Although Chris started his working life as a research biologist, the major part of his professional career has been spent in education. As the Principal of a Community College for over 20 years he witnessed the power of the arts in engaging children, young people and adults in collaborative and transdisciplinary learning experiences within the College and beyond. Chris has a first degree in zoology, an MA in educational leadership and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Exeter. His research and writing interests are in the aesthetics and ecology of education from which he has developed the theoretical concepts of aesthoecology. He is a member of the Creativity and Emergent Educational Futures Network at the University of Exeter, he has spent time as a research associate at the National College for School Leadership and has lectured widely on educational leadership and community education, both in the UK and abroad. He is a member of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and sits in the Senate of the Open University. In 2001 was awarded an OBE for services to education.

Kerry is a Senior Lecturer in the Graduate School of Education at University of Exeter, where she leads the MA Education Creative Arts specialism and provides dance expertise to the course. Kerry also co-leads the Centre for Creativity, Sustainability and Educational Futures and is a PhD and EdD supervisor. Her research includes creativity in arts, science and interdisciplinary education and educational futures, alongside participatory research methodologies. Kerry continues to work as a dance-artist within Exeter-based dance lab collective, and also carries out freelance arts education research and evaluation with clients such as Attik Dance, Siobhan Davies Dance, the BBC, Trinity Laban Conservatoire and Swindon Dance.

Lara is the Director of Coombe Farm Studios, a producer-led rural centre in Devon dedicated to growing creativity. Prior to running Coombe Lara spent time living in Vietnam where she worked for a social enterprise, supporting schools and village potters. On returning to the UK she spent 7 years in London working at Contemporary Applied Arts, the Rebecca Hossack Gallery, the British Council and Visiting Arts. Having grown up in Devon she wanted to return to a place and community that she loved and her arts career continued as she worked for 12 years as a programmer and producer of live performance for the Dartington Hall Trust. Lara took over the day-to-day running of Coombe Farm Studios in 2012 alongside her Dartington work and left Dartington in 2015. She now lives and works at Coombe full time with her husband and two children. Lara is a Trustee of the Devon Guild of Craftsman and a Board Member of Dance in Devon.

Denise Rowe is passionate about the power of dance and movement to unlock the potency of who we really are. Denise is a dance and movement artist and facilitator with over 15 years experience in creating and holding safe spaces for powerful transformation. Her work emerges from a creative movement practice and an intimacy with body, landscape, spirit and rhythm. Denise is associate lecturer in dance at University of Plymouth and director of dance at the Mhararano Mbira Academy. Co-founder of Tolo Ko Tolo Dance Company, Denise also works as a solo artist on various cross-genre performance collaborations including the She Who Walks project and with the band Ombiviolum. She has directed, produced and choreographed a diverse array of performances, films and events. Denise has trained in African dance in Zimbabwe, Senegal, Ghana, Gambia, Cameroon and the UK. She has completed 3 years training in non-stylised & environmental movement with Helen Poynor, and has 2 years contemporary dance training. Denise is also a student of Shiatsu, Aikido and women’s shamanism with The Sacred Trust. In 2012 Denise was awarded an ADAD Trailblazers Champions bursary in recognition of her work in the field of Dance of the African Diaspora.

Gillian Taylor is an experienced communications professional working in the cultural sector. She has a broad range of communications skills including media relations, marketing, digital content creation, audience development and advocacy. Since setting up Gillian Taylor PR in July 2013, Gillian has worked with a range of clients including Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, CEDA (Community Equality Disability Action), Daisi, Somerset Art Works Festival and the All Party Parliamentaty Group on Arts, Health & Wellbeing. As the communications lead for Arts Council England in the South West for 15 years, she worked with artists and arts organisations across the region and further afield. As part of the Maritime Mix team, she worked on the communications and marketing of Cultural Olympiad events in Weymouth. Amongst other achievements, she gained regional, national and international coverage of Sue Austin’s underwater wheelchair project ‘Creating the Spectacle!’.

In addition to her communications expertise, Gillian plays the violin and is a paper artist. She has an interest in the environment and previously worked at the University of Southern Denmark researching the connections between people and nature. Gillian is also a member of the boards of Exeter Northcott Theatre and Arts & Health South West.

After graduating with a degree in drama/inter-arts from Bretton Hall College in 1984, Richard worked in theatre-in-education, youth theatre and community theatre companies in Manchester, Birmingham and Cheshire for fifteen years before becoming Arts Development Officer at The Plough Arts Centre in 1999 prior to becoming Artistic Director in 2002. He has led a team of 70+ staff, volunteers and democratically elected Council of Management members who have together strengthened the artistic vision, the economic sustainability, and the community impact of the venue to the point where it is has just won a national award and is now regarded nationally as a thriving self-sustaining arts venue.
Richard is married with two grown-up sons and lives in Bude Cornwall, where in his spare time he runs the Bude Youth Theatre and is chair of Connect Bude, an organisation set up in Oct 2016 to campaign to reconnect Bude and Holsworthy to the National Railway Network.

Nancy is currently a PhD student at the University of Exeter doing research on the African philosophical foundations underpinning music making for music education in contemporary Kenya. After graduating from Kenyatta University as a music teacher, she taught in St Mary’s school in Nairobi for 5 years before pursuing her Masters in Music and Creative Arts in Education at University of Exeter. On returning to Kenya, for the next 18 years she has engaged in musical theatre through Sterling Q Ltd and the Kenya Conservatoire of Music, where she latterly taught. Her experience as a music educator, performer, composer, music director and researcher in Kenya for over 24 years has given her a rich and unique perspective on the value of music and the creative arts in society.

Kay Crook is a freelance dance artist and Artistic Director of Chhaya Collective, a female-led contemporary dance company working between the UK and India since 2013. Chhaya is the Company in Residence at PDSW and Associate Company of Exeter Phoenix. Kay is the Founder and Director of Chhaya Youth Dance Company (representing the South West at UDance 2018) and has been Associate Lecturer for Attakkalari (Bangalore) and Artist in Residence for PERA (North Cyprus) and for 3Fall Dance Company, creating commissions ‘WOLF’ and ‘PHOENIX’.

Kay has hosted projects across the UK, India, Portugal, North Cyprus and Germany, in collaboration with international artists and facilitated Chhaya’s live stream project between India and UK in 2017, allowing thirty dance artists to collaborate across two continents, in partnership with Shoonya (Bangalore), Arts View Live (UK) and Exeter Phoenix. Kay has taught in collaboration with State of Emergency, Take Art InspirED, The Point Eastleigh, Earthfall, StopGap, Exeter Phoenix, HFC Master Series, RAD, Bridgwater College, Exeter College, Tacchi Morris, Dartington Arts and Cygnet Theatre in the UK, Tanzart-Kirschau (Germany), LAB-Arts (Portugal), In2it Festival (Norway), HIFA (Zimbabwe) and Attakkalari, Shoonya and Lshva in India. Kay is also a member of the Heather Walrond Company, performing ‘The Rising’ nationally and internationally, touring 2015 – 2019, in collaboration with VOU Dance Company (Fiji).

Vicki Horan is a Freelance Dance and Theatre Artist based in Plymouth. She is an experienced practitioner, dancer and actress and has performed in venues regionally and nationally. Vicki is currently an Associate Dance Artist with Beyond Face, and a Lead Artist with Above Bounds Theatre Collective. Her expertise is working with early years, young people and emerging artists across both theatre and dance.

Having grown up in Devon, Vicki is passionate about advocating and supporting local artists that work in the region. Vicki has been dancing and performing from a young age; she trained in Musical Theatre at Stagecoach Performing Arts and Contemporary Dance at the Barbican Theatre Plymouth, before graduating with a BA Honours in Dance and Drama from Royal Holloway University of London. Vicki is alumni from Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures Overture Cohort (2018/19), Dance East’s Young Rural Retreat (2019), Young Choreographers South West (2018) and a former Ambassador for One Dance UK and Dance Consortium (2017 – 19).