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Isolte Avila - Dance Director/ dancer/ international collaborations

Trained with the Cuban Ballet and The Netherlands Dance Theatre. She has a degree in Dance from California Institute of the Arts, where she won a scholarship from the Disney Foundation. She is fluent in BSL grass roots signing and is learning international sign. She has worked with choreographers: Ismael Ivo 1995-1998, Stuttgart Ballet, Milton Meyers, Alvin Ailey since 1985, Carlos Orta Limon Dance Company 1997-1999 and Ornella D'Agostino Carovana SMI 2002-2008.

Her acting experience includes playing Freda Kahlo in Liz Crow's award winning film. Recently she has been working alongside BBC Radio 4 as associate artist on A Small Piece Of Silence, and Dragonfly directed by Sue Roberts, as well as Shall I Say A Kiss directed by Polly Thomas, and will soon be working on a BBC Collaboration with SDC ' Bad Elvis'

She is the founder of the art form signdance, managing and developing the signdance trust through from 1987 - 2000 .

In 2001 she formed Signdance Collective with actor David Bower. Isolte tours and performs internationally with SDC.Within the U.K She has led several projects for the Cultural Olympiad and for London 2012 including the ICARUS Project with Driving Inspiration an Opening Ceremony Project for London 2012, and for the 2012 Festival - Showcase .

Isolte has worked extensively with the Ana Desetnica International street theatre Festival in Slovenia through SDC , and well as with Teatro En vol, coreoarte in Venezuela, and Carovana SMI in Sardinia .

SDC has been developing contemporary street dance/theatre work since 2001

David Karl Bower Director/ film-artist/ Dance Artist/ Actor.

David attended Clwyd Youth Theatre and studied mime with Geoff Buckely. He then studied 'Theatre of the Deaf' at Bulmershe College of Further Education. He joined The Basic Theatre Company, played 'Gary' in the award winning production 'Gary' which premiered at The Warehouse in 1990. He studied the newly created art form Signdance as an apprentice performer at Common Ground Sign Dance Theatre. He played young Lucius at The Octagon Theatre in 'Titus Andronicus'. Orin in 'Children of the Lesser God' in Derby Playhouse'.

He rejoined Common Ground as it became the Signdance Collective as Artistic Director undertook numerous roles in productions includes, 'Asia Rising', 'Travelling', 'You hide and I'll go and blow up the generator', Answer me with Silence', 'Borders and Free ways', 'Caliban and Miranda, the Prequel', Art Pepper in 'But Beautiful', 'The Words', 'Listen', 'Named Space', 'Faust', 'Here', 'New Gold' and 'Half a Penny'., The Other Side Of The Coin' Whilst collaborating with Sardenian based Dance Theatre Company 'Caravona' he the played the role of the hero in 'The Hero' a large scale site specific happening in Sardenia's street theatre festival. He has also played as a clown in several productions at Gobal Clowns in Holland and Ana Desetnica in Slovenia. He has dramaturged 'The Flight of Icarus' a paralympian production and 'Spenno's Dance'. He appeared in 'The Hatred of Music' directed by Barbara Kaplansky, working with artists from Betontanc. He has toured extensively performing at major street theatre festivals and theatre festivals in Slovenia, India, Spain, Estonia, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Holland and the U.S.A.

He makes films at the Signdance Collective, these include; stage production films, 'Caliban and Miranda', 'But Beautiful', 'You Hide and I'll go and blow up the Generator' and 'Asia Rising'. Short films include 'Secret Signs', 'Relics', 'Beast', 'Firesigns', 'Urban Warrior', 'Campaign to be Me one', and 'Campaign to be Me two'. His films have been screened across the globe at festivals and events.

Radio work includes, Quasimodo, 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', BBC Radio Four, 'Shall I say a Kiss', BBC Radio Four, 'Dragonfly', BBC Radio Four, and 'A Small Piece of Silence', also at BBC Radio Four working with Sue Roberts and Polly Thomas. He has also translated these productions into sign for BBC 'On-line visual radio'

Television credits include; 'Learn Sign Please', a series for children, Channel Four, Casualty, BBC One, 'Travelog, From Noise to Silence, a journey from Calcutta to Sikkim', Channel Four, 'Doctors', BBC One, 'Hetty Wainthorpe Investigates' BBC One, 'Graffitti', S4C. As well as numerous interviews on both television and radio.

Film work includes 'Feel the Rhythm', Directed by James Brecknock, 'Little Voices', Directed by Chris McFall, 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', Directed by Mike Newell. 'Poseidon's Palace', Directed by Fleur Howle. Soon he will be appearing and co-writing in 'Rapid Intervention', Directed by Mark Collins.

David also makes Lantern Puppets for large scale street theatre productions as well as various set design activity.

He is currently an associate lecturer at the theatre department at Bucks New University where his company, Signdance Collective is based. He is currently a director on the board for NDACCA, National Disability Arts Archival Initiative. David has artistically and creatively led the art form 'Signdance' since 1994 and continues to tour extensively both performing and delivering workshops throughout the year.

Angelina Schwammerlin

Angelina Schwammerlin (aka Lila) Music Director

Angelina Schwammerlin is a contemporary musician based in Graz in Austria. As a sound artist, she creates acoustic patterns & soundscapes using live, recorded, natural & digital elements. In 2006, Angelina finished her scientific work "Music as Expression" (Ways of Communication).

She plays in a band called "Henry-H" who released their first album in 2013. The current project, "Inbetween Spaces" is peripheral and emotional in both form and lyric. The band questions the dominating standards in a global world.

While Angelina is studying Anthropology, she is also the director of the umbrella organisation, Transmitter Performance. The group is developing contemporary culture projects.

Angelina has been working with Signdance Collective International since 2012. She composed the soundtrack for "Carthage" and is training with the company exploring methods of working as a musician within a dance-theatre process.

She says "I love developing work that engages different cultures and arts professionals, to have the opportunity to write music and music concepts, especially for Signdance Collective with their accessible way of creating contemporary live performance."