Who's Who
| Artistic Director | Jasmin Vardimon |
| Associate Director | Guy Bar-Amotz |
| Executive Producer | Ian Ross |
| General Manager | Rebekah Jones |
| Education & Development Manager | Lauren Baldock |
| Administrator | Roberta Spicer |
| Company Coordinator | Caroline Boulter |
| Production Manager | Ben Payne |
| Senior Education Facilitator | Tim Casson |
| Marketing & Press | Helen Snell +44 (0)20 7240 5537 info@helensnell.com |
| Communications Manager | Sally Lampitt |
| Performing Company | Paul Blackman Luke Burrough Tim Casson Kai-Wen Chuang Olga Clavel-Gimeno Mafalda Deville Estéban Fourmi David Lloyd Christine Gouzelis Aoi Nakamura Júlia Robert Parés Elena Stavropoulou |
| Creative Team for Freedom | Concept, Direction and Choreography: Jasmin Vardimon |
| Creative Team for Home | Director & Choreographer: Jasmin Vardimon |
| Creative Team for 7734 | Concept, Direction and Choreography: Jasmin Vardimon Lighting Design: Chahine Yavroyan Set Design: Guy Bar-Amotz & Jasmin Vardimon Sound Design: Jasmin Vardimon Sound Advisors: Ohad Fishof & Shahin Afrassiabi Costume Design: Abigail Hammond Script: Pamela Carter Dramaturgy: Nina Steiger & Guy Bar-Amotz Rehearsal Direction: David Nondorf |
| Creative Team for Yesterday | Concept, Direction & Choreography: Jasmin Vardimon Set Design & Media Design: Guy Bar-Amotz Lighting Design: Chahine Yavroyan Sound Design: Nick Kennedy Costume Design: Linda Rowell Animation: Michael Klega Dramaturgy: Guy Bar-Amotz |
| Creative Team for Justitia | Concept, Direction & Choreography: Jasmin Vardimon Script Writer: Rebecca Lenkiewicz Costume & Set Design: Merle Hensel Lighting Design: Chahine Yavroyan Soundtrack Design & Edit: Ohad Fishof Dramaturgy: Guy Bar-Amotz |
| Patron | Sian Phillips CBE |
| Board of Directors | Suzie Leighton (Chair), Sarah Surtees, Katie Normington, Nida Khayrallah, Chantelle Culshaw |
Jasmin Vardimon - Artistic Director
Jasmin Vardimon is a leading force in British dance theatre. Born and raised on a Kibbutz in central Israel, she joined the Kibbutz Dance Company and in 1995 won a British Council 'On the Way to London' Choreography Award. She moved to London in 1997 where she founded Jasmin Vardimon Company (previously Zbang). Jasmin is an Associate Artist at Sadler’s Wells since 2006. Previously, she was an Associate Artist at The Place in 1998 and a Yorkshire Dance Partner from 1999–2005.
Enjoying sell-out performances across the UK and internationally, her Company’s works include: Freedom, 7734, Yesterday, Justitia, Park, Lullaby, Ticklish, LureLureLure, Tête, Madame Made and Therapist. Lullaby gained Jasmin selection for the BBC documentary Dance Film Academy featuring the development of a film version of the piece (2005). Jasmin has been commissioned to choreograph for the Royal Opera House (Tannhäuser, 2010) and for ROH2’s OperaShots season with composer Graham Fitkin at the Linbury Studio (Home 2012). Other commissions include Hellenic Dance Athens, CandoCo, WID, Bare Bones, Transitions and curating the Dance Ballads Festival at the Oval House.
She is the recipient of numerous awards including: the prestigious Jerwood Choreography Award (2000); the Jerwood Foundation’s 'Changing Stages' Award (2004); a nomination for Best Female Artist at the Critics' Circle National Dance Awards (2003); The London Arts Board ‘New Choreographers' Award (1998); The Colette Littman Scholarship Award (1997); The Havatzeleth Foundation Scholarship (1997 & 1995); and the America-Israel Foundation Choreography Scholarship (1989 & 1991).
Jasmin is a Visiting Professor at the University of Wolverhampton, since September 2011. She developed a Higher Education programme for dancers and actors, led by her company as a Post-Graduate Diploma at Royal Holloway University London and in 2012 launches a full-time certificate course at her company's home base in Ashford.
In 2013, Jasmin takes on the role of Guest Artistic Director for the first year of the newly formed National Youth Dance Company (NYDC).
Guy Bar-Amotz - Associate Director
Guy Bar Amotz was born in 1967 at Kibbutz Ma'abarot, Israel. He has lived and worked in London since 1996. He graduated with a BA in Fine Art from the Bezallel Academy of Art & Design, Jerusalem and an MA in Fine Art from Goldsmith’s College, London (supported by a full scholarship from the British Council). He participated in a Two Year Residency Programme at the Rijksakademie Van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam, Netherlands (with a full scholarship from the Dutch Government).
Guy’s projects have been commissioned by The Israel Museum (Jerusalem), Tate Britain (London), CCA (Geneva), Project (Dublin) the Ein-Harod Museum, the Stedelijk Museum’s Bureau (Amsterdam), Kwangju Biennale (South Korea), The Biennale of Sydney 1998, The Ikon Gallery (Birmingham UK), Fuori Uso (Italy), Saitama Museum of Modern Art (Japan), The Trade Apartment and the APT (London), W139 (Amsterdam), fashion house W<’s show room (Antwerp), and Transport for London's Platform for Art (London). He has collaborated with Jasmin Vardimon on all her productions since 1997.
In 2004 Guy was selected by Art Forum as 'The Artist to Watc'' for the year ahead, and in 2010 he received the Lottery Award for Excellency in Art, one of Israel’s most prestigious prizes for the arts.
Ian Ross - Executive Producer
Ian Ross joined the company as Executive Producer in September 2007.
Ian was Executive Director of Cambridge Arts for six years, from 1998–2004; General Manager at Bromley Churchill Theatre from 1998–2000; General Manager for The Theatre of Comedy Company from 1995–1998; Deputy Chief Executive of Norwich Theatre Royal from 1992–1995; and Executive Producer at PW Productions for a year.
Ian is Director of his own Production Company, B&R Productions Ltd and Todds Gallery Ltd, based in Hastings. Over the past four years he has worked as a Programming Consultant and Mentor with Arts Council England, South Coast Artists, Dab Arts Group, Fireraisers Theatre Company, New Vic Workshop, Allways Learning, Hastings Borough Council, The Lowry, Cambridge Corn Exchange, Churchill Theatre Bromley and Norwich Theatre Royal.
Ian has produced many theatre productions over the past 15 years both in the West End, nationally and internationally.
Chahine Yavroyan - Lighting Designer
As well as theatre, opera and dance, has lit objects, clothes, casts of one to 240, buildings, shows in back rooms of pubs as well as on main stages, site-specific, indoors and outdoors. Previous work with Jasmin – Justitia, Park, Lullaby and Ticklish. Other dance work with Bock & Vincenzi, Colin Poole, Candoco, Arthur Pita, Henrietta Hale, Dog Kennel Hill Project, Walkerdance, Rosemary Lee, Ricochet, Hofesh Shechter, Lea Anderson, Kate Brown, etc.
Abigail Hammond - Costume Designer
Abigail’s dance background includes the experimental dance at Dartington College of Art in the 1970’s and she went on to study Dance Theatre at the Laban Centre, London, specialising in costume design. Over the past 25 years she has created costumes for over 100 choreographic works. 2010 commissions are 7734, Jasmin Vardimon Company and Desert Crossings, Gregory Maqomo and State of Emergency.
She was the resident designer for the National Youth Dance Company for 13 years and Tavaziva Dance for 6 years. Her work with Tavaziva Dance was part of the SBTD ‘Collaborators’ exhibition at the V&A Museum in London, 2007-08. Theatre work includes costumes for ‘The Hobbit’ by JRR Tolkien produced by VFP Ltd. which ran in London’s West End and is currently touring again. The designs for ‘The Hobbit’ and an accompanying educational video contributed to the SBTD 2D>3D Exhibition 2002-05 and was selected as part of the UK contribution at the World Stage Design Exhibition in Toronto in 2005.
Abigail has lectured at various Higher Education institutes including The Royal Academy of Dance, London College of Fashion, Laban, and Croydon College . Her commitment to education includes community projects, with the National Theatre Education Unit, English Heritage, English National Ballet and the Barbican Centre, London. During Autumn 2010 she will be the Lead Costume Design Facilitator for the Blue Train Project, a collaboration with the V&A Diaghilev / Ballet Russe Exhibition.
Abigail is Senior Lecturer in Costume Design at Wimbledon College of Art. Her research focuses on the uniqueness of costume design in contemporary dance and she has presented papers at national and international conferences.
Jesse Collett - Video Animation
Jesse Collett studied Illustration and Animation at Kingston University graduating in 2010. His animated short film I Fall Down has been shown in several festivals worldwide including Rushes Soho Shorts Festival (UK), Red Stick Animation Festival (USA) and Mumia 8 (Brazil). It was also a semi-finalist for the Adobe Design Achievement Awards and featured on Channel 4’s Random Acts series. Since graduating he has worked on a variety of animation projects for clients including the BBC, Google and the National Maritime Museum and recently worked with Jasmin Vardimon on a short opera entitled Home commissioned by the Royal Opera House.
Christine Gouzelis - Rehearsal Director
Christine graduated from the Athens State School of Dance (K.S.O.T) in 2004. She received a scholarship for ImpulsDanz in Vienna where she trained and performed with Ultima Vez, David Zambrano and Malthide Monnier. In 2005 she became a member of JVC and has toured internationally with various performances. In her role assisting choreographically and participating in past productions of the Hellenic Dance Company she has worked with choreographers such as Wim Vandekeybus, Rootlessroot Dance Company, Tono Lachky, Pascal Rioult, Athina Valha and others. In 2010 she took part in the renowned workshop ‘50days’ with Master David Zambrano in Costa Rica, with performances at the National Theatre of San Jose. She became a member of the 50collective, touring through the USA and Europe. She teaches workshops internationally and is a faculty member of the State School of Dance (K.S.O.T) in Athens, Greece. In 2010 she founded alongside Paul Blackman ‘Juk-sta-poz Dance Theatre’ for which they choreograph and create various projects internationally.
David Nondorf - Rehearsal Director
David trained at Gymnasium Essen-Werden, Germany and Stedelijk Instituut voor Ballet Antwerp. He has worked at different theatres in Germany and with Skånes Dansteater in Sweden. David joined Jasmin Vardimon Company for the creation of Yesterday, took over a role in Justitia in 2009 and then became rehearsal director for the production 7734.
Tim Casson - JV2 Certificate Course Leader / Performer / Senior Education Facilitator
Joined Jasmin Vardimon Company as an apprentice in 2006, going on to create and tour the works, Justitia, Yesterday and 7734. Originally training in Musical Theatre at Bird College, Tim later completed an MA in Contemporary Dance at London Contemporary Dance School. Tim works across various genres from more commercial work to contemporary dance and has also worked for Nigel Charnock, Made by Katie Green and MWAG as well as performing in music videos and commercials for Gary Go, Bright Light Bright Light, Vision Express and Vodafone. Tim is the creator of online performance project, The Dance WE Made, and also teaches regularly for Sadler’s Wells and other dance organisations.
Paul Blackman - Performer
Paul trained and completed a Diploma of Dance at W.A.A.P.A in Perth, Western Australia. After performing with the West Australian Ballet Co and Buzz Dance Theatre in Perth he ventured overseas. By 2006 he was working in NYC and London with both - Battery Dance Company and Jasmin Vardimon Company, where he toured various works internationally. Paul has also created/assisted choreographically for various artists and companies throughout the world including the 'Dancing to Connect' programme. In 2010 Paul participated in the '50Days' workshop lead by Master David Zambrano, training in both 'Flying Low' and 'Passing Through' techniques with 50 people from around the globe. He is currently freelancing throughout Europe and the USA performing and leading workshops in various instituions such as (Sadlers Wells - London, DNA – New York , Hubbard Street Dance - Chicago, SEAD - Austria, K.S.O.T. - Athens). Paul now looks to develop further 'Juk-sta-poz Dance Theatre', which was formed in 2010 with Christine Gouzelis.
Luke Burrough - Performer
Graduated from The Laban Centre in 1995 and worked with Green Candle, Retina and Turning Worlds dance companies, before meeting Jasmin in 1997. He collaborated with the company on Therapist, Tete, LureLureLure and Ticklish, taking a break in 2003 to train as a skipper and work for a while in the sailing industry. Returning to London in 2004, Luke took over a role in Lullaby, and has since then been involved in the creation of Justitia, Yesterday and 7734.
Kai-Wen Chuang - Performer
Kai-Wen was born in Taiwan. In 2011 she graduated from the Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA), the same year she received a scholarship for American Dance Festival. In 2012 she joined Jasmin Vardimon Company as an apprentice of Jasmin Vardimon Company. Also, she studies postgraduate at London Contemporary Dance School.
Olga Clavel-Gimeno - Perfomer
Olga graduated in the field of Interpretation & Choreography from the Alicia Alonso Senior Institute of Dance. She studied Classical Dance at the Superior Conservatory of Classical Dance in Valencia, Spain and won a scholarship to continue at the Cátedra de Alicia Alonso in Madrid. She performed internationally in Cuba, Santo Domingo and across Europe as a prima ballerina and received the Rey Juan Carlos University 'Best Interpretation 2000-2004' Award. She then joined the David Campos Classical Company. She completed her Doctorate of Scenic Arts at the Rey Juan Carlos University and moved to Barcelona to join the contemporary L’Anonima Imperial Company, touring globally from Singapore to Brazil and throughout Europe. As a choreographer she has received several awards for her work Llena de Flores tu Boca. She joined Jasmin Vardimon Company in 2009 for Yesterday and the creation and performance of 7734.
Mafalda Deville – Performer/Rehearsal Director/Educational Project Director
Completed her degree at Ginasiano Dance School-Portugal in 1997 followed by One Year Special at London Contemporary Dance School in 1998\99. She joined BCN Dance Company in January 2000 where she started developing her choreography skills, becoming the resident choreographer of the company. In 2003 she joined Jasmin Vardimon Company, performing in Lullaby and Park. In 2005 she choreographed and performed for Dance\Film directed and produced by Israel Pimenta. In 2006 she became the rehearsal director for JVC’s Justitia and later took over a role in Justitia on tour. She was involved in the creation and performance of 7734. Aside from JVC, Mafalda keeps developing her own physical theatre creative work and choreographed 10min. of Coffee in 2006. She was selected by Aveirense Theatre to produce her work Kouglof in November 2006 and I prefer to stand...simbolically in 2007. She is the Education Project Director for Jasmin Vardimon Company and also runs her own Dance School Project in Porto-Portugal.
Estéban Fourmi - Performer
Born in Le Mans, France, 1986. Estéban received his education at different art institutions including dance, music and drama at Conservatory of Angers and Paris. He finished his study in 2008 at Palucca Schule in Dresden where he danced for the Palucca Dance Studio performing works by William Forsythe, Sasha Waltz, Rui Horta and others. Since then Estéban has worked for the Staatstheater Kassel (Germany), Tanz factor (Switzerland) and other projects in Europe. He joined Jasmin Vardimon Company as an apprentice in 2009.
Christine Gouzelis - Performer
Christine graduated from the Athens State School of Dance (K.S.O.T) in 2004. The same year she received a scholarship for ImpulsDanz in Vienna where she trained and performed with Ultima Vez, David Zambrano and Malthide Monnier. In 2005 she became a member of Jasmin Vardimon Company and has toured internationally with various performances. Her role in assisting choreographically and participating in past productions of the Hellenic Dance Company has allowed her to work alongside various choreographers (Wim Vandekeybus, Rootlessroot Dance Company, Pascal Rioult, Richard Alston, Athina Valha) and she has developed a strong passion for creating. Recently she took part in '50days' workshop with Master David Zambrano in Costa Rica, which consisted of training within the 'Flying Low' and 'Passing Through' techniques. In 2010 she also became a member of the 50collective, which have toured the USA and Europe. Christine is currently a faculty member of the State School of Dance (K.S.O.T) in Athens, Greece and she looks forward to a more creative development of the company that she has founded alongside Paul Blackman 'Juk-sta-poz Dance Theatre'.
David Lloyd - Performer
David graduated from the West Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2006. He joined Buzz Dance Theatre Company in Perth Australia, works include: Colourwheel, Chrissy Parrot’s Terminal Velocity, Amy Smiths’ Refund Policy, Cinderella Dressed In Yella regional WA Tour and Rabbit Australia Tour. He joined Yellow Glass Theatre/Eventainment’s production of Hair the Musical and RENT. David moved to London in 2008, working with Luca Silvestrini. Shows include: On Display for Birmingham International Dance Festival 2008; Protein Dance Company’s Dear Body (UK tour 2008-09), Gary Clarke Dance Company for Coal (UK tour 2009); Mad Dogs Dance Theatre for Irreversible (2009); and Neon Productions Company for Falling from Trees (2010). David joined Jasmin Vardimon Company in 2009 for the creation of 7734 and the performance of Yesterday.
Aoi Nakamura - Performer
Aoi received her education at Ballettschule der Oper Leipzig and she graduated from State Ballet School Berlin, 2006. She joined Donlon Dance Company/Saarländisches Staatstheater, Germany in 2006. From 2009-2011 she worked with ThossTanz Compagnie/Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden in Germany. Since July 2011 she has been working as a freelance Dancer and Choreographer for different projects. As a choreographer she has received 1st price at Aarhus International Choreography Competition 2010 for her piece OTOTOXIC. Aoi joined Jasmin Vardimon Company in January 2012.
Júlia Robert Parés - Performer
Júlia Robert Parés started her training at Area Dance Space in Barcelona, before graduating with a first class honours degree at the London Contemporary Dance School. She has trained and performed with Tom Dale, Jorge Crecis, Chisato Onho and Ben Duke amongst others. Júlia was a guest dancer at Impulstanz 2010 and in 2011 she created her own solo which she performed during Vivadança International Festival in Salvador da Bahia, Brasil. Júlia is currently studying on the Postgraduate Certificate for Physical Theatre at Royal Holloway University and continuing her profesional performance experience with Jasmin Vardimon Company, as well as studying for an online degree in Psychology.
Elena Stavropoulou - Perfomer
Elena graduated from State School of Dance in Athens in 2007 and continued her postgraduate studies at London Contemporary Dance School as a scholar of the Greek State Scholarships Foundation. She has performed as a member of Hellenic Dance Company and other projects in Greece and Europe. She joined Jasmin Vardimon Company as an apprentice from 2007-2008 and then became a full company member. She has studied music, is a member of 'Opus Femina' a choir in Greece and has created and participated in several music and video art festivals in Greece and abroad. She is also studying at the National Greek University Law Department.
