dance music physical theatre creativity
Meet the Dance in the Dark Creative Team
Kath Kimber-McTiffen
Artistic Director, Choreographer & Producer
​Kath is a Dance Artist, Musician, Performer and Maker with a passion for creating work with and for young children and families, transforming lives through creativity. In 2023 she formed Sonrisa Arts, to produce professional performances and projects, focusing on early years and older generations.
Kath trained in dance at Coventry Centre for Performing Arts, gaining a first-class BA (hons) Degree in Arts Practice and Cultural Policy (1997). She has a portfolio career, working with all ages and abilities, from 0 to 100, in schools, the community and touring nationally to theatres, rural touring, schools and libraries, including 11 years as co-director of Wriggle Dance Theatre where she performed in and Co-directed many shows for children and families. Kath has also co-written and recorded vocals and flute on albums with latin jazz band, Sonrisa, whom she tours regularly with throughout the UK.   
Dance in the Dark is Kath’s premiere show as sole Director and Choreographer.
Anthony Kimber-McTiffen
Composer & Performer​
Anthony is a self taught composer and theatre performer with extensive experience in children's theatre and the media. As a songwriter and composer he has been signed by both Chrysalis Music and Virgin Publishing. He founded and still runs his own music production company undertaking many music commissions and has been featured on numerous TV and dance productions.
In 2012 he started work with Wriggle Dance Theatre composing music and performing live in the children's shows, Once in A Blue Moon, The Colour of Me, and Squidge, all of which toured nationally.
Anthony also composed and performed live the music for three shows created for libraries and other non-theatre spaces, Out of this World, Rainbowfish Goes Adrift and Into the Rainbow. In all these shows Anthony performed live all his own compositions using mainly guitar and loop effects as well as creating and providing live sound effects
Anthony studied flamenco guitar in Sacromonte Granada with Jose Antonio Heredia ‘El Chonico’ and Alfredo Mesa.
His favourite pudding is Apple Crumble and Custard.
Ayesha Fazal
Performer​
​Ayesha Fazal is a contemporary dance artist, performer, collaborator and director she has explored, researched and worked with dance companies internationally, immersing herself in many genres and avenues of dance, movement and art. Ayesha has performed from Birmingham Hippodrome Main Stage with a live orchestra to an outdoor performance at Rochester Castle with 200 community members. She has worked with companies such as Southpaw Dance Company, Rosie Kay Dance Company, Highly Sprung, Icon Theatre, Wriggle Dance Theatre, Sonia Sabri and many more. She also branches into other roles such as; a dance captain for the Rugby League World Cup and movement direction for various plays such as 'Run Rebel' directed by Tessa Walker and most recently 'Mary And the Hyenas' directed by Esther Richardson. Ayesha is passionate about performing, creating and paving the way for the future of dance and young artists. She strives for keeping dance inclusive, representative and heartfelt with her company Move Manchester.
Katie Albon
Performer​
Katie is an independent dance artist based in Birmingham. Since graduating from Trinity Laban with a First-Class degree in 2013 she has had the pleasure of working with companies such as: Turned on its Head, Made by Katie Green, Springs Dance Company, FRONTLINEdance, Sonia Sabri, Highly Sprung, Beyond Words Dance and as a Featured Dancer in the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony choreographed by Corey Baker.
Katie performs and facilitates dance in a range of settings and regularly performs in hospitals with Eek & Wild, a company she co-founded.
​
Kirsty Harris
Set, costume & props Designer
Kirsty Harris is an artist, designer and maker specialising in installation, performative works and workshop facilitation.
Kirsty makes immersive worlds and experiences in found environments, landscapes and theatres. She has made work for babies aged 6 months and all the ages that come after. Her work is kind, curious and playful
She has collaborated with or been commissioned by companies including Wildworks, Punchdrunk, The Young Vic, Coney, Likely Story Theatre and Battersea Arts Centre, Southbank Centre, The Discover Centre, The London Symphony Orchestra, National Theatre Wales, The National Trust, The Old Vic, The National Theatre, The National Trust, The V&A, Kensington Palace and Manchester Jewish Museum.
Kirsty Harris makes things. www.khmakesthings.co.uk
Iain Armstrong
Sound Designer
​Iain Armstrong is a freelance composer and sound designer with 20 years’ experience producing work that has toured extensively in the UK and abroad. His work spans music and sound design for dance, theatre, podcasts, film and soundwalks. Recent credits include music composition for Humanhood’s dance works Multiverse (mac Birmingham, V&A), ∞ [Infinite] (Venice Biennale, BIDF, Sadler’s Wells, Northern Stage, The Lowry), Sphera (GDIF, Sadler’s Wells) and Evan Placey’s Jekyll & Hyde (Birmingham REP). Theatre sound design for Miranda Rose Hall’s A Play For The Living In a Time Of Extinction (Belgrade Theatre), Demi Nandhra’s The Trauma Show (BAC), Rob Ward’s The MP, Aunty Mandy & Me (Leicester Curve) and Phoebe Francis Brown’s The Glad Game (Nottingham Playhouse). Sound design for She Wants A Dog’s podcast series A Practical Guide To Death and The Perverts Podcast, Siôn Marshall-Water’s short film Forest Coal Pit (Ffilm Cymru, BFI Network, BBC Wales) and Talking Bird’s theatrical soundwalk Walk With Me Willenhall.
Lou Cope
Dramaturg
Lou Cope is a Dramaturg and Artist Development Specialist who has worked in, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, America, Canada and across the UK. Lou works in theatre, opera and dance (including ballet, contemporary, South Asian, participatory, hip hop, early years, children’s and inclusive) - indoors and outdoors, at all scales and in numerous contexts.
Current and notable collaborations include: English National Ballet, Out Innerspace (Canada), Zoonation, Queensland Ballet, Rhiannon Faith, Aakash Odedra, Gary Clarke, Stopgap Dance, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Australian Dance Theatre, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui & Damien Jalet. She is Associate Dramaturg for South East Dance and ran both rounds of their early years programme ‘Little Big Dance’.
Shows Lou has worked on have won a number of awards including 2 Oliviers (Babel (words) - Cherkaoui & Jalet), UK Theatre & National Dance Awards (Coal – Gary Clarke), and The ACTA Eastern Eye Award (#JeSuis – Aakash Odedra).
Jude Devoil
Lighting Designer & Tour Technician
Having trained at Rose Bruford College, Jude is an innovative Lighting Designer and artist.
She is inspired by nature and the world around her, and her practice helps her explore the relationship between light and a range of mediums, such as water, glass and the human form, manipulating their qualities, to create immersive performances that invites the viewer to interact and play with the piece - to become part of the art itself.
Jude creates through research based play and experimentation, learning about different materials and how their qualities interact with light. Based on this research she can then understand how to manipulate them in ways to create thought provoking, abstract art and designs.
Mark Anderson
Film Maker & Photographer
​​Filmmaker, photographer and choreographer Mark Anderson is the Co-Artistic Director of infuseDANCE. Specialising in video and photography for dance and performance he has spent over two decades working with organisations and people in settings as diverse as theatres, schools, arts centres, prisons, museums, RAF bases, steam railway stations and even at the bottom of swimming pools resulting in both film screenings and photography exhibitions across the UK. He is currently exploring incorporating interactive digital projection mapping into his video work.
​
Jo Valentine
Producer
​Jo is an experienced producer and tour booker with over 20 years’ experience working nationally and internationally with contemporary dance and circus. After many years with Motionhouse, as a freelancer she has worked with several dance companies and artists and as Tour Coordinator for Dance Consortium. She is currently a Producer for Quaternaire Paris alongside her co-producing role with Sonrisa Arts.
Jenny Wheeler
Production Manager
​Jenny has worked in the industry for about 15 years and has been a Production Manager for the last 9. Working freelance with the Royal Ballet & Opera, Glyndebourne, Acosta Danza and Lost Dog as well as many others. She enjoys working with new companies and venues and is very happy to be part of ‘Dance In The Dark.’
Hannah Broadway
Publicity Designer
Hannah Broadway is an illustrator and designer. Hannah is a big fan of the little things in life. Noticing and recording tiny moments of joy is a constant theme in her work. Her work always starts as a drawing, and she works digitally, adding textures and colours to create sumptuous upbeat images.
She has been working as an illustrator for over 15 years, with a range of clients from the NHS to Nike, Bristol University to Bloomsbury Publishing, she has illustrated picture books, designed t-shirts and created artwork for theatre. Her joyful aesthetic is often called upon for public art commissions - she specialises in designing for Arts & Health schemes. She sells a range of prints and cards which celebrate her love of the little things in life available online and in a range of independent shops. Hannah knows how lucky she is to do a job she loves!
Hannah lives in Bristol with her actor husband, daughter, cats and gecko.