Biographies of Facilitators



Coordinators...




PENNY CHIVAS


Penny founded @TGJ in February 2013 and has c0-ordinated it with Tom Pritchard in association with Dance House since. Penny also regularly facilitates the jams and is leading the New Jammers project.

Dancer, teacher and traveller, Penny Chivas is based in Glasgow with an interest in Contact Improv and cross-artform practices. As a dancer she has worked with choreographers such as Ian Spink, Frank McConnell and Chris Devaney in Scotland, as well as Canadian CI leaders such as Pam Johnson and Karen Kaeja. She is currently working with visual artist Dominic Snyder on "The Snyver Project", a series of investigations between dance, drawing and sculpture on performance and teaching projects. Penny has also taught for Anniesland College, Dance House as well as guest teaching in Mexico, Australia and Canada. She is a graduate of WAAPA and VCA (BA (Dance)(Hons.) Australia) and the Embodied Dancer Yoga teacher training Pro course with Abby Hoffman in London.


TOM PRITCHARD


Tom founded @TGJ in February 2013 and has co-ordinated it with Penny Chivas in association with Dance House until December 2015.

Performer, Facilitator and Maker, Tom has worked internationally with, among others, Scottish Dance Theatre, CoisCeƬm Dance Theatre, SmallPetitKlein Dance Co. and Company Of Wolves. Since 2010 he has been running an improvisation research project On The Stage Of The Present (www.onthestageofthepresent.com) which aims both to engage a range of people in improvisation to understand how it might be used as a tool for creativity and also how we can 'produce' high level improvised performance in Scotland. Through this project Tom has performed across the UK, collaborating with numerous artists from backgrounds as diverse as architecture and performance poetry, as well as running regular workshops here in the UK and abroad. His own work receives regular support from organisations here and overseas, notably The Arches, the Four Scottish Dance Agencies and Creative Scotland. Tom also works as a writer and currently lives in Australia. 


Facilitators...







EWAN DOWNIE


Ewan has facilitated for @TGJ since 2014.


Ewan is Artistic Director of Glasgow-based physical performance group Company of Wolves. He was first introduced to Contact Improvisation by Peter Bingham of Edam Dance, and has continued to be fascinated by the interplay between the sensual and the structural. Much of Ewan's work involves the investigation of the instinctual forces underlying our civilised existence – Contact is a part of this search.

www.companyofwolves.org.uk

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Image courtesy of Brian Hartley



BRIAN HARTLEY



Brian has facilitated for @TGJ since 2013 and was a workshop leader in the 2013 Autumn Workshop Festival. He also led much of the CI in Glasgow before @TGJ.


He is also responsible for many of @TGJs posters along with Dominic.


Brian Hartley has a multi-disciplinary arts practice integrating movement, design and visual art. He has exhibited artwork inspired by dance in Scotland and internationally. Through this visual artwork he was inspired to become more actively involved in dance as a physical performer and has created a body of work integrating movement and design and involving performance and participation.

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SIRIOL JOYNER


Siriol has facilitated for @TGJ since 2015.
Siriol Joyner is an independent choreographer from Aberystwyth. She originally trained as a classical dancer with the Royal Ballet Associates and was later an Associate Member of National Dance Company Wales. She went on to study Fine Art at Oxford University, developing performances which combined both her dance and visual arts practices. Siriol is interested in creating and facilitating contexts that bring people together to dance. She has led CI workshops for individuals and groups, most recently a group of visual artists who had a particular interest in the relationship between dance and sculpture.

http://ybarcud.tumblr.com/

http://celticradicals.tumblr.com/


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Image courtesy of Nicole Guarino



MARTA MASIERO


Marta is a regular @TGJ facilitator and is a workshop leader in the 2013 Autumn Workshop Festival.


Marta is a Glasgow based professional dancer and performer. Born in Italy, she graduated with a first class honours degree at London Contemporary Dance School and joined Scottish Dance Theatre as an apprentice for the season 2011/2012. Since working as a freelance dancer and teacher Marta has been involved in a wide diversity of dance projects around the UK, performing nationally and internationally. Choreographers with whom she has worked include Ben Wright, Robert Clark, Janet Smith and Sally Owen, Rachel Lopez de la Nieta and Thomas Small among others.

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Image courtesy of Rosalind Masson



ROSALIND MASSON


Rosalind is a workshop leader in the 2013 Autumn Workshop Festival and has facilitated CI for a number of years in Glasgow and internationally.


Rosalind Masson is a dancer, choreographer and teacher working in Berlin and Glasgow. She finished her training in contemporary dance at LCDS in 2006 and then studied Screendance at Duncan of Jordanston College of Art and Design. She has performed her own work in New York, London, Berlin, Glasgow and Edinburgh. For the last year she has been working in South Uist, the Outer Hebrides teaching dance and organising community events. She is a member of LaborGras collective in Berlin and is part of their current research project, The Renaissance of.....


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Workshop Leaders…





Image courtesy of Josh Belleza



JOSH "Brucey Lee" BELLEZA



Josh will co-lead the Capoeira workshop during the Dynamic Play weekend, 22/23 February 2014

Josh first began training Capoeira in 2005 with Grupo Senzala at the University of Edinburgh's Capoeira Society which he eventually headed in the final year of his engineering degree. In early 2009, he spent 6 months in the Philippines where he trained with Mestre Fantasma of Escola Brasileira de Capoeira. Under the tutelage of Professora Paulinha, Mestre Pedro and their father Mestre Gato, Josh was awarded the Instructor's cord in 2012. He now regularly teaches both kids and adults classes for Group Senzala Edinburgh.


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ROSINA BONSU


Rosina is a workshop leader in the 2013 and 2014 Autumn Workshop Festivals.


Rosina Bonsu has been teaching, facilitating and inspiring people from the widest range of backgrounds for a number of years. Through yoga, dance, choreography and numerous other forms she has been the backbone to much of what has happened in Glasgow in the last few decades, including the formation of Dance House.


www.rosinabonsu.co.uk


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MICHAEL "Testa" HUGHES


Michael will co-lead the Capoeira workshop during the Dynamic Play weekend, 22/23 February 2014.


Michael 'Testa' Hughes began capoeira nine years ago and in 2012 was awarded the rank of Instructor. In that time, he has trained both in the UK and in Brazil under renowned capoeirista Mestre Gato and his son, Mestre Pedro. Michael now runs Group Senzala Capoeira in Glasgow, and regularly guest teaches in Edinburgh.

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THE SNYVER PROJECT 

(Penny Chivas and Dominic Snyder)


The Snyver Project will teach as part of 2013 Autumn Workshop Festival.


Penny co-coordinates @TheGlasgowJam and Dominic is responsible for much of the artwork here including giving us our dancers logo!


Penny Chivas and Dominic Snyder have been working under the title of "The Snyver Project" since early 2012 as a visual artist and dancer and how these two forms may work to meet. Most recently, they have been working towards installation type performances in art galleries across Scotland such as the Peacock, Southside Studios and Glasgow Print Studio, with the support of Citymoves and Dance House. They have also co-taught their "Snyver technique" at Glasgow School of Art and North Glasgow College.