Meet the choreographers
15 Jan 2020
As we gear up to the world premiere of Black Waters at Leeds Playhouse on the 12 February, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce you to the choreographers for the work. With cultural exchange at its heart Black Waters sees the company collaborate with Indian dance company, Rhythmosaic as their two artistic directors, Shambik Ghose and Dr Mitul Sengupta choreograph alongside PDT artistic director, Sharon Watson. Carry on reading to learn a little more about each of them.
Sharon Watson
Sharon Watson is the seventh and longest-standing Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Theatre. Trained at the London School of Contemporary Dance, she was one of the first female Principal Dancers invited to join the all-male award-winning Phoenix Dance Theatre (formerly Phoenix Dance Company), touring with the company from 1989 to 1997. Sharon left Phoenix to set up her own company ABCD but returned in 2009 as the new Artistic Director. Since then she has been named ‘Yorkshire Woman of the Year’ in 2016 and acknowledged at the 2017 Northern Power Women Awards as part of the very first ‘Top 50 Power List’ for her commitment to improving diversity within the arts. In July 2019 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Leeds Beckett University for her contribution to the arts.
Shambik Ghose
Shambik Ghose is a teacher, choreographer and Director of Rhythmosaic Dance Company. A graduate and former scholar in performing arts at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Shambik is currently pursuing his PhD at Leeds Beckett University, UK (as the Dean’s and University Scholarship recipient).
Dr Mitul Sengupta
Dr. Mitul Sengupta is a teacher, psychologist, choreographer and Artistic Director of Rhythmosaic Dance Company. After starting her dance career at the age of five, Mitul became a keen practitioner of Kathak dance and has undergone tutelage from some of India’s great exponents of Kathak; Birju Maharaj, Saswati Sen, OmPrakash Maharaj, Dr. Malabika Mitra, Madhumita Roy and Chetna Jalan. She later completed further dance training in classical jazz and ballet under Shambik Ghose.
