People

Our Staff

AGNèS Michelet, DIRECTOR

Migrating from France to Australia in 2000, Agnès has carved out a career as a highly respected individual in the national dance sector. Previous roles include Program Manager and Acting Executive Producer of FORM Dance Projects, General Manager of Darwin’s Tracks Dance Company, and Director of STRUT Dance in Perth. Prior to her career in Australia, Agnès worked with a broad range of performing arts organisations in France, including the European Centre for Contemporary Mimodrama, street theatre company Friches Theatre Urbain, and multimedia dance artist Jean-Marc Matos. Agnès has served as a Peer Assessor and Dance Board Advisor at the Australia Council for the Arts; is an Asialink Residency alumnus; holds a Masters in Cross-Disciplinary Art and Design from UNSW; and also a classically trained pianist!

IRA FERRIS, PRODUCER

Ira Ferris is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, curator, and dramaturg with foundation in dance and somatic practices, as well as MA in Journalism and BA in Art History. She is co-Artistic Director of Artemis Projects, Associate Artist with The Living Room Theatre, host of ‘Arts Monday: Sympoiesis’ on Eastside 89.7FM, co-author of SPACE BODY HABIT with Elia Bosshard, and contributor to experimental arts publication ADSR Zine. As a dancer, for 15 years she was a member of Zagreb Youth Theatre (Croatia) and currently trains in De Quincey Co’s BodyWeather. Her practice explores alternatives to the Western concept of time, and working/living methodologies that emerge out of that. She is interested in opening dance to diverse bodies and ways of moving, including the very subtle and minute. 

Jasmin Sheppard, FIRST NATIONS ARTIST CURATOR

Jasmin is a Tagalaka, Settler, Hungarian Chinese Contemporary dance artist and choreographer. Jasmin spent 12 years with Bangarra Dance Theatre, performing lead roles such as ‘Patyegarang’. She choreographed ‘MACQ’ for the company in 2013. She has worked independently as a choreographer since 2018: ‘Choice Cut’ for Yirramboi festival and Toronto’s ‘Fall For Dance North’ Festival, ‘The Complication of Lyrebirds’ Sydney Festival (developed and presented by Campbelltown AC and Native Earth Theatre Company), ‘Value For Money’ Araluen Arts Centre and Darwin Festival, ‘Given Unto Thee’ Sydney Dance Company, ‘宿 (stay)’ by S. Shakthidharan (performer, movement director, associate writer). Her work is passionate, political and has been described as “surreal and highly evocative” (The Australian).

Neil Godfrey, Finance and administration manager

Neil was born in Perth and grew up pursuing a comprehensive education combined with playing competitive sport, eventually culminating in an MBA. At the age of sixteen, he discovered music and theatre which became his great passions and led to a career in the arts and not for profit sectors. This experience included setting up the Goldfields Arts Centre in Kalgoorlie, WA and working as a Production Manager with Sydney Theatre Company.

Matt Cornell, Digital Artist-Curator

Matt Cornell is an award-winning choreographer and composer based in the Asia Pacific, working to ask better questions. His career interrogates how we embody systems – social, cultural, political, or technological – and in turn how these systems embody us by forming communities and informing identities. His work takes multiple forms including dancing, performance, sound composition, writing, podcasting, and curation, in varying contexts including in theatres, galleries, public spaces, and online. Across these radically different contexts is the core effort of creating spaces, events, and experiences through which we can gather, to share something which might give rise to new ways to know ourselves and each other and the stories we tell ourselves. That we may get better at living together.

KAREN STEAINS, FINANCIAL CONSULTANT

Karen manages Critical Path’s financial reporting and advises on all matters related. She is administrator and CFO at Synergy & Taikoz Ltd as well as a professional photographer.

Our Committee

BRENDAN O’CONNELL, acting chair

Brendan has held senior management, programming and producing roles at Sydney Opera House, City of Sydney, Performance Space, Sydney Festival, Adelaide Fringe, and the Australian Consulate-General in New York working across artforms and genres on a suite of large-scale projects and festivals. Brendan is currently Executive Producer at Lucy Guerin Inc.

Alexio Chibika, Treasurer

Alexio is a Chartered Accountant with extensive audit experience in an international audit firm across five countries. He is currently a Senior Audit Manager and is responsible for the audits of large listed and multinational organisations. He has experience in Audit, Financial Management, Corporate Governance, Internal controls and Financial Reporting. He has also volunteered as Treasurer for various Not-for-profit entities.

VIRGINIA LEE

Virginia is a legally qualified professional with extensive strategic and operational experience in government, think tanks and non-profit organisation. She has a background in international trade relations, Asia engagement and law. Her expertise is in developing sustainable corporate strategy, risk assessment, and governance. She currently works in Trade and Investment within the NSW Treasury and is a Board Member on the Professionals in International Trade.

Azzam Mohamed, ARTIST REPRESENTATIVE

Azzam, also known as Shazam, is a dancer, performer, and educator from Sudan. Azzam’s dance practice encompasses a range of styles, from traditional cultural dance through to hip hop styles, he is able to bring these forms together to create a breathtaking original dance fusion that echoes his history and at the same time showcases his incredible ability as a dancer. Azzam’s dance practice involves teaching at studios and festivals, performing and touring in stage shows, competing in dance competitions and judging, organizing events, facilitating workshops, and mentoring and coaching young and emerging Australian dancers.

lee-anne Litton, ARTIST REPRESENTATIVE

Lee-Anne Litton is a NSW based performance maker, physical performer and collaborator originally from Mandurah, Western Australia who has created and performed in works within the realms of dance, circus and physical theatre. Lee-Anne’s curiosity in the line between aerial performance and dance theatre, is also influenced by her strong investigation and passion for Contact Improvisation. Lee-Anne is passionate about the framework of interdisciplinary thinking and creativity in regards to the challenge of climate and social change.

TAMMI GISSELL

Tammi Gissell is the Collections Access Coordinator, First Nations at The Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, NSW. She is a Muruwarri-Wiradjuri woman born in North-West NSW. Tammi is also a performer, poet, performance theorist, choreographer, researcher and writer; having performed, lectured and consulted regionally, nationally and internationally across the spectrum of contemporary & contemporary-Indigenous performance since 1996. Prior to her current role, Tammi led the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Assessment Team for the Collection, Relocation and Digitisation Project for the new Powerhouse Parramatta. She holds a Bachelor of Performance: Theory and Practice (Honours) from the University of Western Sydney (UWS); was inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society for achievements in performance theory in 2004 and later graduated Deans’ Medallist and Reconciliation Scholar in 2005. From 2007-2011 Tammi was Course Coordinator at NAISDA Dance College while also presenting her body of solo works and appearing with leading Australian dance-theatre makers including Mirramu Dance Co., The Physical TV Company, Branch Nebula, Kinetic Energy Theatre Co., Lina Limosani, Jason Pitt, Darren Green, Bernadette Walong and Liz lea & Co. Since 2014 Tammi has been an independent assessor for EttingshausensPro full time dance program, Sydney.

VICTORIA HOUSTON  

Victoria Houston is a lawyer and a Business Affairs Lead at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation where she negotiates television and audio production deals. Previously Victoria was the National Industrial Officer for Actors Equity (MEAA) for many years where she worked closely with dancers from Sydney Dance Company, The Australian Ballet and Opera Australia negotiating their collective bargaining agreements and recording and broadcasting deals. She has also worked at the Arts Law Centre of Australia advising artists and for 21 years has had a side hustle ushering at the Sydney Opera House. Victoria is passionate about the Arts, especially dance in all its forms.