Welcome Back
‘Welcome Back’ is a multi-media collaboration between dancers and filmmakers taking place in cities across the United Kingdom towards the end of the summer of 2021. The project saw one dancer and one filmmaker in Edinburgh, Leeds, London & Bristol paired up to record a dance piece performed in a public space. These pieces highlight the joy and excitement of outdoor public spaces and will build energy and excitement about the lifting of COVID restrictions towards the end of 2021.
Valia Katsi - Project Coordinator
As well as being a performer, writer, dancer and thinker, I studied International Relations and Arabic during which I wrote about decolonial theatre. Speaking five languages and being from Greece has meant I have engaged with cultures outside of the UK which has opened my eyes to different possibilities. I am also passionate about humanitarian issues and politics and have had experience of volunteering in refugee camps in Greece. As a performer, my influences are mainly from the canon of physical theatre and dance, and I particularly love Ancient Greek chorus work. Currently I am writing and performing in a show created for NSDF called 'Rum& Coke' about domestic and gender-based abuse in university. I co-run a blog on activism and intersectional feminism (kandaka.blog). Furthermore, I love using theatre and dance as a tool of empathy and compassion, where we learn to appreciate and understand people who may be different to us.
Edinburgh
Gabriele Bruzzese - Dancer (Edinburgh)
Hello, I am Gabriele, a 23 years old Italian artist currently based in Edinburgh. My main art-form is Breaking (also known as Break Dance/ Bboying), I have been practising it from the age of 12 and since then it has been bringing me around the world to learn and compete and gave me opportunities I would have never dreamt of as a kid. It has now become part of my lifestyle and of my being. My focus is on letting the body flow through music and whatever comes out of it will be your solely own creative outcome, you must be proud of it and cultivate whatever comes out during the research process. That's why I dance, that's why I Break! Hip Hop community keeps saving lives and giving hope to many, I was lucky to be between those people as a young kid. I hope this short film we had the chance to create will have the power to inspire many more. Peace!
Elena Pliego - Filmmaker (Edinburgh)
Hi, I'm Elena. A Digital Content Creator based in Edinburgh. I love creating content that make the viewer feel as if they are stepping into a dream. I love keeping things simple in life and on set as I find it always produces the best results with the least stress. No matter the size of the project I always bring the same passion and dedication to each individual job.
London
Ana Coltatu - Dancer (London)
Ana Coltatu is a London-based performer, writer, director and multi-disciplinary artist working at the intersection of performance, movement, text and different mediums and instruments that combine into an experience shared with the public. Her works create a journey through rhythms and layers of interpretation that expose the audience to investigations about meaning, roles, limits, prejudices, responsibility, self-discovery and self-acceptance. Some of Ana’s most recent creations include collaborations with artists from different disciplines like the ones made with Luigi Ambrosio (choreographer and movement director), Anna Perach and Rachel Cheung (fine arts), Danae Baert (choreographer).
Heena Song - Filmmaker (London)
Heena Song is an experimental filmmaker & visual artist who works with analog film and digital medium experimenting both in the practical and theoretical perspective. Her practice seeks to reveal everyday occurrences and archetypical scenes to explore the materiality of film/video, filmic illusion and the spectator’s subconscious.
Bristol
Ama Dogbe - Filmmaker (Bristol)
I am a 23-year-old British-Ghanaian digital artist and a recent Loughborough University Fine Art (BA) graduate. My practice resides in the digital realm with focuses on digital film and animation. I am self-taught in the use of Autodesk Maya, video editing software and the Unity game engine. I have utilised these to create animations, short films and an experimental video game. I explore a wide variety of topics, usually from a personal, observational perspective that examines a range of socio-political themes.
Emily Orme - Dancer (Bristol)
Emily is a Movement Director for stage and screen based in Bristol and the South West. As a movement specialist her work considers how bodies on screen communicate with a viewer and stretches their imagination, exploring how physicality is creatively captured by camera. Emily is interested in working with natural human physicality and is fascinated by the depth and personality body language holds. She is actively committed to creating inclusive, accessible, and collaborative creation processes. She first trained in dance on the BA at Northern School of Contemporary Dance and went on to complete a Masters in Movement Directing and Teaching at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Emily has recently worked on the short dance film, WE CAME HERE TO DANCE, premiered on Nowness in 2021, and is currently collaborating with several music artists to visualise there sound using movement in their upcoming music videos. Emily is excited to have this opportunity through Island Life Productions to collaborate with film maker Ama Maisie and continue exploring how the body can be captured in different ways by camera. She is interested to explore how physical life and play can reinhabit the public spaces in Bristol post pandemic.
Leeds
Gerard Headley - Dancer (Leeds)
Gerard Headley is an actor, dancer, and physical theatre maker passionate about platforming underrepresented, often political narratives through physicalised striped back storytelling. He trained at The Northern School of Contemporary Dance Leeds and is currently working at Yorkshire Dance as a Dance Apprentice and Artistic Projects Assistant. Gerard’s work usually centres around his experiences as a working class queer man from Northern Ireland. Recently he has began collaborating with a writer on an queer, apocalyptic, one man show; Swansong.
Thomas Wright - Filmmaker (Leeds)
Thomas has over 5 years experience producing independent short films, documentaries, experimental video work and videography. He's had his work shown in the Royal Academy of Arts as well an active member of Leeds Children’s Theatre, participating in several shows both on stage and backstage.
