Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group
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Naia Bautista
She / Her
Naia Bautista is a Gibraltarian freelance artist, performer and facilitator with extensive experience across classical ballet, contemporary dance and interdisciplinary performance. A graduate of English National Ballet School and former member of Company Wayne McGregor and Polish National Ballet, she also has a strong parallel practice in education and facilitation across professional, pre-professional and community based projects. Her work has taken place across theatre, film, television, fashion and music within a range of cultural institutions including the Barbican, La Biennale di Venezia, Sadler’s Wells and the Royal Opera House.
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Ceri Brierley
She / Her
(DCD Staff)
Ceri joined Dancers’ Career Development in autumn 2023 as Marketing and Communications Manager. For further information on the DCD staff team go to: Meet the team – Dancers Career Development.
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Joel Glaefke
He / Him
Joel Glaefke is a sport and performance psychology practitioner, educator, researcher, and international dance artist with a passion for understanding how expertise is developed.
Believing that performance is shaped by the continuous interaction between the individual and their environment, his work explores the physical, technical, conceptual, and psychological factors that underpin growth, learning, and excellence. Drawing upon over 15 years of experience within international dance communities, alongside academic research and applied consultancy, Joel supports athletes, artists, students, and organisations in navigating their own developmental journeys.
Joel is currently completing a PhD at the University of Birmingham, focusing on expertise development and high-performance psychology. Alongside his academic work, he contributes to educational institutions, mentorship programmes, and elite sport environments, helping individuals develop the awareness, skills, and systems necessary for long-term success.
As founder of Sui Generis and a member of InDaHouse UK, Joel remains committed to fostering environments that encourage curiosity, autonomy, creativity, and meaningful personal development, believing that excellence emerges not from following a predetermined path, but from learning how to navigate one’s own.
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Kavya Iyer
She / Her
Originally from Kolkata, Kavya is a dance artist, maker and facilitator currently based in London. She also works as programmes producer at Akademi, one of the UK’s leading South Asian dance organisations. Kavya pursued a Master’s degree in International Development (Sciences Po, Paris) and an Erasmus+ Master’s in Dance Studies (Roehampton University, London), giving her a diverse background in dance, qualitative research, and anthropology. She also brings 28 years of training in Bharatanatyam along with a passion for Bollywood, Bhangra, and big questions! Her practice involves contemporary, socially engaged work, rooted in curiosity and collaboration.
As a versatile performer, her UK touring and stage credits include Seeta Patel’s The Rite of Spring and Akademi’s Plastic Drastic Fantastic. Her choreographic practice questions artistic boundaries through experimental pieces like Don’t Tell Me What Bharatanatyam Is (commissioned by saa-UK) and The Women You Didn’t Know (commissioned by Dancin’ Oxford). She also advocates for sector development as an active member of the Bradford Arts Centre’s Artist Advisory Group. Through creation, collaboration and curation, she strives to make dance more accessible, on and off stage.
Naia Bautista is a Gibraltarian freelance artist, performer and facilitator with extensive experience across classical ballet, contemporary dance and interdisciplinary performance. A graduate of English National Ballet School and former member of Company Wayne McGregor and Polish National Ballet, she also has a strong parallel practice in education and facilitation across professional, pre-professional and community based projects. Her work has taken place across theatre, film, television, fashion and music within a range of cultural institutions including the Barbican, La Biennale di Venezia, Sadler’s Wells and the Royal Opera House.
Ceri joined Dancers’ Career Development in autumn 2023 as Marketing and Communications Manager. For further information on the DCD staff team go to: Meet the team – Dancers Career Development.
Joel Glaefke is a sport and performance psychology practitioner, educator, researcher, and international dance artist with a passion for understanding how expertise is developed.
Believing that performance is shaped by the continuous interaction between the individual and their environment, his work explores the physical, technical, conceptual, and psychological factors that underpin growth, learning, and excellence. Drawing upon over 15 years of experience within international dance communities, alongside academic research and applied consultancy, Joel supports athletes, artists, students, and organisations in navigating their own developmental journeys.
Joel is currently completing a PhD at the University of Birmingham, focusing on expertise development and high-performance psychology. Alongside his academic work, he contributes to educational institutions, mentorship programmes, and elite sport environments, helping individuals develop the awareness, skills, and systems necessary for long-term success.
As founder of Sui Generis and a member of InDaHouse UK, Joel remains committed to fostering environments that encourage curiosity, autonomy, creativity, and meaningful personal development, believing that excellence emerges not from following a predetermined path, but from learning how to navigate one’s own.
Originally from Kolkata, Kavya is a dance artist, maker and facilitator currently based in London. She also works as programmes producer at Akademi, one of the UK’s leading South Asian dance organisations. Kavya pursued a Master’s degree in International Development (Sciences Po, Paris) and an Erasmus+ Master’s in Dance Studies (Roehampton University, London), giving her a diverse background in dance, qualitative research, and anthropology. She also brings 28 years of training in Bharatanatyam along with a passion for Bollywood, Bhangra, and big questions! Her practice involves contemporary, socially engaged work, rooted in curiosity and collaboration.
As a versatile performer, her UK touring and stage credits include Seeta Patel’s The Rite of Spring and Akademi’s Plastic Drastic Fantastic. Her choreographic practice questions artistic boundaries through experimental pieces like Don’t Tell Me What Bharatanatyam Is (commissioned by saa-UK) and The Women You Didn’t Know (commissioned by Dancin’ Oxford). She also advocates for sector development as an active member of the Bradford Arts Centre’s Artist Advisory Group. Through creation, collaboration and curation, she strives to make dance more accessible, on and off stage.
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Vanessa Lefrancois
She / Her
(DCD Staff)
Vanessa joined Dancers’ Career Development in summer 2023 as Executive Director. For further information on the DCD staff team go to: Meet the team – Dancers Career Development.
Click here to read bio.
Crystal Nicholls
She / Her
(DCD Staff)
Crystal joined the Dancers’ Career Development Programmes Team in autumn 2024. For further information on the DCD staff team go to: Meet the team – Dancers Career Development.
Biography coming soon
Vanessa joined Dancers’ Career Development in summer 2023 as Executive Director. For further information on the DCD staff team go to: Meet the team – Dancers Career Development.
Crystal joined the Dancers’ Career Development Programmes Team in autumn 2024. For further information on the DCD staff team go to: Meet the team – Dancers Career Development.
Biography coming soon
Click here to read bio.
Grace Thompson
She / Her
Grace is a disabled young person who has a plethora of experience in the arts sector as an artist, consultant, and facilitator. Most recently they have worked as a choreographer and teacher for the National Youth Ballet. Grace has also led CPD sessions for this company using a combination of British sign language and their AAC device to communicate. Grace hopes to inspire others to expand what they may think is possible by sharing their own experiences of working with barriers and access needs.
Grace is a disabled young person who has a plethora of experience in the arts sector as an artist, consultant, and facilitator. Most recently they have worked as a choreographer and teacher for the National Youth Ballet. Grace has also led CPD sessions for this company using a combination of British sign language and their AAC device to communicate. Grace hopes to inspire others to expand what they may think is possible by sharing their own experiences of working with barriers and access needs.
The EDI working group meets 4 times per year with a rotating Chair. The group reports directly to the Board of Trustees following each meeting.
Dance artists who formed DCD’s first EDI working group (2022-2024): Alethia Antonia, Sherisse Bisram, Maiya Leeke, Seeta Patel, Nandita Shankardass.
Dance artists who formed DCD’s second EDI working group (2024-2026): Jon Beney, Vipul Bhatti, Sarah Blanc, Bradley Charles, Marie-Astrid Mence, Lucy Turner.
Grants Committee
The Grants Committee, Chaired by DCD Trustee Sarah Eliot-Cohen, is a Sub-Committee of the DCD Board. It meets three times a year to review and award Financial Retraining Grants within a budget set by the DCD Board. The Committee comprises of individuals who bring a diverse range of experience and expertise in multiple genres of dance as well as education and life long learning.
- Chair: Sarah Eliot-Cohen
- Edward (Eddie) De Souza
- Megan Gardiner
- Heather Habens
- Lucy Nicholson
- Genevieve Say (Equity Dance Committee Representative)
- Clare Smart
- Mark Tantam
Finance, Audit and Risk Committee
- Chair: Georgina Robbins
- Adam Adnyana
- Judy Leering
Patrons & Founders
- Angela Rippon CBE
- Christopher Wheeldon OBE
- Dame Ninette de Valois OM, CH, DBE – Founder Patron
- Peter Williams OBE – Founder
- Leslie Caron
- Sir Peter Wright CBE
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