We’re delighted to announce the addition of two new members of staff to Phoenix Dance Theatre.

Joanne Bernard will be joining us as our new Rehearsal Director. She will oversee all studio activity, working closely with the Artistic Director, guest choreographers and technical team to support the delivery of our national and international tours. Joanne trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and joins us from Salford University where she worked as the Contemporary Technique tutor on the MA Emergence Performance programme. She has worked on a wide range of projects and productions for several companies as a movement director, choreographer and rehearsal director including Gerrard Martin Dance, Tutti Frutti Productions, State of Emergency, Rosie Kay, and Red Earth Theatre. She has also worked on Phoenix Dance Theatre’s 2019 productions of Left Unseen and The Rite of Spring.

Shamima Noor will be joining the team as our new Marketing and Communications Manager, taking over the role from Josh Babcock.

Born and bred in Leeds, Shamima studied at the University of Leeds and joins us from Yorkshire Dance where she worked as the Marketing and Communications Officer and delivered a wide range of PR and Marketing campaigns. She has also worked for organisations such Leeds Playhouse and Transform Festival. Shamima is a Creative Access Alumni and has held the post of AMA Regional Member Representative for Yorkshire since 2018.