Mayowa Ogunnaike

Born in London, Mayowa began her professional training at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance from where she graduated with a first-class degree and an award for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Choreological Studies’ (2017).

After graduating she became an apprentice dancer with Phoenix Dance Theatre, performing and touring in the original cast of ‘Windrush: Movement of The People’ choreographed by Sharon Watson (2017-18). Following her apprenticeship, Mayowa has worked as a company dancer for Uchenna (2018-19), ACE Dance and Music (2018-20) and Rosie Kay Dance Company where she is currently performing the role of ‘Juliet’ in a new production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

Photo: @concretely.layla

Amy Voris

Amy Voris is a dance-maker based in Manchester.  Her practice is process-oriented and collaborative, driven by the desire to develop relationships with people and with movement material over long stretches of time.  The outcome of the work is contingent on hunches and interactions that occur during the process and varies widely.  Examples of current projects include a site-responsive project (enter inhabit), a collaboration with a jewellery maker (flockOmania) and a collaboration with three Northwest-based artists exploring the curation of experimental performance practices (Accumulations).  Her projects have received support from Chisenhale Dance Space, Dance Northwest, Dance Manchester, Yorkshire Dance and The Arts Council among others.  With choreographer Ruth Segalis and performer Natasha Gilmore, Amy was a founding member of Rose’s Thoughts Dance Company (London, 1996-2003).   

Amy will be taking part in Möbius Atelier - Choreographic Intensive. During this two-day research period, Amy will adapt a solo score called perch to the unique capacities of four dancers. There will be two key elements of research during the adaptation process: the exploration of transitions between energetic states and the spatial potentialities of working with a quartet. In its original form, perch explored the theme of temporary dwellings, the chronological arrangement of disparate movement content and the significance of the dancer’s deepening relationship with movement material.

www.amyvoris.com

Photo: Christian Kipp

Annie Hanauer

Annie Hanauer is an independent dance artist based between the UK & France, originally from the USA. Annie works internationally and has performed, toured, choreographed, and taught extensively for over a decade, currently performing with long-time collaborator Rachid Ouramdane/CCN2 Grenoble and the Paris Chamber Orchestra. She is interested in the experiences of people who have been 'othered', stemming from her own lived experience as a disabled woman, and extending to a wider idea of inclusivity.

She is interested in who has access to dance both as an audience and performer, and wants to disrupt dominant ideas of a normative dancing body. Her own choreographic work has involved developing methodology for group performance improvisation, and she is currently developing projects around disability, caring & motherhood, and ideas of utopia & collective imagination. She approaches movement with curiosity and looks for the coincidence of pleasure and sweat. Annie's choreographic work has been supported by Arts Council England, Siobhan Davies Dance, CCN2 Grenoble, Candoco Dance Company and The Place.

website: https://www.anniehanauer.com/

Maya Carroll

Maya graduated from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance with a First Class BPA(Hons) degree in 2018. Maya continued her training with Verve, the postgraduate performance company at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, graduating with a Distinction as well as being awarded the ‘Overall Achievement in Professional Practice Award’ for her year in the company. Throughout her training, Maya had the opportunity to work with artists such as Ben Wright, Maxine Doyle, Joan Clevillé, Noa Zuk, Ben Duke, Gavin Coward and Francesco Scavetta.

Since graduating, Maya has worked as a freelance dancer in projects with a variety of artists including Jamaal Burkmar (Extended Play Dance), Petri Delights for Resolutions 2020, Douglas Thorpe (Mad Dogs Dance) and Rod Dixon (Red Ladder Theatre Company), Matthew Robinson, Night People Events and Wilhelmina Ojanen as a part of Mobius Dance. Maya also works creatively in a choreographic duo with Henry Morris.

Jamaal Burkmar

A graduate of the Northern School for Contemporary Dance in Leeds. Jamaal’s first creation as a student ‘Ocean’ was commissioned for VERVE, the postgraduate company at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. ‘Ocean’ proved successful with audiences in UK and beyond. Since graduating Ocean has been reworked 3 times on different groups and performed at several highly prestigious events. During this period Jamaal was also successful in gaining his first Arts Council England Grants for the Arts award for the creation of a short work called ‘Sonder’. It was during the summer of the same year that Jamaal applied and won the highly prestigious New Adventures Choreography Award.

Photo: Foteini Christofilopoulou

Iolanda Portogallo

Born in Italy, Iolanda’s passion for dance began at an early age.  Graduated from Northern School of Contemporary Dance in 2019, she had the opportunity of training with amazing dancers and perform works by Vinicius Salles, Sharon Watson and Jake McKernan.

While in her third year Iolanda started working with Mobius Dance and she is also currently working with Extended Play, directed by Jamaal Burkmar. 

Iolanda is also one of the former of NORTHVIBES, providing improvisation classes and events around Leeds. 

Prior to this she undertook pre-professional training at the Accademia Internazionale Coreutica in Florence, studying ballet and contemporary technique

Otis Jones

Otis Jones is a Musician and Dancer, who began dancing with Swindon Dance, and then trained for 3 years at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. 

He has worked as part of a Dance and Music duo called Snakebox since his graduation, exploring the synergy of music and movement, and taking lessons and techniques from both to further his artistic craft. 

He has composed scores for independent contemporary dance pieces and films, with artists such as Ciemulator Dance Theatre, John Wannehag and Jamaal Burkmar. He has also worked as a composer for independent feature films, and online advertisements. Otis has much musical experience as a multi-instrumentalist, which he has utilised not only in his composition work, but also performing with bands (both original work and covers) and his work as an accompanist for the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.

Otis has been collaborating with Möbius since 2017. He has created the music for Encounter One, Encounter Two and will create the music for our latest film Encounter Three.

Jake Dubber

Jake Dubber is a generative artist, interactive systems programmer, musician and multimedia creator who explores the line between artist, performer and curator. Their work often combines photography, video and data as input, and produces non-representational, psychedelic visuals as output: information synthesis at its least useful. They have collaborated with cutting-edge visual artists across Europe, created works for award-winning musicians, and exhibited their work at the Tate Modern in London.

Naomi Chockler

Born in Israel, Naomi started dancing at a young age and has continued this journey upon moving to the UK aged 14. Her passion for improvisation and choreography largely stemmed from being a part of Shift Youth Dance Company at The Place, where she performed works by Ben Duke, Theo Clinkard and Alleyne Dance. Naomi is currently in her third year of professional training at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, thus far performing works by Jane Mckernan, Rita Marcalo and Barnaby Booth. In September 2020 she took part in the socially distanced project The Aftermath, a creation process led by Northern Rascals aiming to examine young people’s feelings of uncertainty and isolation during the global pandemic.

Travelling and dancing has always come hand in hand for Naomi and she hopes to continue this when she can again. She enjoys merging her other interests, such as writing, with her movement research. 

Alex Gosmore

Alex grew up in Bristol and started dancing with Rise Youth Dance Company where he worked with artists such as De-Napoli Clarke and Sam Amos (TrashDollys Dance Theatre). He then moved to Leeds to study at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance where he is currently in his third year of training. During his time at NSCD so far, he has performed works by Anna Williams and Barnaby Booth. As well as this, he recently performed externally in ‘The Aftermath’, a creation by Northern Rascals and Northern Broadsides.

Imogen Wright

Imogen developed a strong passion for dance at young age with Hip-hop and Commercial classes.
At the age 18, Imogen joined the Northern School of Contemporary Dance CAT scheme to begin their studies in contemporary and ballet. She then progressed onto the degree at NSCD to continue their full time professional training.
Currently a third year student, Imogen has had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Jane McKernan, Hana Goseling and Yukiko Masui.
As well as this, Imogen has also performed in The Aftermath, a piece by Northern Rascals in collaboration with Northern Broadsides.

Melissa Parry (Burton)

As well as regularly returning to Trinity Laban as a freelance designer and maker Melissa also has worked as a designer for Verve Dance, the English Ballet CAT Programme, Northern School of Contemporary Dance and has worked alongside the Northern Ballet Education Department as a designer and consultant for their collaboration with Burberry Inspire to encourage dancing and the Arts in schools across the West Yorkshire Region.

James Mackk

James Mack is an Art Director, animator, interaction designer and director. His work focuses on taking highly synthetic image making and combining it with reality in order to use CGI as a poetic storytelling mechanism, rather than for shock and awe. He has been nominated for Show Studio’s Fashion Film of the year and at London Short Film Festival, as well as working for clients; FKA Twigs, Lazy Oaf and Charli Cohen.

Oli Bentley

Oli Bentley is creative director of award-winning design studio Split and has worked extensively in the creative sector in the North of England over the past 14 years. 

He has worked closely with organisations such as Phoenix Dance Theatre, Yorkshire Dance and Inclusion North to transform their visual identities, breaking down the boundaries between “the brand” and "the art”, whilst paying great attention to accessibility and inclusion. 

Anna Franks

Anna has over 23 years experience in research, marketing and communications. Previously Director of Research and Consultancy at Audiences Yorkshire, Anna has been working as a freelance consultant specialising in the arts and cultural sector for the last 18 years. 

Anna plays a dual role on this project. At a strategic level Anna is supporting the Company to refine in more detail their target audiences for their activity and work. Anna’s work is about immersing herself in the future ambitions of Mobius Dance and supporting the team to shape some clear approaches and strategies for growth and impact. 

Alongside this Anna is specifically supporting on the marketing, audience development and evaluation of ‘Curious Playground’ - a new performance being devised by Artistic Director Gianluca Vincentini during the third national lockdown. Anna is working closely with the wider team to develop creative and engaging marketing messages about ‘The Making of Curious Playground’ building towards a more focused marketing campaign to sell the live performance experience once lockdown has lifted.

Stefania Pinato

Originally from Italy, Stefania is a dance artist based in Leeds. She trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.

Stefania has created and performed numerous roles with Mobius Dance since 2016 and with the company she has toured to Italy, Spain and Malaysia.

Beside her performing role, Stefania has been curating and developing the company’s social media profiles since 2017. She has now taken the official role of Social Media Manager and she is now in charge of creating and/or curating content for all social media channels and she is responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring all posts. Stefania collaborates closely with marketer Anna Franks on the social media strategy, growth and impact.

Stefania also maintains and develops the company’s website and newsletters.

Fabian Jackson

Fabian is a dance artist originally from Norfolk who started his training in Leeds, at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. His interests are rooted in movement research and workshopping; raising new questions to inform his practice. 

Fabian has been working primarily as a freelance artist with Candoco Dance Company since the completion of his apprenticeship with them in May, 2019. Performing the works of Theo Clinkard, Yasmeen Godder and Ben Wright. 

Aside from this, Fabian spent time as part of the team creating and performing ‘Land’ in 2019 with Wilhelmina Ojanen, for her Sadler’s Wells main stage performance. 

Other informative projects have included performances for Hetain Patel, Maxine Doyle and Holly Blakey. 

Shawn Willis

Shawn trained at Northern School of Contemporary dance based in Leeds, where he had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Hannes Langholf, Kerry Nicholls and Carlos Pons-Guerra. After graduating in 2017 he toured with Black Box Dance Company as an apprentice dancer. Passionate for learning he then went onto developing his teaching ability through the Leeds City College teaching apprenticeship PGC before continuing on as freelance performer, teacher and collaborator for companies; Ballet Soul, Compassion 2 Dance and Phoenix Dance Theatre.  He is excited to be joining the Mobius family based in north where a massive part of his dance identity already exists hoping to build new relationships and develop already existing ones.

Theo Arran

Theo studied at Rambert and then Trinity Laban graduating with a first class BA Honours in Contemporary Dance. He continued his training at Verve, the postgraduate company of Northern School of Contemporary Dance, achieving a Distinction level Masters Degree. During his training he has had the opportunity to work with artist including Ben Wright, Hannes Langolf, Sita Osthiemer, Matthew Robinson, Ihsan Rustem and Lenka Vagnarova. Since graduating Theo works with Joseph Mercier on Desperate Gestures and currently towards the solo work Freddie, Wilhelmina Ojanen on Land as part of Sadler’s Wells Young Associate Choreographers and Zoielogic on the upcoming work Heist. He has also been part of processes and performances with Holly Blakey, Abbott Dance Theatre and Andrea Galvani. 

Photo: Stefano Padoan

Kieran Dawes

Originally from the Lake District, Kieran has a passion for film and photography. He is currently study filmmaking at the Northern Film School at Leeds Beckett University and he sees his passion and studies becoming a full-time career. Kieran has an interest in film which involves music, dance and fashion as he loves the creative aspects behind it. He has worked for Twinnie, The Overtones, and his work has been featured on the Rolling Stones website.

Kieran has collaborated with the Möbius creative team to create a short dance film titled Encounter Three and is currently working on The Making of: Curious Playground.