Sumi Xiaoméi Cheng

Panel member

Sumi Xiaoméi Cheng is a London-based dancer, choreographer, actress, performance-maker, and the co-chair of Equity U.K.’s dance committee (trade union for performing arts and entertainment). Sumi Xiaoméi’s work has been included in some of the top festivals, events, and institutions both nationally and internationally: British Museum, Netflix, Siobhan Davies Studios, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, RiotGames, Dansens Hus Stockholm, Teatro do Bairro Alto Lisbon, and more. Sumi is an active advocate for fair pay for dancers. In her free time she enjoys creating films. Follow Sumi Xiaoméi on her YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@londonsdancer |Instagram: @Londonsdancer |Sumi’s cultured pig: @DJALIPIG

Keith "K. Alexander" Corprew

Panel member

Keith "K. Alexander" Corprew is a Black American interdisciplinary performance artist from Chesapeake, Virginia. He is in the Master of Fine Arts, Creative Practice (Transdisciplinary) Programme at Trinity Laban, where he was the 2022-2023 US-UK Fulbright Scholar. His choreographic and filmmaking practice explores the use of movement and text as forms of storytelling to uplift the voices of marginalized and oppressed communities.

Irene Fiordilino

associate director, panel member

Irene Fiordilino is a choreographer and researcher at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance; she is also the director of Scirocco Dance Theatre Company (www.sciroccodancetheatre.com). Irene’s original artistic methodology - Transitory Architecture - sits in the space between choreography and architecture: the intention is to bring into the fore the aesthetics and the politics of cohabitation. Irene is a PhD candidate in creative practice at Trinity Laban and works as a guest lecturer, speaker and teacher internationally. Her research and choreographic works have been presented at international conferences and festivals in Europe, India, the UAE and the United States. 

charles linehan

Festival Producer, Director, panel chair

Charles Linehan is an independent choreographer and film maker. He has been Choreographer in Residence at The Place Theatre, London, Joint Adventures, Munich and Associate Artist with Dance4, Nottingham. He is a Reader in Choreography at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Venues and Festivals his company has performed at include: Brussels (Kaai Theatre), Paris (Rencontres Chorégraphiques Internationales), Venice Biennale, Muffathalle Munich (Joint Adventures, , National Arts Centre Ottawa, Harbourfront, Toronto, Hermitage St. Petersburg, DanSpace New York, Dublin International Dance Festival, Brighton Festival and multiple venues in London and UK.

Charles’ choreographic work has regularly been programmed at Dance Umbrella Festival over the last 20 years.

His recent film The Shadow Drone Project has been shown at festivals around the world including Brighton Festival, Dance Umbrella, Nottdance Festival and The Lincoln Centre, New York, Mexico City Video Dance Festival and San Francisco Dance Film Festival. The Shadow Drone Project received a winning film award from POOL: INTERNATIONALES TanzFilmFestival BERLIN in September 2019.

Charles Linehan Co.

Professor Jonathan Owen Clark

Festival Director

 Dr Jonathan Owen Clark is Head of Research at Trinity Laban. Areas of specialization include: Philosophical Aesthetics; Critical Theory and Historiography; Musicology and Dance Studies; Mathematical Music Theory; Musical Composition and Sound Design; Inter-Arts Collaborative Practice and Installation Art.

Fay Patterson

HEAD OF PRODUCTION

 Since graduating from Bretton Hall in the late 90s where she trained in Lighting Design, Fay has toured nationally and internationally as production manager for Shobana Jeyasingh, Carol Brown Dances, Edge, and for festivals like Skin Shakers (Southbank) and What Now (ID). Designs include work for companies such as Retina Dance, Charles Linehan and Marie-Gabrielle Rotie. Since 2003 Fay has held the position of Senior Technician at Trinity Laban Faculty of Dance, where she has lit numerous pieces for Transitions and now also contributes to the teaching of Performance Design. Fay joined Lizzi Kew-Ross and Company as part of the creative team in 2010; their next work will go into production later this year. Fay is also part of collective ‘The Latecomers’; with Dance Artists Anne Gaëlle Thiriot and Geneviève Giron. At the moment Fay is touring an installation performance with Angela Woodhouse.