Mentors

Ronke Adékoluẹjo
Actor
Trained at RADA, graduating in 2013, and soon afterwards, won roles in Suspects (Channel 5), Cold Feet (ITV), the BAFTA-nominated Chewing Gum (E4) and NW (BBC). She also had leading roles as Sade in Big Age (Channel4), Jack Starbright in Alex Rider (Amazon) and Gloria in Rain Dogs (BBC/HBO) Her film credits include Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, and Disney’s Christopher Robin (both 2018); and most recently in The Big Other (2020) and Chevalier (2022) Among a long list of stage credits, Ronke‘s performance in The Mountaintop (with Gbolahan Obisesan) directed by Roy Alexander Weise at the Young Vic, was described as ‘riveting’; and subsequent roles in Hole and Cyprus Avenue at the Royal Court Theatre, and Three Sisters at The National have met with similar praise. Ronke won an Ian Charleson award for her performance in Three Sisters. In the summer of 2021, she starred in the one woman show LAVA by Benedict Lombe at the Bush Theatre to rave reviews.

Sheila Atim
Actor / Director
Is a multi-award winning actor-musician and writer based in London. Her work ranges from major UK theatres and the West End to international screen projects for BBC, Netflix, Amazon and film. Sheila has a keen interest in all artistic media and is a passionate advocate of programmes and initiatives which aim to provide access to the arts for all.

Ella Condron
Actor
trained at Drama Centre London. Theatre credits include: Macbeth (Globe Theatre), Tempest (RSC, Barbican), Jane Eyre (National Theatre, Bristol Old Vic), Some Girls (Park Theatre), Spokesong (Finborough Theatre), Titus Andronicus (Greenwich Theatre), Macbeth (R-ft Theatre, site-specific) TV includes: Funny Girl (Sky), I Hate Suzie (Sky), Years & Years (BBC), Eastenders (BBC), The Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (BBC) Film includes: Wasp (Philippe Audi-Dor, won best actress at Filmout San Diego), Helping Hand (Netflix), IT (Cavan Clerkin). Having come up against closed doors many times in her career, Elly is keen to help a younger generation of up-and-coming artists prise those damn doors wide open and kickstart theirs with confidence.

Louis Greenwood
Music Producer
makes up one half of the duo, Wayward, who have written music and produced with the likes of Calibre, Skrillex, Park Hye Jin, Catching Flies, Eliza Rose, and Chelou. On top of this, his own music has caught the attention of Apple Music, Gilles Peterson, Mary Anne Hobbs, Tom Ravenscroft, Annie Mac, Lauren Laverne, Mixmag, Dummy, Boiler Room and DJ Mag and this success has transcended onto the road with tour support highlights including Carl Cox, Marco Corola, Gilles Peterson, Gaslamp Killer and Maribou State, DJing at festivals from Glastonbury to SXSW via Space Ibiza and Fabric Room 1. He also A&R's for the electronic imprint Silver Bear which is building a solid following as a result of a string of impressive releases over the past 4 years. Louis has also has been mentoring young people from the age of 16, starting at WAC Arts through his early years and now teaching diploma students at the West London college, The Rhythm Studio.

Martina Laird
Actor / Director
has worked extensively in the industry as an actor and teacher. Theatre work includes The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal National Theatre, The Almeida, The Royal Court, The Tricycle, The Globe, Theatre Royal Stratford East and the Donmar Warehouse. She was nominated for a Best Actress Evening Standard Award for her role in the play by Trinidadian playwright Errol John, Moon On A Rainbow Shawl. Having appeared in many television series, Martina is best known as the popular character Comfort Jones on BBC’s flagship drama Casualty. In her five years on the show, she also won two acting awards for her work from the Michael Elliott Foundation and the BFM (Screen Nation) Awards. She has directed fringe theatre as well as many student productions and is Associate Director on Get Up Stand Up, the West End Bob Marley musical

Kevin Mark Trail
Singer / Songwriter / Producer
an artist with world critical acclaim. From the UK, Kevin has had solo releases with EMI records, and Warner Records. As a vocalist he has contributed to recordings with Jamie Cullum, Emeli Sande, Gregory Porter to name a few, and has been a long standing member of Mike Skinners band The Streets Many consider him to be a musical chameleon, due to his influences and ability to move between musical genres.

Danny Sapani
Actor
is a British born actor of Ghanaian descent, whose work spans film, television, and theatre. A graduate of Weekend Arts College and The Central School of Speech and Drama, he is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Sembene in Penny Dreadful, Tony Morecombe in Misfits as well as roles in Doctor Who, Star Wars, The Last Jedi, Black Panther, Jadotville and Trance directed by Danny Boyle. He has also worked in India starring in Tezz, Singham 2 and Tarakasura. Recently he appeared as Jahan Zakari, Prime Minister in the critically acclaimed TV series Mother, Father, Son, and as Jamie in Killing Eve. He is currently working on Showtime’s series adaptation of the Xbox game Halo playing Captain Jacob Keyes.

Rosie Wilson-Sidlauskas
Dancer / Choreographer
After graduating Rosie worked as a freelance artist in many independent projects involving creative, performance and teaching work across London, New York, France, Denmark, Senegal, and Netherlands. Performing as a hip-hop and contemporary dance artist extensively with Myself UK Dance Company and The Locksmiths Dance Co. In 2019 she produced, directed, and performed ‘Pramkicker’ a two- hander theatre piece performed at The Hope Theatre, Islington. After a decade in the city Rosie relocated to the Midlands to build her own self-sufficient tiny house to create a ‘nest’ to be creative from. Currently she is a part of the faculty team of freelance dance and movement teaches at Rambert and welcomes the idea of being a mentor for the new initiative: The Kieran Taylor Scholarship Trust.

Sophia Mackay
Actor / singer / dancer / wellness
Sophia Mackay is a Wellness in the Arts Advocate who works as a Performing Artist, Dance Fitness Choreographer and Author. As the founder of Zaiah Arts, Europe's foremost Caribbean dance fitness entity, her mission is to help women build confidence and foster self-expression through dance and movement. Her focus transcends physical fitness as we spotlight and elevate the voices of marginalized individuals within the dance and fitness sector, navigating the intersection of women's health, mental well-being, and the cultural nuances and identity dimensions of fitness. Zaiah Arts redefines the narrative on fitness classes, embracing a spirit of fun, inclusivity, and a pioneering outlook on overall wellness. As the driving force behind St. Thomas Mackay London - a well-being stationary company launched in 2022, she strives to provide creatives with essential self-care tools and organizational resources to achieve a harmonious work-life balance. Through pioneering journals, planners, and written materials, her mission is to instil positive mental health practices, fostering a resilient artistic community. In the realm of musical theatre, Sophia's accolades include an Offie Best Actress Nomination for "Bubbly Black Girl Who Sheds Her Chameleon Skin," contributions to the Olivier-nominated "Get Up Stand Up - The Bob Marley Musical," and a pivotal role in the international tour of "Dirty Dancing."

Yana Stajno
Artist
I was born in Zimbabwe to a French artist mother and a Polish architect father. My education was provided by nuns at Catholic convents all over Southern Africa and by the beauty of the landscape. At Cape Town University I studied English and Drama, engaged in political street theatre and became an anti-apartheid activist. In 1975, I was exiled to London. Here, I studied physiotherapy and Chinese medicine which I still practice. After writing several radio plays, an award-winning stage play, short stories and a novel, I began to study fine art in 2002 at various art colleges including the Royal Drawing School. For the past 20 years I have painted from life and in my studio in N22. I have been exhibited my work locally and nationally and have sold my painting all over the world. I have also facilitated art workshops at schools with the Booster Cushion children’s theatre company, run workshops at Collage Arts for people of all ages and have featured at big street art events.
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Natasha Khamjani
Choreographer
Natasha Khamjani trained at the prestigious London Studio Centre and worked as a versatile performer before deciding to concentrate on being a creative from behind the scenes, although she still finds herself making cameos on various projects! She mainly works as freelance choreographer across the industry including theatre commissions as well as commercial and corporate jobs. Her signature is to fuse a variety of styles together with a strong and sometimes humorous narrative to create something spectacular. Natasha is also Co Artistic Director of Folk Dance Remixed, a successful company who fuse folk and hip hop dance and music to produce quirky, magical and highly entertaining shows. They are currently tour the UK and appearing at outdoor festivals and events up and down the country. www.folkdanceremixed.com Having worked in mass movement on various ceremonies, when the opportunity arose to warm up the 80,000 strong crowds at the London Olympics she jumped at the chance…a moment she’ll never forget especially as she knew Brad Pitt was in the audience! This opened the doors to more hosting opportunities and she has recently hosted events for Move It (the UK’s biggest dance exhibition), Lewisham Peoples Day, The Fourth Plinth Arts Awards at City Hall, Big Dance, East London Dance and regularly for Folk Dance Remixed. She is a passionate and sought after education specialist and has worked for various organisations including the RAD, East London Dance, Dance East, Mimbre, The Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Garsington Opera, Welsh National Opera, Glyndebourne, Grange Festival, Swindon Dance, Southwark and Merton music services as well as many schools and colleges including Millennium, Urdang and London Studio Centre. She co runs a theatre school in her community – www.dnpa.co.uk

Elly Crowther
Dance
Elly is an Oxfordshire based Community Dance Artist. She completed her BA Honours in Contemporary Dance in 2003 at London Contemporary Dance School and later gained a PGCE (Post-16) at Truro College. Elly has a history of working with vulnerable young people and has extensive experience working in inclusive and community settings. Director of Oxford Youth Dance since 2018 (taking over from founder Cecilia Macfarlane), the company turns 40 years old in 2026! Elly has had a varied career as an Independent Dance Artist including performing with Swerve Dance Theatre, Oxford Dance Forum, Crossover Projects, Adrienne Hart (Neon Dance), Coca-Cola at London 2012, Curious Company as well as touring as Stage manager for the Destino Project throughout the UK and in Ethiopia. Elly has worked on projects with Dancin’ Oxford and The Mill Arts centre for many years and recently choreographed for the Reaching Out project with DIY Theatre. One of Elly’s biggest joys is dancing and performing alongside her two young daughters. For the past 12 years Elly’s company Ellyfish & Things have performed at Green Man Festival in the Little Folk area, along with her family, creating innovative family friendly walkabouts and bespoke stage performances. Elly recently joined the team at Anjali Dance Company, leading the Banbury Open Class for young adults with learning disabilities, she was also thrilled to lead on Anjali’s ‘Dance, Develop, Perform!’ summer school. With a passion for improvisation, somatic work & storytelling, Elly loves working in an inclusive and intergenerational way, particularly with children and their families and with marginalised groups including local refugee families. She wholeheartedly believes dance is for everyone and that every ‘body’ dances in their own way. This led to the creation of her online project: Every Body Dances during the pandemic. https://linktr.ee/EveryBodyDances Elly is excited about becoming a mentor for young dance artists through the Kieran Taylor Scholarship Trust and recognises and appreciates how vital mentors can be in helping artists develop.

