Israel Aloni - Dramaturge

Israel Aloni is an independent choreographer, educator, performer, writer and cultural entrepreneur.

Aloni studied dance at Bat Dor Dance Studios in Tel Aviv and Thelma Yellin School of the Arts, from which they graduated with honors in 2001. As a performer, Aloni danced a vast repertoire of globally acclaimed choreographers during their engagement with the Israel Ballet, Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, “The Project” belonging to the Israel Opera and Odelya Kuperberg Dance Group. Between 2002–2017, Aloni created and performed a rich selection of repertoire with GöteborgsOperans Danskompani (Sweden) which was their home company for these fifteen years.

In 2013-2014, Aloni was a guest artist with Sasha Waltz & Guests in Berlin, Germany. Alongside their career as a performer, Aloni has been choreographing, mentoring and teaching dance. They have worked around the world with both professionals and students of higher education in independent structures as well as in institutions such as Regionteater Väst (SE), Norrdans (SE), Sasha Waltz & Guests (DE), NAROPA (US,) Sydney Dance Company (AU), Estonian National Ballet, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and MAPDance Chichester (UK) to name a few.

As an independent choreographer, Aloni has developed their own choreographic language which is also the core of their teaching method. Aloni’s practice is mainly derived of their fascination with the infinite creativity of the mind and fantasy, whilst utilising the body as a physical demonstration of the self – a medium for interaction with others and subjectively experiencing the world. Moreover, their methodologies of creation and production are direct results of their desire to facilitate a reality in which individuals are liberated and encouraged to emancipate their subjective artistic voice through actions and activities that reward the artists, their collaborators and the public.

Gwyn Emberton - Dramaturge

Gwyn Emberton, a multi award-winning choreographer and dancer from Wales, is the artistic director of Gwyn Emberton Dance, the company he officially formed in 2015 with Creative Producer Kate Perridge. In addition to his choreographic and directing work Gwyn also performs and collaborates with other dance and theatre artists from Wales, London and Europe.

Already in 2016, the company completed the creation and initial tour of ‘Shadow of a Quiet Society’. Made with six female dancers, it is a co-production with one of Wales’ major Arts Centres, Aberystwyth Arts Centre. Originally inspired by stories from Gwyn’s hometown of Montgomery some that date back 800 years it became a universal but surreal look at the dynamics of a community at odds with itself. It was considered a “standard-setter” for dance in Wales and will tour again from Autumn 2016. The work was supported by a reworking of the solo ‘Of the Earth, from where I came’ which was also selected by and performed at British Dance Edition 2016 held in Cardiff, Wales. This was followed by a tour of the solo across Europe as part of Dance Roads.

Gwyn was commissioned by theatre company DeOscuro to create a duet for their multi-genre project ‘Triptych’ in 2015 for which Gwyn’s work was recognised at the 2016 Wales Theatre Awards with the Best Male Choreographer and Performer Award.

‘My People’, Gwyn’s first full-length work, received a nomination in the 2015 Wales Theatre Awards for Best Dance Production.

With renowned performer Eddie Ladd, Gwyn co-devised and performs ‘Caitlin’. Directed by Deborah Light, the work went on to win the Best Dance Production at the WTA 2015.

Gwyn has danced with many of the UK's major choreographers such as Akram Khan, Matthew Bourne, Jasmin Vardimon and with Scottish Dance Theatre, also spending three years working with Inbal Pinto in Tel Aviv, Israel.

As rehearsal director, Gwyn has worked with Russell Maliphant and Sadhana Dance Companies and has taught at The Place, Greenwich Dance Agency, DanceWorks in London, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Middlesex University, Coventry University, The Urdang Academy and at many international summer schools and academies.

Gosheven - Composer

Gosheven is the solo project of Bálint Szabó (Budapest), member of 12z (they released two records on Nicolas Jaar's label Other People) and curator at Trafó House in Budapest. “Leaper” is his first solo adventure, released in May 2017 on the visionary Opal Tapes. For his breakthrough Bálint puts in use the several years he spent studying different tuning systems for electric guitar. He developed a unique electric guitar with strings that can be placed in the stereo field to further enrich the already unusual sounds of the retuned guitar. Inspired by some of the greatest American minimalists, such as La Monte Young and Terry Riley, and Italian Renaissance composers (“Unbalanced Holiness” is based on a composition by the great Giovanni Maria Trabaci), he built some beautiful and absorbing sound harmonies that travel through emotions and the senses of a full metamorphosis: the idea of a “caterpillar turning into butterfly” is a metaphor for his detachment of the male ideal that surrounded him throughout his education. “Leaper” is a masterful take on drone and ambient sounds with enriched pop sounds. The Wire and The Quietus, among other publications, elected “Leaper” as one of their favourite records of 2017. In April 2018 Gosheven released his second solo record, “Bivaq” (Opal Tapes), another powerful and well-designed statement of his ideas and methods regarding his constant exploration of the possibilities of the electric guitar.
In 2018, Gosheven is one of the artists selected to integrate the Shape Platform 2018.

Hanka Podraza - Costume Design

Hanka Podraza is a Polish costume designer. She designed costumes for theatre performances directed by Jędrzej Piaskowski: „Puppenhaus. Treatment” (TR Warszawa, 2017) and „Three Sisters” (Juliusz Osterwa Theatre in Lublin, 2018) and Paweł Miśkiewicz’s „jednak Płatonow” (PWST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow, 2015), „Learning to Walk” (Contemporary Theatre in Wrocław, 2016), „Niewina” (AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow, Faculties in Wrocław, 2017) and „Kongres (nie do końca) futurologiczny” (AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow, 2018). She also designed costumes for plays directed by Wiktor Loga-Skarczewski: „Sausage Cowboy” (Łaźnia Nowa Theatre in Krakow, 2016) and „Marriage” (PWST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow, 2016) as well as for performances for children: „Mrs. Beksa’s Academy” directed by Robert Drobniuch (The Puppet and Actor Theatre „Kubuś” in Kielce, 2017) and „The Rogueries of Witalis the Fox” (Cyprian Kamil Norwid Theatre in Jelenia Góra). In 2018 she designed costumes for actors and actresses performing during The Final Gala of The Stage Songs Contest in Wrocław directed by Agnieszka Glińska. Hanka Podraza also collaborated with Agnieszka Glińska on other performances like „The Effect” (AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow, 2017) and „Burnt by the Sun_Secondhand_”  (AST im. Stanisława Wyspiańskiego w Krakowie 2018).

Gordon Beveridge - Graphic Design

Scottish graphic designer based in Glasgow. Predominantly focuses on visual communication within the disciplines of brand identity, brochure design and illustration. With an enthusiastic and informed approach, Gordon undertakes each project with an emphasis on engaging, memorable ideas. Through close collaboration, he sees projects from brief to delivery, and execute all concepts with a fastidious attention to detail.

www.gordonbeveridge.com

Simon Banham - Set and space designer

Simon is a freelance scenographer who also teaches at Aberystwyth University, Wales (www.aberscenography.co.uk) where he is the Reader in Scenography and Theatre Design.

Simon is co-founder of the theatre company Quarantine (www.qtine.com) which was established in 1998, since when he has created the scenography for all their productions. He recently collaborated with Richard Gregory of Quarantine and the artist Jeremey Deller to create the opening event for the Manchester international Festival ‘What is the city but the people’ (‘Best Event’ at the inaugural cultural awards ceremony in Manchester 2018). He has been developing a continuing body of work in contemporary opera with Music Theatre Wales over the past 30 years as well as a series of works for National Theatre Wales (The Persians was awarded ‘Best Design’ 2010 in the UK theatre awards).

Rhodri Davies - Score designer

Born in 1971 and lives in Swansea, South Wales. He plays harp, electric harp, live-electronics and builds wind, water, ice, dry ice and fire harp installations. He has released four solo albums: Trem, Over Shadows, Wound Response and An Air Swept Clean of All Distance. His regular groups include: HEN OGLEDD, Cranc, a duo with John Butcher, The Sealed Knot, Common Objects and a trio with John Tilbury and Michael Duch. He has worked with the following artists: David Sylvian, Jenny Hval, Derek Bailey, Mark Fell, Kahimi Karie, Laura Cannell, Lina Lapelyte, Sachiko M, Bill Orcutt, Jim O’Rourke, Christian Marclay and David Toop.

In 2008 he collaborated with the visual artist Gustav Metzger on ‘Self-cancellation’, a large- scale audio-visual collaboration in London and Glasgow. New pieces for solo harp have been composed for him by: Eliane Radigue, Philip Corner, Phill Niblock, Ben Patterson, Christian Wolff, Alison Knowles, Mieko Shiomi and Yasunao Tone. In 2012 he was the recipient of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Grants to Artists Award, since 2016 he is a Chapter Associate Artist and in 2017 he received a Creative Wales Award.

www.rhodridavies.com