity, led by a Board of Trustees.
CDS’ board is composed of individuals, who are legally and ethically responsible for the charity. The role of the Board of Trustees is to support the strategic vision and leadership of the company and ensure CDS remains true to its values, relevant to our artistic and local communities, well managed and financially sustainable.
CDS’ Trustees work with the Artist Committee and Staff to lead the organisation and oversee its management.
The Trustees can be contacted by emailing theboard@chisenhaledancespace.co.uk.
Steven Brett (he/him) – Interim Chair
Steven currently works for British Council as Theatre and Dance Programme Manager for the Americas, Caribbean, and EU Europe.
Born in Australia in 1965, Steven danced for Nederlands Dans Teatre II under Jiri Kylian and Rambert Dance Company directed by Richard Alston and Christopher Bruce where he also worked as rehearsal director and from 2000 Associate Artistic Director.
In 2004 Steven joined the British Council as a Drama and Dance Projects Manager with responsibilities for Western Europe, Latin America and Southern Africa. In 2008 Steven was appointed Executive Producer of Pacitti Company and SPILL Festival of Performance, for the 2009 edition. From 2010 – 2015 he ran the Nightingale Theatre in Brighton, a small pub theatre, artist development and residency space. He continues to assist choreographer Christopher Bruce, setting his pieces on companies in Europe and the USA.
Georgia Clark (she/her)
Georgia is a neurodiverse, interdisciplinary and participatory artist specialising in sensory and inclusive practice. She has an MA in Applied Anthropology and Community Arts from Goldsmiths University and has coordinated and delivered projects for arts organisations including London Bubble Theatre, GDIF, Illuminate Rotherhithe and Purple Moon Drama. She is currently training with BLINK Dance Theatre and leads Sandpit Arts, a co-created visual arts group.
Her individual movement, drawing and performance practice is built around sensing into the body and following the impulses that arise, creating work from embodied personal experience. She is deeply informed by Moving Pieces; a unique arts in health theatre collective creating work through processes that are both regulating for the nervous system and artistically interesting. She will be developing her artistic practice as Artist in Residence at St Margaret’s House from Jan – March 2024.
Alisa Oleva (she/her)
Alisa Oleva is an artist working in the spaces of the city, exploring urban choreography and urban archaeology, traces and surfaces, borders and inventories, intervals and silences, passages and cracks. Alisa holds a BA and MA from The Courtauld Institute of Art and an MA in Performance from Goldsmiths. Her projects have manifested as a series of interactive situations, performances, movements scores, personal and intimate encounters and situations, parkour, walkshops, and audio walks.
Beatrice Perini (she/her)
Beatrice Perini, experienced freelance aerial artist, dancer, choreographer and facilitator, with applied and academic knowledge in inclusive practices, for more than 20 years, she’s performed, created work and taught both in the UK and abroad. Her practice is community focused, movement based, collaborative and research-led.
In her work she strives and advocates for a generous and critical dialogue committed to individual agency, Social Empowerment and Wellbeing.
Bea is Senior Associate Artist of Scarabeus Theatre and collaborates with the company since 2005. Other companies and organisations she’s most recently worked with are AWA Dance, Anjali Dance, Arts and Gardens, F.i.E.L.D; and Birming ham International Dance Festival, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Freefall Dance Company, BRB, on their inclusive dance programmes.
Between 2009-2012, Bea was an Ambassador and Facilitator for Southwark Council, on the piloting of ICS programmes (Integrated Care System), back then known as Active Living, with focus on Disability & Women, in the Sport and Physical Activities division.
With the new injection of interest in the Social Prescribing Services, she’s now part of various conversations involving Culture, Health and Wellbeing.
Bakani Pick-Up (he/they)
Bakani is a Zimbabwean born UK based Choreographer & Artistic Lead for Bakani Pick-Up Company. His artistic interests observe ways of being across a broad range of communities. With practice as research at the core of his work, he explores decolonisation through dance practice, haptic visuality and choreographic composition.
Bakani has also worked with several organisations nationally including co-curating the ‘How to Tune into Sensation’ programme alongside The Place & CDS as part of the The Place’s Spring festival 2021. More recently Bakani worked at Leeds Playhouse as Dance Programmer, Co-Curator at Yorkshire Dance for Encounters, a LGBTQIA+ festival and Festival Programmer Producer for the Northern School of Contemporary Dance’s Colour Festival.
They also serve as a critical friend in Advisory Groups for National Dance Company Wales, Yorkshire Dance & Four Hands Company.”
Headshot by Johnny Griffiths
Sally Rose (she/her)
Sally is an experienced senior contemporary freelance arts producer. Over 14 years she has specialised as a creative partner to artists and organisations with expertise in development and fundraising, strategic planning, and project delivery. She champions work that sits outside the mainstream and aims to have a positive impact in wider society and the arts and culture sector. Her experience encompasses participatory projects, theatre, experimental choreography, curating, developing artist films, installations and work that takes place outside of traditional art spaces.
In 2015 she founded Producer Gathering with Xavier de Sousa and they recently established this as an ongoing support structure to support, nurture and sustain freelance producers, with Marlborough Productions. She has recently worked with artists & organisations including: Abigail Conway, Kayza Rose/BLM Fest, Duckie, Marlborough Productions, Sheila Ghelani, Rosana Cade, and CONTINUOUS Network amongst many others.
She believes strongly in values of collaboration, experimentation and equity and strives for them in each project through her role as a producer, always open to change and challenging structural issues.
Naomi Taylor (she/her)
Naomi is currently an official at the media & entertainment trade union, Bectu. She’s worked with members in cinemas and theatres, but now mainly works with non-performance workers in live events and the arts.
Day to day, she negotiate better terms on behalf of Bectu members, helps union members to organise their workplaces or freelance sectors, and advises/supports individuals with employment issues.
Prior to that, Naomi was a subtitler for a BBC contractor, an English teaching assistant in Japan, and a student of American Studies & English Lit at sunny Swansea University!
Image credit: Flora Wellesley-Wesley teaching at Chisenhale Summer of Art, 2021. Photo by Lidia Crisafulli.