NEWINGTON COLLECTIVE

BIOGRAPHIES

Lorraine Smith

Choreographer, teacher

artistic director and choreographer of Silversmith Dance Company, creates innovative and accessible dance theatre through artistic collaborations. Trained in contemporary and expressive dance, Lorraine has performed in numerous dance works at venues including The Shunt Lounge, Camden People’s Theatre, Blue Elephant Theatre, Whitechapel Gallery, Chisenhale Dance Space, The Carriageworks and Ljubljana Castle (Slovenia), as well as performing in several dance films. Lorraine has recently worked as choreographer and co-director for interdisciplinary play In the Shadows of Senghor and movement mentor for physical theatre piece The Voice of Things - Toilet Paper. Future work include an educational site-specific project for students at Varndean College (Brighton), and a new work for Silversmith Dance Company that takes a light-hearted look at fanfares, ceremonies and parades.

Amandine Vighi

Choreographer

I am a contemporary dancer and choreographer, with an interest in dance theatre, contact improvisation and butoh. I'm also a registered psychologist, specialized in clinical and sport psychology and work as a mental health worker.

Dana Kolesarova

general manager; founder of NDS, teacher, choreographer

Independent dance artist, combining performance with other related work as teaching, choreographing, and collaborating with schools and colleges.

I became member of professional dance company La Mosca Slovakia at the age of 16; 

I worked with national and international choreographers; became artistic director of Youth Dance Department, and participated in various festivals, exchange programmes, workshops and competitions all around Europe.

I also have BA in Business, and I am interested in art administration and management.

At the moment I am trying to do my best to set up a new dance studio and I am looking forward to meet you there!

Monique Cornwell

 is currently studying contemporary dance and capoeira and will continue to work with new choreography, drawing on her background in physical theatre and circus. She studied Archaeology, Anthropology and Theology at Cambridge University and has been interested in working with creative movement and performance as a unique form of human social and personal development. She has enjoyed working with Newington Collective, particularly the possibility of sharing ideas and having fun whilst working. This coming summer Monique will begin full-time study of experimental physical choreography in Amsterdam.

Lianne Dixon

began her training at The Newcastle Performing Arts Academy in 2002, where she combined her training in contemporary dance and musical theatre. She did her completion year at Edinburgh Telford`s University and gained a BA hons in Dance in 2007. Now living in London, Lianne has begun a Masters Degree in Dance Movement Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths University and is determined to graduate in 2010. The course has a high level of intensity and requires her as a trainee therapist to work with people of all ages, conditions and backgrounds. She has a weekly placement at a school for children with Autism, allowing Lianne to set up her own individual and group sessions for clients. The sessions can stimulate the spontaneous expressions of feelings, promote social interaction and increase body awareness through movement. The course is helping her to take her experience and knowledge of dance to a completely new level. Lianne is also now working as a professional dancer with the Newington Collective and is enjoying the combination of her studies at university and being part of the Company.

Lani Dodds

has been involved with areas of theatre, dance and multi-media performance since 1995. Back in her home country of New Zealand she was involved in numerous performances with Hugh Major's butoh-inspired dance theatre company Lifeform. She was a co-founder of the exhibition night 'Marble', a monthly event in New Zealand for emerging artists to present video, music and performance collaborations. Lani studied graphic design and in her final year she majored in moving image and carried out a thorough study of how new technologies are changing performance spaces, an area she is very intersted in. As a performer Lani aims to explore new realms of possibility and create works that defy the boundaries of traditional dance and theatre practice. Her ideal piece would be described as possessing vivid, expressive imagery that is beautifully strange and bizarre.

Atlanta Eke

 is a UK-based Australian independent dance artist. Her specific artistic interests are in dance practice, performance and exploring new and innovative choreographic techniques. In addition to being an experienced dance teacher, she has also performed and choreographed extensively since graduating from Deakin University, and joined Newington Collective soon after moving to London late last summer.

Eeva Hautala

has recently completed full-time (MA) training in Physical Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London. Prior to that, Eeva trained at the University of Exeter (BA in Drama). As part of her MA, she has been trained in three forms of physical actor training, which are: Orientation Techniques (developed from the training methods of Gardzienice Theatre), Feldenkrais method (leading to Brook's approach to speech) and the principles of Anna Halprin's work.
Eeva is the co-devisor of The Dendrites Company, recently founded by herself and Konstantinos Thomaidis (Experience Vocal Dance Company, Chichibunichi). The Dendrites have presented energetic and exciting contemporary theatre at various theatres in London.

Chris Mead

began his training in Brighton, where he recieved a 1st in his degree in Physical Theatre and Dance. He then went to on to train at Laban, focussing on Contemporary Dance technique and Physical Theatre. Chris has a vast performance background including performances at the Edinburgh Festival, The Place (as part of Resolutions), Arts Depot in London and The Bonnie Bird Theatre. He works both as a choreographer and dancer and has been involved in many performance projects such as 'SLSM' at the Basement, in Brighton and 'New Works #1' at the Nightingale Theatre. Chris has worked with professional companies and was also a founding member of student companies '5 Feat Dance Company' and '4DR Physical Theatre. Chris teaches at Brighton University as well as teaching youth groups and adults. He is looking forward to performing in Slovakia for the first time.

Fiona Smith

graduated with a first class BA Hons Dance degree from De Montfort University in Leicester in 2007.  In her third year of university she was a dancer in the University Dance Company, which toured nationally and internationally. They have continued to perform in various locations, including Siobhan Davies Dance Studios, and have been chosen to perform at the Young People's Biennale in Italy in May 2008.  Since graduation she has continued to attend advanced ballet and professional contemporary dance classes and has been part of Ek!Speriments site-specific dance company in Manchester and Choreodrome at The Place. She joined Newington Collective in April 2008 and also works full-time as Project Assistant at Kings Place Music Foundation.

Yan-Pierre White

is a musician and graphic designer who is practicing movement (tai chi chuan, butoh) and art direction. He has composed and played music with several rock bands and made music for television and short films. Now focusing his energies on dance, Yan recently performed a solo set at Moving East contact improvisation jam, and created sound design and music for Etta Ermini Dance Theatre's 'Fixed Wheel'. He is currently researching and art directing a multimedia dance production entitled 'Meduse'. Yan is interested in hearing from anyone with a taste for extreme music and aesthetics in dance, and can be contacted to work on sound design/music at yan@yanwhite.com.
www.yanwhite.com
www.myspace.com/koeband
www.myspace.com/ghostronica

Nico Bentley

 is a multi-instrumentalist, playing trumpet, bass, conga, piano and guitar. He studied at LCM, broadening his Jazz knowledge and skills and studying Latin and African techniques. He studied the use of technology and electro-acoustic composition with Dale Perkins and gained a degree in Jazz Studies from LCM in 2006, majoring in Composition and Performance.

He then studied for an MA in musical composition under Dr. Darren Sproston and was commissioned by the college to compose a half-hour work for a ten-piece ensemble, using live sound and fixed media as the main feature of the composition, Footprints 1. He was also a resident composer on the RODA project 2007 and short-listed for the L.S.Q New Music Prize. Since this he has collaborated with the choreographers Tiia Ourila, Douglas Thorpe, Jenny Wren and Kevin Turner and taken up residencies with Company Chameleon and Slanjayvah Danza, as well as writing for the SPNM’s Bhangra/Latina project and composing for soprano quartet and tape. Other projects include a ballet, an audio/visual installation and an album of remixes.