Anand Bhatt
Anand Bhatt is the Artistic Director and CEO of Dance City in Newcastle and was previously executive producer at Aakash Odedra Company which he co-founded with Odedra in 2011. He is also a board member of People Dancing and ArtReach.
Sebastian Cater
Sebastian Cater has been Head of UK Theatre and Workforce Development since January 2020. He has over 20 years of experience in the UK commercial and not-for-profit cultural sector, and prior to working at UK Theatre he was a consultant specialising in marketing communications and business development strategy. He was Director of Marketing and Sales at Sadler’s Wells for over five years.
Sebastian is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and American Express/Common Purpose Leadership Academy Alumnus, and has been a Director of Dance Consortium since January 2019.
Helen Costello
Helen started out as a chartered accountant working with KPMG. After a stint in NHS and local government work, she took the reins of a very special hotel in Devon and played host to an amazing range of people from Hollywood stars to kings! After 10 years and 4 children she moved into a resort company working between Cornwall, Malaga and Gleneagles. She is now Chief Operating Officer of the Theatre Royal Plymouth.
Stephen Crocker
Stephen is Chief Executive of Norwich Theatre and leads all aspects of the organisation’s work both artistic and commercial. Stephen began his career as a professional classical singer before entering the cultural sector and, prior to his move to Norwich in 2016, spent 9 years at The Lowry, latterly as Deputy Chief Executive. Stephen is also Chair of curious directive and Dance Consortium, Board Member of Blackpool Grand Theatre, Manchester Pride, New Anglia Culture Board and The Touring Partnership and a South East Area Council Member of Arts Council England.
Andrew Hurst MBE
Andrew is Chief Executive of One Dance UK. He trained at The Royal Ballet School and danced with Basel Ballet, Switzerland; Ballet Gulbenkian, Portugal; Netherlands Dance Theatre II, Holland; Berlin Ballet, Germany; and Rambert. While at Rambert he was the Company Deputy for Equity and began his management career there before taking up the position of General Manager at Phoenix Dance, and later became the Manager of The Royal Ballet. He has a Masters in Cultural Policy and Management, has undertaken research into how personality factors influence success for professional dancers, is qualified in the use of psychometrics and coaching for career counselling, and is currently completing an MBA. He was previously a Trustee of the Dancers’ Pension Scheme, the Dance Education and Training Board, and ArtsDepot, and a Board observer for The Royal Ballet Benevolent Fund. He is proud to be the Chairman of Company Chameleon, an independent non-Executive Director of Dance Consortium, and a Trustee of AWA Dance.
Rosie Kay
Rosie Kay (BA Hons) FRSA, MCR St Cross College, Oxford, born in Scotland, trained at London Contemporary Dance School, danced in Poland, France, Germany and the USA. Rosie Kay Dance Company was set up in Birmingham in 2004. Rosie is currently working on a new solo show, Absolute Solo II, and a contemporary interpretation of Romeo+ Juliet.
Rosie’s works include the multi-award-winning work ‘5 SOLDIERS- The Body is the Frontline’ (2010- present) based on intense research with the British Army and a large-scale development of this work, ‘10 SOLDIERS’ (2019). ‘Fantasia’ was created in 2019, with three female dancers, and was awarded in The Guardian’s ‘Top 10 Dance of the Year’. Other works include MK Ultra (2017), ‘Motel’ (2016), ‘Sluts of Possession’ (2013), ‘There is Hope’ (2012), ‘Double Points: K’ (2008), ‘Asylum’ (2005). Rosie choreographed the live BBC Commonwealth Games Handover Ceremony (2018), watched by over 1 billion people worldwide and was choreographer to the feature film ‘Sunshine on Leith’ (2013). Outdoor works include ‘Modern Warrior’ (2017), ‘The Great Train Dance’ (2011) and ‘Ballet on the Buses’ (2007) with Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Rosie was the first choreographer appointed Leverhulme Artist in Residence at the School of Anthropology, University of Oxford (2013). Awards include Best Independent Company (2015) and nominated for Best Choreography for 5 SOLDIERS (2015), National Dance Awards and nominated Best Independent Company 2012 and 2017, a Royal Society for Public Health Award, and the Bonnie Bird New Choreography Award.
Marianne Locatori
Marianne has recently been appointed as Chief Executive at Newcastle Theatre Royal Trust. She has previously held a number of senior leadership positions at Theatre Royal Plymouth, including Director of Marketing & Communications and most recently Director of Strategic Projects. Prior to this she worked for the Ambassador Theatre Group leading the marketing teams for a number of their regional venues. Marianne originally trained at English National Ballet School and Rambert. She is passionate about the life changing potential of arts and culture and believes that regional theatre is a catalyst for positive change in communities.
Iona Waite
Iona Waite is Rehearsal Director at ACE dance and music. Working alongside the company’s directors, Iona supports the strategic development of dance in the African Diaspora, oversees all studio activity, assists guest choreographers and technical teams to support the delivery of national and international tours including dance in education, children and young people as well as artist relationships. Iona is also a board member for People Dancing.
Suzanne Walker
Suzanne Walker is Executive Producer at Sadler's Wells and has worked as a lecturer, company manager, venue programmer and producer in the UK for over 30 years. She was General Manager of V-TOL Dance Company for 10 years and then Interim Executive Director of Northern Stage, Newcastle and a freelance Producer.
In 2006 she took up post as Director of Programming at Sadler’s Wells and in 2011 became Executive Producer establishing its Producing & Touring Department. Under her direction this prolific department has since produced 64 major productions, 87 new works and collaborated on many international co-productions. These include: Russell Maliphant’s PUSH with Sylvie Guillem; Crystal Pite’s Polaris with Thomas Adès; Gravity Fatigue, directed by fashion designer Hussein Chalayan; Sutra by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and sculptor Antony Gormley; Botis Seva’s Olivier Award winning BLKDOG and William Forsythe’s A Quiet Evening of Dance among others. Suzanne was previously a dance advisor for London Arts Board, a member of the DCMS Cultural Industries Performing Arts Cluster Group, Vice-Chair of Dance UK, a British Council Drama and Dance Advisor and a founder & consultant for Dance Touring Partnership.
