Aaron has over 10 years of experience in dance and the creative industries and has worked with some of the UK’s leading brands and artists as a creative consultant, product and service innovator, interior and set designer and choreographer.

They trained in contemporary dance at Trinity Laban and hold an MA in Performance Design & Practice from UAL: Central Saint Martins.

Aaron is one of the founding members of Dance Artists North East CIC, where they support professional dancers in the region by helping to identify opportunities and leading on professional development.

They also work as a community dance facilitator through Equal Arts and Care to Dance, alongside their freelance practice as a dancer and choreographer. Aaron has worked locally, nationally and internationally with artists and organisations including Lea Anderson, Struan Leslie, Sel Maclean, Megan Brown, Gina Ricker, Corinne Dixon Wright and Helix Arts.

Aaron is thrilled to have joined the board at Dance City at a pivotal point in the organisation’s development and to support the staff, local community and dance professionals who call Dance City’s facilities home.

Tomke is a fundraiser and researcher with a deep commitment to the arts and to the North East. She works as Head of Philanthropy at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, where she leads fundraising across all income streams and helps drive a major new campaign.

Her work focuses on building strong partnerships, securing significant philanthropic support and creating moments that bring the impact of the arts to life.

Tomke’s connection to dance and music began early and led her to pursue a PhD in Music and Dance, where she explored how dancers and musicians create work together. That research continues to shape her perspective on creativity, collaboration and the importance of cultural participation.

Originally from Germany, Tomke has made the North East her home and is a committed advocate for the region’s cultural ambition. She believes in the role that organisations like Dance City play in opening up opportunity, nurturing talent and creating space for people to connect.

As a trustee, Tomke brings strategic insight, sector knowledge and a strong belief in the value of dance as a force for creativity and community.

Emily is a Systems Analyst at the national charity Voice 21 UK, where she works operationally to bridge the gap between technical experts and the wider organisation. Her role focuses on understanding business needs and analysing technology to develop innovative and practical solutions.

She also has experience working with GDPR, PECR and national cyber security requirements, and has spent the past five years working across technology and relationship management roles within the education charity sector.

Emily also has a background in professional dance and has worked with Leeds Dance Partnership, Phoenix Dance Theatre and Yorkshire Dance. Her dance practice has focused particularly on inclusive movement for young people with additional needs.

This experience developed into a freelance portfolio spanning teaching, project coordination and research evaluation.

Emily grew up in South Yorkshire and, after studying and living in Leeds for eight years, moved to the North East coast in 2022.

Emma is the Business Leadership Specialist in the policy team at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL). She represents ASCL as a national policy expert in business leadership and works to shape and contribute to national policy.

Previously, Emma was Chief Operating Officer at a large multi-academy trust in the North East of England, serving three local authority areas. She joined the trust when it was established, implemented its central services provision and oversaw its growth from one to 30 schools.

Emma has also held the role of Chief Financial Officer and served for many years on the Schools North East School Business Manager Council. She is a member of the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) and was awarded the ISBL CEO Award in 2022.

Prior to moving into the education sector, Emma spent more than 15 years working in HR across Sunderland City Council and South Tyneside Council, latterly providing professional HR advice to school leaders and governing boards as a Chartered Member of the CIPD.

Emma holds an MSc in Human Resource Management and is also a qualified Mental Health First Aider.

Lynsey has worked at Dance City since 2014, holding a number of roles across the Ticket Office team, including Assistant, Coordinator and Team Manager.

She now works as Dance City’s Operations Manager, overseeing the day-to-day running of the organisation and the Operations team.

Her main areas of focus include customer experience, space hire and people management, helping to ensure Dance City operates efficiently and provides a welcoming experience for everyone who uses the building.

Outside of work, Lynsey enjoys photography, floristry and spending time with friends and family.

Andy is Dance City’s Marketing, Communications and Insights Officer, working across digital marketing, social media, content creation, website, email and audience insights.

Originally from County Durham, Andy is a Media Studies graduate from the University of Brighton with a background spanning marketing, communications, videography and digital content across the arts, sport, live events and the public sector.

Dance and performance have been part of Andy’s life from an early age. Growing up around his family’s dance school in Washington, Sunderland, he performed across the UK and internationally, including at the London Palladium aged five, Disneyland Paris and PortAventura in Spain, as well as venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Sadler’s Wells and Sunderland Empire.

Growing up as a boy from County Durham with a passion for dance, comparisons with Billy Elliot were perhaps inevitable. Andy even auditioned for Billy Elliot the Musical in the same year as Tom Holland, who would later become known worldwide as Spider-Man.

Over time, Andy increasingly moved behind the camera, supporting dance through photography, video, design and promotional content, including coordinating photography for large-scale performances at Silverstone and Wembley.

Alongside Dance City, Andy continues to work as a filmmaker and content creator across live music, sport and events, combining his background in performance with a passion for capturing the people, audiences and moments that make live events special.

Andy has worked as a theatre performer, contemporary dancer, dramaturg, rehearsal director, engagement artist, mentor and guest lecturer. Over the past 17 years, his career has spanned theatre, dance, opera, film and large-scale public events.

He served as Artistic Director of Society of Strays CIC, where he worked as a director, choreographer, facilitator and operational lead, creating ambitious, socially engaged performance in collaboration with local communities.

Throughout his career, Andy has built long-standing creative relationships with leading theatre and dance makers, touring nationally and internationally, including 15 years of creative collaboration with Curious Seed.

As a performer, he has worked with Protein Dance on productions including Border Tales, May Contain Food and The Little Prince, as well as with Riccardo Buscarini, ZoieLogic Dance Theatre, Jamie Fletcher Company, Simon McBurney, Dutch National Opera, New Art Club, Anatomical and Southpaw.

His dramaturgical credits include Elyssa for Ballet de l'Opéra de Tunis; The Monocle and What Songs May Do for Rendez-vous Dance; Ride, Sleuth and Heist for ZoieLogic Dance Theatre; and Kylie Jenner's Private Jet for Pelican Theatre.

His work has also included the Opening Ceremonies of the Rugby League World Cup and the Commonwealth Games, as well as feature films including 28 Years Later, Tom & Jerry and How to Train Your Dragon 2.

Andy holds BA (Hons) degrees in Theatre and Contemporary Dance, as well as a Postgraduate Diploma with Distinction from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.

Alongside his artistic practice, he is a qualified personal trainer, project manager, event manager and committed mental health advocate.

Jennifer is Dance City’s Chief Executive and Creative Director, leading the organisation’s strategic and creative direction and championing the role of dance across the North East and beyond.

Her career has been rooted in supporting artists, strengthening cultural organisations and advocating for dance at both regional and national level. She previously led Dancers’ Career Development, a national charity supporting professional dancers, where she developed strategic partnerships, strengthened the organisation’s impact and advocated for dancers nationally and internationally.

Jennifer also served as President of the International Organisation for the Transition of Professional Dancers, contributing to wider international conversations around dancer development and career transition.

Before joining Dance City, Jennifer was Director of Philanthropy and External Relations at Gosforth Civic Theatre, where she played a key leadership role in developing philanthropy, building partnerships and raising the organisation’s regional and national profile.

At Dance City, Jennifer is focused on strengthening the organisation’s impact, developing ambitious partnerships and supporting the next chapter of dance in the North East, while growing Dance City’s profile locally, nationally and internationally.

Hope is a Senior Creative Learning Manager for the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), based at the Sunderland Empire.

Hope has over eight years’ experience working in theatre-based learning and participation, specialising in inclusivity and audience development. He has a great passion for and investment in local communities across the North East, fuelled by the belief that everyone deserves, and has the right, to access culture.

This ethos informs his commitment to supporting the development of Creative Learning and participation across the wider North East region. On behalf of ATG, Hope also helps to drive group-wide strategic initiatives, working closely with local and national funding bodies.

He has also taken a leading role in ATG’s commitment to schools and audience development across its 38 UK theatres, working in partnership with producers and organisations including the National Theatre, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Shakespeare Company.

Hope studied Theatre Studies, specialising in Contemporary Dance, at Lancaster University before moving back to Sunderland to develop his practice as a community dance and drama practitioner.

During his time at ATG, he has developed a strong focus on inclusivity, gaining national recognition and a number of local and national awards. These include the National Autism Professional Award in the Alternative Education category and, more recently, the Action for Children’s Arts Award, recognising the impact of ATG’s inclusive offer on the lives of children and young people.

Hope is a passionate advocate for young people and their entitlement to culture and the performing arts, and also serves as a Governor at Beacon of Light School.

Charlotte is a specialist property litigation lawyer, heading the team at Muckle LLP: the proudly north east based commercial law firm. She has over 25 years of experience in her field and has been working with many of her clients for over 20 as a trusted advisor.  Her practice spans commercial, landlord and tenant lease renewals, rent reviews, dilapidations; residential ASB problems, access injunctions and possessions; long leasehold cladding remediation work, service charge disputes and management strategy for right to manage companies and enfranchisement; together with general land issues such as rights of way disputes, trespass and nuisance.

In addition to the technical legal work, Charlotte is part of the management team at Muckle LLP. She is jointly responsible with the managing partner for employee engagement and strategy at Muckle LLP. The wellbeing of Muckle’s people is very important to Charlotte and she is closely involved in trying to  make the Muckle employee experience a good one.

Much of Charlotte’s career to date has been working with the social housing sector and she has a keen interest in this area. Charlotte is Chair of Tyne Housing Association (https://www.tynehousing.org.uk/) , a Board member for Prosper (https://prosper.uk.com/)

and a founding Board member of WISH (northeast) https://www.wishgb.co.uk/our-regions/north-east all of which are organisations in and around the housing sector.

Outside of this world, Charlotte has always loved dance. She danced as a child and discovered Dance City as an adult, taking adult beginners lessons to see if any of those movements learned in childhood had been retained in muscle memory. Sadly, the answer was no but great fun was had in trying to capture them again!

Through that experience Charlotte believes that access to the arts is an enriching experience and one that should be available to all. The ambition of Dance City to ensure that this becomes possible was part of the attraction to the role of Trustee.

Sarah Dewar is passionate about our amazing charity sector here in the North East and all of the brilliant people that work within it. As a Board Member of Dance City, Sarah wants bring her experience of employee engagement, culture and wellbeing to help people to thrive in the work that they do.

Sarah is a HR professional with over 15 years experience of working in the North East working currently at a national not for profit mental health organisation.

Cora is a recent graduate of Newcastle University, where she studied for a BA in History and Politics. Originally from North Yorkshire, she moved to Newcastle for university and has since decided to make the city her home.

Dance has been a hobby of Cora’s from a young age, and during her time at university she trained and competed with Newcastle University Dance Club.

Cora has a passion for writing and content creation and is excited to begin her professional career at Dance City.

Sophie Douglas is a dance artist, practitioner and project manager with interests in community dance, site-adaptive performance and somatic practices.

Before joining Dance City, Sophie taught extensively in educational and community settings across the South West, including leading the artistic direction of Coast Youth Dance Company from 2018 to 2021.

Her passion for outreach and engagement has led her to work with a broad range of dance companies and organisations, including Pavilion Dance South West, Arts University Bournemouth, Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Made By Katie Green, ZoieLogic Dance Theatre and Dorset Mind.

Sophie’s research interests centre on working in natural environments and exploring movement practice through a somatic lens.

Kiz Crosbie is a passionate advocate for using the arts to build personal connections and improve the lives and aspirations of individuals and communities. Inspired by Dance City’s vision and ambition to support a dynamic dance ecology in the region, she was proud to join the Board and help the organisation achieve this.

Kiz is the founder and Artistic Director of Mortal Fools, an award-winning North East theatre and creative learning company.

She trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and has worked as a director and producer across the UK for organisations including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Live Theatre, Maverick Television and Shakespeare Schools Festival, specialising in work by and for children and young people.

Kiz’s family roots are in the North East and, having lived away for much of her life, she returned to Northumberland in 2011 with her husband and daughter.

Rachel Fenton is a fundraiser whose career spans the arts, museums, galleries and heritage. She has worked across a range of fundraising areas, with particular experience in trusts and foundations, including corporate foundations and family trusts, as well as events.

Rachel has worked on major capital campaigns for The Glasshouse International Centre for Music and the National Railway Museum. During her time at The Glasshouse, she led a successful application to the Weston Culture Fund, securing £875,000 towards the venue’s learning and engagement programmes.

Since joining Dance City, Rachel has secured significant grants from the Leverhulme Trust, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Gillian Dickinson Trust.

Rachel completed a BA (Hons) in Dance in Society at the University of Surrey and later studied for an MA in Creative and Cultural Industries Management at Northumbria University.

Shirley is from Hexham, Northumberland, and her love of dance and music began at the age of four through ballet and tap classes, alongside studying classical piano and violin.

She went on to study Performing Arts at Middlesex University and was later selected for a place at a New York School of Performing Arts, gaining a BA (Hons) degree in Performing Arts.

Shirley built a successful career as a dancer, choreographer and Head Dancer before progressing to Dance Captain, leading high-performing show teams for 10 years on cruise ships around the world. It was also during this time that she met her husband. After he proposed in Greenland, they returned to the North East and married at Hexham Abbey.

From ships to trains, Shirley then moved into the corporate world with the East Coast Mainline. Over the following years, her work spanned uniform strategy and delivery, customer experience standards, quality management, customer insight, digital engagement and change management.

She launched LNER’s Azuma Pioneers programme, bringing together colleagues from across the business to support the introduction of Azuma trains in 2019. She now leads Operational Readiness & Engagement for Strategic Projects at LNER, helping to put people at the heart of transformational change.

Alongside her corporate career, Shirley has continued to pursue her passion for the arts, performance and public speaking. Her experience includes choreographing flash mobs, arranging charter train entertainment in support of railway charities, hosting business awards, voiceover work and wedding photography.

Music also continues to play a major role in Shirley’s life. She has sung in choirs at venues including the Royal Albert Hall and, more recently, performed with the Royal Northern Sinfonia Chorus for the BBC Proms at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music.

A huge passion of Shirley’s is motivating, helping and inspiring others to be at their best. She is delighted to be a Dance City Board member and is passionate about helping to shape the future of dance in the North East.

Charlotte is a real estate disputes lawyer with commercial law firm Muckle LLP in Newcastle. She assists clients in all matters involving property where there is, or could be, an element of friction between the parties.

The essence of Charlotte’s role is problem-solving, whether a problem is already in evidence or by pre-empting issues to help avoid problems arising in the future. Property law is extensive, and a significant part of Charlotte’s work involves making complex legislation clear and accessible for her clients.

Charlotte enjoys a number of trustee roles outside of her day job, one of which is with Dance City.

Her connection with Dance City began many years ago through attending adult ballet classes. This continued when she later attended with her children and has now developed further through her role as a trustee.

Charlotte is delighted to be part of the Dance City family.

Dr Ellen Jeffrey is a neurodivergent dance artist and researcher working with time-specific choreographic practices. She studied at Trinity Laban Conservatoire and the University of the Arts Helsinki before completing her PhD at Lancaster University.

Working collaboratively with local artists and communities, Ellen creates performances, films, workshops and writing that explore the capacity of dance and movement to attune to more-than-human timescales.

Her work has been funded by organisations including the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Heritage Lottery Fund, and supported by Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire Wildlife Trusts, as well as Morecambe Bay Partnership.

Prior to joining Dance City, Ellen worked internationally as a performer and choreographer and taught at a range of higher education institutions across the UK, including Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Lancaster University and Manchester School of Architecture.

Lyndsey is Deputy Director at VisitEngland, the national tourism agency for England. She leads on strategy, corporate planning and performance, as well as priority programmes designed to support the growth and development of regional visitor economies.

Her work includes the roll-out and support of a new tourism delivery structure and two Government-funded regional pilots in the North East and West Midlands. She previously led the £45.5 million Discover England Fund, creating world-class bookable tourism products for domestic and international visitors, and was responsible for England’s industry tourism growth strategy.

Lyndsey has worked at the forefront of policy development and delivery for over two decades. She has extensive experience lobbying, supporting and advising Government, including Ministers and local politicians, and has created funding programmes and partnerships that bring together the public and private sectors.

Her experience spans culture, heritage, tourism and sport, transport and regeneration, as well as local government transformation and improvement.

Originally from Yorkshire, Lyndsey moved to London after university, where she studied Economics and Public Policy. Twenty-five years later, she relocated to the North East after falling in love with the region and its people.

She has always been a passionate advocate for dance, both as an artform and as a powerful way to support health, wellbeing and inclusion within communities.

When Nick joined Dance City as Technical Manager in 2021, he brought nearly 30 years of knowledge and experience working in the live arts as a technician, production manager and lighting designer.

As a lecturer in stage management and technical theatre, he also helped many technicians successfully begin their careers within the entertainment industry.

Nick’s main role at Dance City is to work with regional, national and international artists to plan and facilitate the technical elements required for Dance City’s performance programme.

Sarah is Chief People Officer at the national charity Mental Health Concern, where she leads on people and cultural transformation and sits on the Executive team.

Prior to this, Sarah worked across both private healthcare and the not-for-profit sector in a number of HR leadership roles.

Sarah is a qualified coach with a keen interest in colleague engagement and workforce culture. She has led projects including organisational values implementation, colleague wellbeing programmes, reward and recognition, organisation design and large-scale change programmes.

Born in Newcastle, Sarah studied in Manchester before returning to the North East, where she now lives with her two young children.

Outside of work, she enjoys going to the gym and taking long walks in the countryside and along the coast.

Hayley is a trained dancer and choreographer who came through the degree programme at Dance City. She also brings extensive customer service and people management experience from her time at Dance City and previous roles.

Hayley is focused on creating an excellent environment for teachers to develop their practice and for participants to thrive in Dance City’s classes.

She loves planning large, vibrant events that support both mental and physical wellbeing and leave people feeling energised and inspired. Outside of work, Hayley also dedicates time to charity events and life as a busy mum.

She is a devoted Madonna fan with a love of fashion and travel.

“I stand for freedom of expression, doing what you believe in, and going after your dreams.”

— Madonna

Lissie Ogden is an Engagement Manager with over 15 years’ experience working across the dance and cultural sector.

Dedicated to developing and championing dance across the region, Lissie is passionate about making creative opportunities accessible to more people.

As a trained dance artist, Lissie brings extensive experience across partnership development, fundraising and programme management, working closely with artists, organisations and communities. As Engagement Manager, she develops programmes for all ages, from early years to older adults, with a focus on fostering connection, encouraging participation and supporting health and wellbeing through dance.

Alongside her role at Dance City, Lissie works as an independent dance producer and cultural manager, supporting professional artists and projects to develop their ambitions. Her freelance work includes managing the North East Live Well and Dance with Parkinson’s programme in partnership with People Dancing, supporting dance for health.

Lissie graduated from Northern School of Contemporary Dance with a BA and Postgraduate Diploma. She has also managed and coordinated major cultural events and festivals including Lumiere Durham, Freedom City, SO Festival and Juice Festival.

Jess Avery graduated from the University of Sunderland in 2019 with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. Her time at university helped her develop her creativity and gave her the confidence to apply it across different areas of her life and work.

Joining the Dance City team as a Technical Apprentice marked her first step into the creative industries, and she is excited to be surrounded by the creative atmosphere of Dance City.

Outside of work, Jess enjoys painting, playing rugby and playing video games.

Cheryl Baty is Dance City’s Engagement Manager, responsible for connecting schools, children and young people with artists, performances and opportunities.

Cheryl works alongside partners to create bespoke projects and educational outreach programmes, helping to provide exciting and enriching experiences for young people across the region.

With over 12 years’ experience in dance education, Cheryl began her career as a secondary school teacher at Whickham School and Sports College, as well as serving as Dance Link Teacher for the Gateshead Schools Sports Partnership.

Alongside her role at Dance City, Cheryl is also the Managing Director of her own dance company, Creative Dance North East.