Aleksandra Nikolajev Jones
is Choreographer, Dancer, Director and Producer.
Aleksandra produced for theatre, television, and film. Working with new talents, mentoring, and coaching she is also working with international and local choreographers, directors, writers, filmmakers, dancers, and companies.
She is a founder and co-director of Wales International Documentary Festival and a member of the International Dance Council-CID recognised by UNESCO.
Aleksandra is working with professionals, communities, minorities and vulnerable groups to deliver projects that empowered through participative art.
Aleksandra is the author of the Women In Pregnancy, born out of a 2010. pilot project funded by the Arts Council of Wales. The piece offers a new way of looking at the effect pregnancy has on movement, gravity, and even a woman’s career and creativity.
Jelena Vuksanovic
has worked as a writer, theatre practitioner and facilitator, artistic director, and screenwriter. She has an MA in dramaturgy, and with a classical education, she was always drawn to knowledge and practice about contemporary and experimental theatre, therefore she participated in various trainings, workshops and other activities of non-formal education connected with contemporary and applied educational theatre techniques. She has worked with POD Theatre for over 13 years and worked on various International projects that were supported by Youth in Action, UNICEF, Share See, Red Cross, local municipalities, ministries, embassies etc.
Since 2004. until 2018. Collaborated with The Republic of the Imagination, UK, developing innovative theatre forms and ways of expression, specifically the form of immersive theatre like Sensory Labyrinth and Sensory Portal. Besides numerous theatre performances, educational projects, in 2015. Her debut movie «Panama” premiered during the Cannes film festival. In 2018. she had a premiere of her first contemporary opera “In… Se… -dawning-” in Bali, composed by Andys Skordis. In the same team they created their second opera, “Light Blue Day”, a contemporary, experimental opera based on the story by Ferdinand von Schirach, as part of the Berlin Opernpreis, which premiered and won the competition in Berlin in June 2022.
Lynette Margerison
I use a wide experience of working with the arts, performance and creativity to encourage new directions, partnerships and increase self development for communities and individuals. I lead and devise sensitive and appropriate celebrations, processions with lanterns, music and giant puppets. I frequently work outdoors in the forest with campfire workshops, learning with lots of fun games, based on drama and clowning techniques from voice and sound exercises to focus and awareness, flow learning techniques and practical skill development. Following each individuals natural path helping discover new talent and how this can be put to use within the community.
Specialties: Creative solutions, encouragement, inspiration, lateral thinking, aesthetic design solutions.
Claire Bottomley
Claire Bottomley is a creative producer whose knowledge of inclusivity and empowerment draws upon over 20 years experience of working in the 3rd sector, focusing on health and wellbeing and specialising in mental health. She has been a campaigner and champion of rights, as well as working in Public Affairs and for national wellbeing charities.
After a career change opportunity in 2016, Claire gained an MA in Arts Management at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and first worked with Gravida Collective and The Republic of the Imagination in 2018, producing an R&D for the company. In 2018 she participated in the Emerging Producers Development programme at Edinburgh Fringe. Claire has worked as a freelance Creative Producer since 2017, working on theatre tours, creative engagement and marketing. She has worked as a freelancer with WMC, The Other Room, Theatr Clwyd, Papertrail Theatre, Canoe Theatre and Gravida. Claire joined Gravida Collective as Creative Producer after working at Sherman Theatre as Sherman 5 Coordinator for four years.
COLLABORATORS
Carrie Westwater
Carrie (also known as Caz) draws on twenty years experience as a site responsive performance artist, creative professional, writer and academic.
Carrie is a maker of theatre, film and creative site responsive storytelling, using multi-platform methods. Since moving to South Wales in 2013 to complete her PhD ( awarded, 2021) in arts and heritage participation she has been working on various projects with a Cardiff companies.
Notwithstanding her work as co-director of The Gravida Collective she has been creative consultant for National Museum Wales (Museum Lates: SPACE), creative researcher for Creative Cardiff (Festival of Voice), a Clwstwr funded artist ( Heriatge Walkers) and co-curator/
producer and performer with tactileBosch (Garden of Earthly Delights, 2016; Lost Vegas Hotel 2017; Basement Borsht, 2018; Jubilee, 2018), and Magpies Immersive Events (Midsummer Nights Dream, 2018; Hub Festival Cabaret Caravan, 2018).
Her work predominantly has a human rights participatory or interactive focus. She uses participatory approaches in how she positions the audience, facilitates community arts and
curates events that highlight matters around equality and diversity. At the beginning of her career she adapted Classic, Central and East European texts for performance in contemporary multicultural Britain.