Staff A-Z

As choreographer / movement director: The Way of the World, and dances for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (National Theatre), La Traviata and Masquerade, (Opera North), Eugene Onegin, (Scottish Opera), The Wizard of Oz (Opera House, Zurich), Jesus Christ, Superstar (York Theatre Royal), The Innocent Mistress (Derby Playhouse), Dead White Males (Nuffield Southampton), The Last Yankee (Mercury Colchester) Metamorphosis and The Wind in the Willows (Everyman, Cheltenham).

Karen is particularly interested in working on new musicals and plays, and recent projects have included a musical adaptation of I Capture the Castle, and Monsters from Hollywood, about McCarthyism in the American film industry.

Describing herself as an ‘academic artist’, Sonia has over thirty years experience as a performer, teacher, choreographer, director, mentor, researcher, consultant and author. She has had a long performing career: As a dancer/singer with the innovative electric voice dance company, La Bouche, she toured extensively with original electronic music and dance works by the company and commissioned choreographers, including Lloyd Newson, Lea Anderson, Ashley Page and Lidy Mouw. La Bouche performed in a wide variety of contexts including televised appearances, the theatre circuit, clubs and festivals, including Glasgow Mayfest, the Edinburgh Fringe and Glastonbury Festival Pyramid stage. The company also produced several albums, culminating in a record contract with CBS Records. Sonia also performed with V-Tol Dance Company and with several independent choreographers, most recently in site-specific work with Athina Vahla and Lizzi Kew Ross.

Sonia is an established dance technique teacher and has regularly delivered workshops and masterclasses in the UK and internationally. During her teaching career, she has provided professional level classes and company class for many high profile companies including Adventures in Motion Pictures, Balletboyz, Candoco, the Cholmondeleys, Clod Ensemble, DV8, Hofesh Schecter, Protein Dance, Random, Shobana Jeyasingh, Siobhan Davies and Springs Dance Company. She has directed and choreographed for her own company, Blueprint Dance Company, and co-directs Double Vision Dance Company with Amanda Gough, working on several large scale site-specific community commissions.

In her role as a consultant in safe and healthy dance practice, Sonia provides professional development for companies, agencies and training institutions.  She is Co-Founder of Safe in Dance International (SiDI), developing a range of Healthy Dance Certificates for dance practitioners to evidence their knowledge in this area, also working with awarding bodies and universities worldwide to integrate healthy dance principles into teacher training and practice. She is co-author of “Safe Dance Practice: An applied dance science perspective”, which has become a seminal text in the field. Sonia has presented at several conferences, as well as authoring and co-authoring a number of research and Journal articles. Her research interests range from dance specific fitness to the embodied practices of dance technique teachers. These combined interests have led to qualifications as a Personal Trainer, experience as a member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science Education Committee, an External Examiner role in Dance and Fitness and peer reviews of Journal and book proposals. As a portfolio practitioner herself, Sonia’s main focus is to combine all these fields so that dance science, pedagogical research and an understanding of the conditioning needs of dancers can together inform training, performance and curriculum planning.

Qualifications

• 2014: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• 2003: MSc Dance Science (Distinction), Laban
• 1984: Advanced Performance Course Diploma, Laban
• 1983: BA (Hons) Dance Theatre, Laban
• 3 A-levels, 11 O-levels, St Joseph’s Comprehensive, Workington

Performances

• 2010-12: Lizzi Kew-Ross – “Without Warning”
• 2000-08: Athina Vahla – “The Listening Post”, Science Museum site-specific commission 2008, “Wrestling an Angel” 2004, “Sonia Says” 2000 and 2002
• 1997-2003: Erica Stanton – “Gravity” 2003, Erica Stanton/Marion Gough – “Locus” 1997-8.
• 2001:Mothers of Invention – “My Mother, My Daughter, Myself”.
• 1996: V-TOL – “By Force of Fantasy”.
• 1994-5: Nikky Smedley and Dancers – “Talking of the Sex of Angels”
• 1992: Scott Clark – “In the Upper Room”
• 1991: Julie Blackman – “Anatomy of a Conversation”.
• 1990-93: Dale Thompson “Monolith” 1990 and “Mandala” 1993.
• 1986-91: Dancer/singer with  electric voice dance performance group, La Bouche (dance, voice and live sound mixing). Several albums of original songs/music and recording contract with CBS Records 1990. Choreographers: Lloyd Newson, Ashley Page, Lea Anderson, Pete Purdy, Lidy Mauw, the company. Extensive national and international touring and TV appearances: Edinburgh Fringe, Glasgow Mayfest, Glastonbury Festival Pyramid Stage and Theatre Tent, “Harty in Edinburgh”, “Acropolis Now” for Scottish TV, “Celebration” for Granada TV, “01for London”, “Folio” for Anglia TV.
• 1986: Scott Clark – “Heaven Somewhere”.
• 1985 : Philip Grosser – “U-Totem”
• 1984 : Luis Gonzalez – “Night Song”.

Choreography and Direction

• 2015: “Sphere of Influence” Double Vision (with Amanda Gough) commission for TrinityLaban Centre for Advanced Training students.
• 2012 – 2015: New works for  TrinityLaban BA1 Performance Project, “Experimental Wings”, “Imprints and Shadows”, “Black Velvet Blanket” and “The Butterfly Effect”.
• 2011: “ABBVN” for Virginia Rep Touring Company. Commissioned by James Madison University, Virginia, USA.
• 2011: “The Stone Diaries” Double Vision with Amanda Gough, Laban BA3 Commissioned Work.
• 1997-present: Co-director of Double Vision Dance Company with Amanda Gough. “After Images”  site specific piece for 50 local children and the Company at Lacock Abbey, commissioned by National Trust/Lacock Education 2003. “Sowing the seeds” site-specific piece for local children and the Company at the Courts Garden, commissioned by National Trust/Lacock Education 2002. “In:site” for Double Vision and “In:sense” for local community dancers, Millenium Project commissioned by the Derngate Theatre, Northhampton 2000. “Double Vision, Second Sight” full length A4E lottery funded work which also commissioned choreographer Fiona Edwards 1998. “Sonnet” choreographed and performed with Amanda Gough 1997.
• 1996-99: “Slipstitch”, “Satellite”, “Lexicon”, and “Circa ‘74” for Lewisham College Touring Company.
• 1996-7: Director and choreographer of Arts Council funded Shawbrook Summer school, Co Longford, Ireland. “Prophecy” 1996, “Between wind and water” 1997.
• 1992-4: Recipient of Arts Council bursary to train as an Artistic Director, Thamesdown  National Dance Agency, Swindon. Artistic Director and choreographer for Blueprint Dance Company, “Dreaming Like a Tall Man” 1992, “Common Denominator” 1993.
• 1994: Artistic Director of  the “Kaleidoscope” Project, a European Union funded venture initiated by The Council For Dance Education and Training to explore, in a cross-cultural context, the role of Dance in the National Vocational Qualification framework.

    “Terra Incognita” created in Rotterdam on eight dancers from Great Britain, Greece, Italy and Portugal.

• 1994: Workshops and performance project with South East London schools, including the Brit School, and Blueprint Dance Company.
• 1992: Collaboration with composer Philip Chambon  – “Shoal”
• 1984-5: Co-founded Group 6 Dance Company, workshops in schools around the UK, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Bath Festival, Chelsea Arts Fair fashion show.

Interests and Achievements

• London 2012 Olympic Games Opening and Closing ceremonies volunteer performer -Industrial Revolution Pandemonium Drummer and Marshall.
• Costume design for Mark Bruce “Angel” 1996 and Mark Bruce/PJ Harvey collaboration “Dance Hall at Louse Point”, Queen Elizabeth Hall 1997.  Costume realisation Erica Stanton/Marion Gough “Locus” 1997. Costume design and realisation Double Vision Dance Company “Double Vision, Second Sight” 1998.
• University College Union Branch Executive representative (Treasurer) 2011-2014
• Sports First Aid Certificate – St Johns Ambulance.

Teaching Experience

• 1991 – present: TrinityLaban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

Senior Lecturer: Dance Technique, Dance Fitness, Performance and Repertory modules, Choreography, Dance Science and Well-being modules, Academic Tutor, Undergraduate and Masters Project Tutor, Component and Module Leader, Student Union master classes.

Education/Learning and Participation: Career Days, Teachers Days, CAT Programme, DTAP pilot.

Initiatives and teams: Injury Report, Dancer’s Physique Report, Working Practice sessions, Blue Sky sessions, Health Research team.

• 2014 – 2019: Bucks New University, External Examiner for BA Dance and Fitness.
• 2005: University of Roehampton, Anatomy and Kinesiology lecturer.
• 1999-2004: Lewisham College, External Examiner for Dance Technique.
• 1997: De Montford University, Dance Technique and Repertory.
• 1995-96: Lewisham College, Dance Technique teacher.
• 1985 – present:

Professional/company classes, summer schools, festivals, workshops:  Greenwich Dance, The Place Artist Development, South East Dance, Hampshire Dance, TrinityLaban, James Madison University London summer school.

Company teacher: Adventures in Motion Pictures, Bare Bones, Candoco, The Cholmondeleys, Clod Ensemble, DV8, Hofesh Schechter, Imlata, New Adventures, Protein Dance, Random, RDC Youth, Shobana Jeyasingh, Siobhan Davies, Springs Dance Company, V-Tol.

International master classes: Ireland, Venice Bienalle, Naples, USA.

Professional and company development activities and mentoring: BalletBoyz Dancers’ Training Course, Candoco, Maelstrom Dance, Greenwich Dance, University of Roehampton.

Creative Outputs

• 2015: Co-author of “Safe dance practice: An applied dance science perspective” published by Human Kinetics.
• 2014: Senior Associate for Safe in Dance International (SiDI). Development of the “Healthy Dance Practice” initiatives.
• 2009 – 2013: Member of Steering Committee, Lead Assessor and Consultant for Trinity College London “Certificate in Safe and Effective Dance Practice”.
• 2006 – 2014: Member of Education Committee (including Deputy Chair role), International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS).
• Publications and presentations

Presenter: NIDMS and Dance UK Healthier Dancer Programme, “Strength and Conditioning in Dance” Conference, Elmhurst School of Dance, October 2015.

Resource paper: “Dance Fitness”. Irvine S., Redding, E., Rafferty, S.

IADMS website https://www.iadms.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=303

2010: “Considerations for the integration of fitness into dance training”.

Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 14 (2): 45-9.

2009: “Development of a high intensity dance performance fitness test”.  Redding, E., Weller, P., Ehrenberg, S., Irvine, S., Quin, E., Rafferty, S., Wyon, M., Cox, C. Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 2009, 13(1): 3-9.

2009: “Dance Specific Fitness class”. Quin, E., Irvine, S., Rafferty, S. Redding, E. IADMS 19th Annual meeting, The Hague, Netherlands.

2007: “The effects of a one year dance specific fitness training programme on undergraduate modern dance students; An experimental study”. Rafferty, S., Redding, E., Irvine, S., Quin, E. Abstract, Journal of Dance Medicine and Science 2007, 11(1):16.

2006: “The effects of a one year dance specific fitness training programme on undergraduate modern dance students; An experimental study”. Redding, E., Rafferty, S., Irvine, S., Morant, R. (2006), Conference proceedings IADMS 16thAnnual Meeting, West Palm Beach, Florida. Recipient of Lisa Ullman Travel Scholarship to attend.

2004: “Leadership in Dance: An application of the Leadership Scale for Sport to dance technique teaching”: Presented IADMS 14th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, 2004. Recipient of IADMS Student Travel Award to present. Published, Rafferty, S., Wyon, M. Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 2006, 10, (1&2), 6-13.

2004: “Leadership behaviour in dance”. Dance UK Magazine, Issue 53, p. 21.

Other: “Warm-up and Cool Down” presentations, Move It and NDTA conferences

As a guest artist he has performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia, the Hallé, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra.

Embracing both jazz and classical styles has led to performances alongside John Scofield, Vince Mendoza, David Arnold, Seth Macfarlane, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett and Claire Martin OBE in venues as diverse as the Royal Albert Hall, the O2 Arena and the Blue Note clubs Japan & New York.

Matthew also has a passion for vintage keyboard instruments, regularly working as both restorer and performer on Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos.

Walter Reiter is now internationally recognised as a leading Baroque violinist, teacher, leader and conductor. He is Professor of Baroque Violin in the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance,as well as Visiting Professor of Baroque Violin in the Institute of Superior Arts in Havana, His work in Cuba is sponsored by the Mozarteum Trust in Salzburg.Walter Reiter has made countless recordings with orchestras in Europe and the UK. A much traveled recitalist, he has recorded the Recreations of Leclair for Addes, France, and Sonatas by Mondonville for Meridian, a CD that was awarded the ‘Choc’label by the French CD magazine Diapason.

In 1999 he founded Cordaria, whose highly acclaimed solo CDs on the Signum label are of Vivaldi Violin Sonatas Op 2, the Biber Mystery Sonatas, and “Un alma innamorata”, a collection of cantatas forvoice, violin obbligato and continuo.He has led and directed many baroque orchestras over the years and is a Principal of The English Concert, with whom he has toured and recorded extensively, frequently appearing as a soloist, and with the English Concert Chamber Group.Walter Reiter is currently working on a book of pedagogic interest for baroque violinists, “How to Play the Baroque Violin, an Annotated, Graded Course of Works for the Perplexed, Curious and Diligent.”His Baroque Violin Etude books “Gradus ad Parnassum” are being published by International Music Publishers and a four volume”Baroque Violin Anthology” is being published by Schott. He has also written a novel, “Healing by Deceit.”

Riepler is also known for his work with French saxophone star Julien Lourau (Electric Biddle) and since late 2015 member of US-drummer Jeff Williams’ band. He holds teaching positions at Trinity Laban and Middlesex University (London).

Riepler’s writing and playing are refreshingly cliché free and “The Brave” represents a highly promising début . The Jazz Mann 

“… music making and improvisation at the highest level” Jürgen Spiess, Reutlinger Nachrichten

“London continues to be a magnet for foreign jazz musicians, and one of the best is Austrian guitarist Hannes Riepler” The Daily Telegraph

Yanaëlle Ritter is a contemporary dance artist based in Eastbourne. After graduating from London Contemporary Dance School in 2015, she studied part-time at Trinity Laban for 3 years and gained a Level 6 Diploma in Dance Teaching and Learning. She then completed a MA in Choreography at the University of Chichester.

As a choreographer and performer, Yanaëlle often collaborates with composers and musicians. She also creates dances for specific sites like parks, beaches, and art installations. Her walking tour of Eastbourne, The Performance Path, was supported by Arts Council England and featured site-specific performances in various locations around the town. As a teacher, Yanaëlle facilitates creative contemporary dance classes for children, teenagers and adults across London and Sussex. Alongside her work for Trinity Laban, she teaches dance for Sadler’s Wells, The Place, Eastbourne Dance Space and other organisations.

Since 2018, she has also designed and delivered a number of performances, events and community projects with her collaborators at Company Concentric. Yanaëlle received London Contemporary Dance School’s Principal’s Award in 2015 and the Valerie Briginshaw Prize for Dance Writing and Academic Excellence in 2020.

Elena has commissioned, edited, published, performed and recorded over 40 new works giving countless world premieres including Sir John Tavener’s “Ypakoe”, written especially for her. Elena’s efforts on behalf of new music and as a keen educationalist led to the publication by Boosey & Hawkes of Salsa Nueva in 2006 – now on its second run and in 2009 Elena Riu’s R’n’B Collection and Out of the Blues CD. “My disc of 2000 is without hesitation Elena Riu’s extraordinary CD of 20th century piano music” (Gramophone) Elena has toured extensively and has performed in all major concert halls in the UK and abroad. An eclectic artist, Elena has pioneered collaborative work. She was the brain behind the sell-out multicultural Spanish Plus Series at the SBC and re-launched their Childrens and Families series. Her most recent collaboration: The Adventures of Tom Thumb was awarded a coveted Fringe First Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Riu studied at Trinity College of Music in London with Joseph Weingarten where she won many prizes ands competitions. She was also a student of Neil Immelman, Maria Curcio and Roger Vignoles. Later, Elena won a scholarship from to travel to Paris for advanced tuition from Vlado Perlemuter in Paris.

Elena has led numerous master classes and courses  throughout the world including several residencies at Dartington International Summer School, Jackdaws Music Trust, CALARTS in LA, Royal Northern College of Music, Trinity College of Music Junior Department, Royal College of Music, EPTA, Simon Bolivar University in Caracas and Anglia Ruskin University among many.

She holds positions at Trinity Laban and Highgate School and has published two books with Boosey and Hawkes focusing on newly commissioned solo piano music.

Matt has also gained a reputation as one of the most versatile conductors in London, often being called upon to lead ‘cross-over’ projects with broad stylistic demands. He has conducted the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, London Concert Orchestra, Manchester Concert Orchestra, United Strings of Europe, Engines Orchestra and many others.

Alongside his composing and conducting career, Matt regularly works an arranger and orchestrator for pop artists such as Jorja Smith, Cleo Sol, Dizzee Rascal, Giorgio Moroder, SAULT, Maverick Sabre, Lanterns on the Lake and many others.

A passionate educator, Matt lectures in orchestration at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance and in Jazz Composition and Jazz History at Goldsmiths University. He’s also worked as a visiting tutor at Leeds Conservatoire, Royal Academy of Music, National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Julian Joseph Jazz Academy and many other education institutions.

Nowadays, John still holds his position in the RPO, as well as being principal oboe in the English Chamber Orchestra and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. He has performed concertos in Europe, Asia and Africa, and is also a very keen chamber musician, having toured extensively with the ASMF chamber and worked at various times with London Winds, the Gaudier Ensemble, Zarek Chamber and the London Sinfonietta.

In recent years, John also has a small presence on CD, having recorded Poulenc’s Sonata, Trio and Sextuor with the pianist Mark Bebbington, and a solo number in John Rutter’s I Sing of a Maiden EP.

Engagements have included the world premiere of Xavier Dayer’s Mémoires d’une jeune fille triste in Geneva, Gianni Schicchi for Covent Garden with Richard Jones and Antonio Pappano, and Kaija Saariaho’s L’amour de loin for English National Opera. She has also given various recitals and concerts across the UK and Europe including performances with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Goldsmiths Choral Union, as well as at a number of festivals: the Edinburgh International Festival; Derry City of Song Festival; St Magnus; Oxford Lieder; and Brighton, Ryedale, Carlisle, Norfolk and Norwich and Buxton Festivals. Other performances have taken place at Chichester Festivities, Kings Place, Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square, King’s College, Cambridge, Dartington International Summer School and in Paris, Vienna, Aarhus, Moscow, Barbados and Ohio.

Joan Rodgers received the Royal Philharmonic Society award as Singer of the Year for 1997, the 1997 Evening Standard Award for outstanding performance in opera for her performance as The Governess in the Royal Opera’s production of The Turn of the Screw and an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Liverpool University in July 2005. Joan Rodgers was awarded the CBE in the 2001 New Year’s Honours List.

Mr. Rogé has performed in almost every major concert hall in the world and with every major orchestra across the globe and has collaborated with the most distinguished conductors in history, including Lorin Maazel, Michael Tilson Thomas, Mariss Jansons, Charles Dutoit, Kurt Masur, Edo de Waart, Alan Gilbert, David Zinman, Marek Janowski, Sir Andrew Davis, Raymond Leppard and others.

One of the world’s most distinguished recording artists, Pascal Rogé has won many prestigious awards, including two Gramophone Awards, a Grand Prix du Disque and an Edison Award for his interpretations of the Ravel and Saint-Saëns concertos, along with the complete piano works of Ravel, Poulenc and Satie.

Several years ago, Mr. Rogé began a new and ambitious recording project for Onyx called the Rogé Edition. With the Vienna Radio Symphony under Bertrand de Billy, he has recently recorded two CDs of both of the Ravel Piano Concertos and the Gershwin Concerto in F and Rhapsody in Blue.

Recently, he has enjoyed playing recitals for four-hands/two-pianos with his partner in life and in music Ami Rogé. Together, they have travelled the world appearing at prestigious festivals and concert halls and recorded several CDs dedicated to the French 2 piano and 4 hands repertoire. In 2011 they gave the premiere of a newly commissioned Concerto for Two Pianos by the composer Matthew Hindson with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Recently chairman of the Geneva Piano competition, Pascal Rogé is also dedicated to teaching and gives regular masterclasses in France, Japan, United States and United Kingdom.