About us Meet the team Meet Rubicon's Staff Kathryn Williams – Director Rubicon’s Director since 2014, I studied Dance at Roehampton. My career has spanned IT, Finance as well as the Third Sector and the Arts. As a postgraduate I studied Entrepreneurship, I’m a Lead Wales graduate and I’m also Wales’ first Pilotlighter. I think that access to the arts in a democratic right and this very much shapes my approach to what I do. I’m also a School Governor, childcare campaigner, advocate for the arts and committed martial artist. I live in the former mining community of the Rhondda in South Wales with my husband and teenage sons. Adam Lloyd-Binding – Centre Coordinator With experience of working in financial environments for over 20 years, Adam heads up the day to day administration and is responsible for the running of the Rubicon premises. If you want to hire a studio, or ask a question, contact him. He is a music buff, loves talking about music to others and suggesting music for dance pieces. Outside of Rubicon, he has a keen interest in reading, playing piano and food. Carmella Searle – Arts Administrator I have been working at Rubicon Dance since 2004. I'm one of three family members working here and my role is Arts Administrator. Jobs include all areas of day to day administration for the Centre Co-Ordinator and Director. I work most evenings on reception, so any enquiries please do not hesitate to ask. Natasha Searle – Receptionist Natasha is a receptionist at Rubicon who covers evening and weekend work as well as her sister Carmella. Rubicon has been a big part of Natasha's life and she has seen many family members dance at Rubicon over the years. You’ll find Natasha behind the desk (mostly with sweets), smiling and ready to help. John Hodgson – Finance Manager John is a chartered accountant who joined Rubicon in 2015 with responsibility to provide financial management and advice across the wide range of the Charity's activities. He has extensive experience in the preparation of accounts, budgets and the provision of financial information for managers of small businesses and charities. Anne-Marie Hodgson – Finance Officer Anne-Marie joined Rubicon Dance in 2016 as Finance Officer and is responsible for sales, purchase book, VAT and payroll administration. After leaving college after passing courses in Business Administration and secretarial studies, Anne-Marie joined her family's business. The family business managed several hotels and leisure parks in Llanwrtyd, the Vale of Glamorgan, West Wales, Devon and Cornwall. Anne-Marie was responsible for all aspects of business management from advertising, marketing, accounting and human resource planning. She was Director Manager for 15 years. Her hobbies include Ballroom and Latin dancing, sequence dancing, walking with her Labrador dogs and eating out with her husband John, Finance Manager at Rubicon Dance. Paul Davies – Head of Vocational Training Graduating from the Central School of Ballet and having been afforded the opportunity to train in Russia at the Kirov Ballet School in 1989, Paul accepted his first professional job with Charleroi/Danses, Belgium in 1991. His professional career to date has spanned 29 years, as an artist- dancer, choreographer and teacher; including professional engagements with, Bare Bones (Dancexchange); and National Dance Company Wales (previously Diversions). He has danced works by Bill T Jones, Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Karol Armitage, Akram Karn, Henri Oguike, Jasmin Vardimon and Terry Beck. He has choreographed various productions including “Alice in Wonderland” at The Castle Theatre, Wellingborough, “My Family and Other Animals” at Jersey Arts Centre and “Apollo and Dionysus”- for Edinburgh Fringe. Whilst leading North East Wales Dance as Artistic Director 2001-07, he devised a new collaborative visual art and dance production “Skin Deep” with Maria Hayes before taking his post as Head of Vocational Training at Rubicon Dance from 2008, where he has continued his career in choreography and teaching. Janet Fieldsend – Assistant Head of Vocational Training and Course Tutor After training in ballet and Contemporary Dance at Arts Educational Schools, London, Janet's initial experience was as a performer. Amongst others Janet performed for Jumpers Dance Theatre (the first incarnation of what has developed into National Dance Company Wales), Moving Being, WNO, Striking Attitudes, and Cwmni Dawns Gwylan. Janet has been active in the Welsh Independent Dance sector for many years since the 1980s and originally worked as a freelance tutor for Rubicon Dance mainly delivering Primary School sector work. She has taught on the Full Time course in its various forms since 1992 and her current role is Course Tutor and Assistant to Course Director. Janet has taught GCSE Dance since 2002 and now delivers this as part of Rubicon’s programme. Siân Rowlands – Youth Producer Siân started dancing through the community groups of Bridgend Youth Theatre and subsequently Bridgend Youth Dance under the artistic direction of Lizzie Davies-MacMillan and Chris Tudor. She went on to study her BA (hons) at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and her Diploma in Dance Teaching and Learning (DDTAL) at Trinity-Laban. Since graduating, Siân has worked as a dancer, choreographer, facilitator and mentor for multiple organisations including New Adventures, Wales Millennium Centre, National Dance Company Wales, National Youth Arts Wales and Ballet Cymru. Tracey Brown – Mentoring, Training and Development Leader Tracey has worked at Rubicon since September 1996 and her very first role was Dance Development Worker, leading dance sessions for a wide range of ages, abilities and backgrounds and contexts whilst setting up Rubicon's development programme across Cardiff which initially targeted five key areas of the city. Twenty four years on Tracey now works four days a week and manages Rubicon CPD programmes, including our annual summer programme for community dance practitioners from across Wales. She leads our community dance apprentice training programme, mentor development as well as the Wales Wide Training Programme (WWTP) which was established in 2013 with seven partners and now has seventeen across Wales from community dance organisations, to venues, to national companies. Highlights for Tracey's time at Rubicon include the success and reach of the development programme, the young dancer programme, the Rubicon to Romania programme working with deaf children in Craiova, the community dance apprentice programme and the Wales Wide Training Programme! Sam Hindle – Dance Development Coordinator My training through childhood included performing on stage, modelling and making a record. I graduated from the ISTD London College of Dance and Drama in 1994 and proceeded to become a freelance dance practitioner. I worked with many organisations teaching and choreographing with some TV work thrown in! In 2001 I set up Rubicon’s Newport Development Programme which has since merged with Cardiff. Part of my post is to stage manage the Schools Dance Festival at St. David's Hall. This is just one of a number of large scale shows I have been involved in, with many of the groups I have worked with performing at events for the Rugby World Cup, Oval Basin and Olympics. I currently job share with Sharon coordinating the Development Programme expanding our schools, health and elderly work. Sharon Teear – Dance Development Coordinator I have worked within the community dance sector with Rubicon since 2002. I began my career as a Dance Leader and then progressed to Dance Development Leader which included administration, practical teaching and establishing dance sessions for PESS mentoring primary school teachers, teaching OCN. dance courses (WEA accredited),coordinating work-based learning placements, projects and workshops. I then went onto become the Newport Development Co-ordinator and after this the Cardiff Development coordinator. During my time at Rubicon I have also been a Creative Agent for the Lead Creative Schools Scheme and worked on an Age Cymru research project to produce a resource pack for dance for 60+. I also have a wealth of experience in delivering sessions to a wide range of ages and abilities (leading sessions in school sessions, family sessions, youth sessions, disability, elderly, hospice and hospital sessions). I currently work with my collegue Sam Hindle as Development Co-coordinators for a large outreach development dance programme working across Cardiff, The Vale and Newport. Lauren Williams – Fundraising Officer Lauren graduated from Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2016 with a BA Hons in Dance. Lauren has worked at Rubicon Dance ever since assisting with fundraising, particularly applying to trusts and foundations. Lauren loves organising events, especially the annual Rubicon Dance Schools' Festival which works with 60+ schools across South Wales. Outside of Rubicon, Lauren is a trained Latin American dancer who loves all things Strictly! Millie Bethel – Fundraising Officer Millie graduated from Cardiff University in July 2019 with a first class honours degree in English Literature and joined Rubicon in October that year as part of A&B Cymru’s Creative Internship Scheme. After being involved with community organisations from a young age, Millie’s role at Rubicon mainly involves community fundraising, but she also has a keen eye for design and enjoys creating marketing materials to promote Rubicon’s work. Millie also looks after the Rubicon website and writes the new content to keep it to date. In her spare time Millie is always looking for a good book to read and likes to visit museums and galleries. Esther KilBride – Dance Leader Esther completed her community dance apprenticeship training with Rubicon Dance in 2013 and has worked as a community dance leader since then. She currently leads a wide variety of regular sessions in Cardiff, working with around two hundred and fifty people a week. Her areas of particular interest are dance and disability as well as dance for early years, and dance and dementia. Esther leads Rubicon’s disabled adults programme through the week as well as the children and young people disability dance sessions and the Saturday kids creative sessions. She leads Rubicon’s youth disabilities performance group as well as teaching in care homes, schools, and special schools across Cardiff. Anwen Davies – Dance Leader Anwen has worked at Rubicon since 2004. Over the years she has taught in many different settings but currently she delivers sessions in health settings, elderly homes, family sessions, high school and over 50's. Outside of work she is busy with her two boys. Aisling Baxter – Dance Apprentice Aisling originally completed Rubicon's full time course in 2011 before continuing her training on the Contemporary Dance Foundation course at Northern School of Contemporary Dance and graduating in 2016 with a BA (Hons) in Dance and Drama with Aerial Performance. Aisling is currently an apprentice for Rubicon, work shadowing 14 sessions a week in various primary schools and at the centre. Rhian Dwyer – Dance Leader Rhian graduated with a BA Hons Contemporary Dance Degree in 2017. In 2018, she completed a one year apprenticeship in community dance with Rubicon and the Wales Wide Training Programme, where she worked to the 5 key areas of the National Occupational Standards for Dance Leadership. In January 2020, she became a full-time community dance practitioner at Rubicon Dance. She currently teaches on the centre programme here at Rubicon and on the development programme throughout Cardiff and Newport. Lucy Lloyd – Dance Leader Lucy trained at Performers College, and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance with a BA(Hons) in Dance Education. Lucy has been working at Rubicon for the past 2 years after moving from North Wales. After completing a 6 month apprenticeship with Rubicon, Lucy became a full time member of staff leading dance sessions in the community and on the centre programme. Lucy predominantly works within school settings with young children as well as co-ordinating and teaching the GCSE Dance course, a new initiative for Rubicon. Outside of Rubicon Lucy can be found walking her dog on the beach singing along to her favourite musical, Mary Poppins! Kimberlee Steele - Dance Leader Kimberlee joined the Rubicon team in 2015, but has been fully immersed in dance industry for over 10 years. For Kimberlee, there has been a lot of different dance projects, classes and jobs over the years (one of which included dressing up as a giant daffodil), but teaching for Rubicon is her absolute favourite. Being a self taught hip hop/street dancer and choreographer, Kimberlee’s style has an old school vibe where she specialises in House, Locking, Dancehall and Street. This has led her to predominately teach Street on the Rubicon centre programme. Kimberlee also teaches a range of sessions in primary/high schools, over 50s sessions, the BTEC Street module and youth/flagship programmes. Although her passion is dance, Kimberlee has a Degree and a Masters in Criminology and use to be a county swimmer. She loves beef monster munch and most of her friends and work colleagues know her as “Bob” (adopted nickname)! Sophie Batey – Dance Leader Sophie has been working for Rubicon Dance since 2006. She has a degree in dance, PGCE in further education and completed an apprenticeship in community dance here at Rubicon. Sophie leads a diverse range of classes from education, elderly, hospitals, disabilities and scholarship and flagship programmes. She enjoys having a rich and varied programme of work and seeing the positive effects that dance has on people’s health and wellbeing. Sally Varrall – Dance Leader Sally contributes to the health & well-being programme facilitating sessions in the children's dancing programme in hospital at Noah's Ark and LATCH, as well as the older people care programme at Llandough Hospital, St David's Hospital, and St Isan Care Home. Sally also contributes to the Rubicon Centre programme, teaching the over 55's Contemporary class. Dancing with others is a joyful experience. Her approach to facilitating and leading sessions is person-centred, focusing on the creative potential in all individuals and how we can connect with each other through moving and dancing together. Her learning and development in dance has been gathered through working within many diverse community and educational contexts, including contributing to and leading the Dance degree programme at Cardiff Metropolitan University. More recently she has been particularly inspired by just how much dancing and connecting has to offer vulnerable populations.