Three new members join Phoenix’s Board of Trustees

21 Sep 2020

Phoenix Dance Theatre are delighted to announce the addition of three new members to their Board of Trustees: Dr Sita Popat Taylor, Delia Barker, Louise Katerega. Dr Sita Popat Taylor is an independent academic scholar, researching in the area of performance, new media and technologies. Delia Barker is Programmes Director at the Roundhouse, London. Louise Keterega is an independent dance artist, and Creative Director of Foot In Hand, with over two decades of experience in the UK dance sector. They each join our Board of Trustees at a significant time, ahead of our birthday celebration year in 2021.

 

Delia is Programmes Director at the Roundhouse, a live music and performance space that uses the power of creativity to change the lives of young people aged 11- 25 and offers the chance to engage with the arts through its music, media and performance projects.  Her previous role was as Director of English National Ballet School, a world leading specialist training centre for aspiring and highly talented young ballet dancers. Delia is also Chair of the Board for Studio Wayne McGregor.  In a freelance capacity she has worked with Drake Music, Boy Blue Entertainment, Stop Gap Dance and Avante Garde as well as having been Senior Dance Officer at Arts Council England for a number of years.

 

Sita is an independent scholar researching in the field of digital performance.  She took her first degree in Dance at Bretton Hall College and gained her PhD in collaborative dance-making on the internet at the University of Leeds.  She went on to work in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds for eighteen years, lecturing in Dance and then becoming Professor of Performance and Technology.  Sita is the author of several books, including Digital Movement: Essays in Motion Technology and Performance (with Nicolas Salazar Sutil) and Error, Ambiguity, Creativity: A Multidisciplinary Reader (with Sarah Whatley).  She has published chapters and articles on embodied experience in virtual reality, movement and gesture in computer gaming, and dance in robotic design.  She was on the Board of Trustees for DV8 Physical Theatre for six years, and currently she sits on the Advisory Board for the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

 

Louise Katerega describes herself as a woman of mixed Ugandan and English heritage and has been a versatile contributor to the UK dance scene for over two decades.

She is especially acknowledged for her national and international development work in dance by, for and with disabled people. Based in Leicester, she has enjoyed a broad portfolio career as a performer, teacher, choreographer and – now parenthood is in progress – increasingly, a consultant, strategic thinker, dramaturg and creative producer.

In 2006 her company of cross-generational, culturally diverse, disabled and non-disabled professional dancers, Foot In Hand, made history at The Place Prize semi-finals with one of the first works featuring dancers with impairments. In 2012, she co-choreographed the inclusive dance aspect of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Sailing Events in Weymouth and was commissioned to create new works for the Olympic and Paralympic torch celebrations in Leicester.

From 2018-22, was named one of 6 Associate Artists and Companies of People Dancing, the UKs flagship organisation for community dance. This partnership manifested in a first phase, ‘Voice & Presence’,activities designed to acknowledge amplify and celebrate the contribution of women of the African Diaspora to participatory dance. Louise’s work will expand from October 2020 to affect more aspects of the company and embrace all Global Majority artists with any gender identity.

Louise trained at London Contemporary Dance School, Coventry University (Performing Arts) holds a first-class degree in Film and Literature from the University of Warwick and trained as a life coach.  She is board adviser to Turned On Its Head Early Years Dance Theatre, a board member of ArtReach a multi- and outdoor arts company and NeSSIE, a children’s mental health charity. She is also trustee of ASSITEJ UK, one branch of a larger international network around arts for young audiences. Past board experience includes Birmingham Royal Ballet (Education Committee), Spark Arts Children’s Festival, Foundation for Community Dance, National Inclusive Dance Network.

Pamela Doherty, Chair of the Board of Trustees says: ‘We’re delighted to be welcoming these three extraordinary women on our board. Each of them bring a unique set of experiences and perspectives, all of which will be invaluable for us ahead of our birthday year.

Dr Sita Popat Taylor is an extraordinary academic and thinker, with vast experience in higher education and is one of the UK’s most respected dance academics.

Turn almost any corner in the UK dance scene and you might find Louise Katerega. She has been a quietly powerful influence on the diversity of the sector and is a passionate advocate for community, disabled, independent and Global Majority dance artists. Her artistic roots and personal connections stretch back to Phoenix’ earliest days. Delia Barker’s work at the Roundhouse and beyond is admirable. Her tireless commitment and passion to her causes has made an indelible impact on the lives of many young people.

I’m delighted to welcome them aboard. I’m looking forward to working with them and getting to know them as they join us upon this crucial juncture in Phoenix’s history’