COMPANY
David Bower Artistic
Director Signdance Collective U.K
Performer / Lead Artist Znakovni Ples
David Bower
Short Portfolio
With over thirty years in theatre film and radio, David Bower firmly believes in the transformative power of art. His passion lies in exploring the depths of character, uncovering both highs and lows on their journey.
David attended the innovative “Theatre of the Deaf” course at Bulmershe College of Further Education in 1987. Here, he delved into the techniques and cultural impact of Deaf Theatre.
Geoff Buckley, a close friend of Steven Berkoff and a mime artist, left an indelible mark on David’s career as a teacher. Buckley demonstrated that performances could speak volumes without words.
Under the tutelage of lifelong teacher and partner Isolte Avila, David mastered the groundbreaking Signdance Theatre methodology and embraced the Californian Institute of the Arts philosophy.
You might recognize David as Hugh Grant’s brother in Curtis’ Four Weddings and a Funeral. His work at BBC Radio 4 garnered acclaim, including an APA Award nomination in 2021 for portraying John Singer in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and a best BBC radio production award for his performance as Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (adapted by Jack Thorne and Alex Bulmer).
David hails from Welsh Mancunian roots, with family connections in Anglesey and Salford.
He finds solace in nature, enjoying swimming, cycling, and the literary works of Roger Deakin and Umberto Eco.
His design work for the productions "Half A Penny" Gigante Puppets in Caliban And Miranda has received wide acclaim. He is currently developing the design and storyboard for the 2025 NOTIZEN Production with Transmitter Performance in Austria. With SDC David collaborates with remarkable companies like Theatre Of Salt in Croatia and Ana Monro in Slovenia He is currently collaborating with Ana Monro on Stream Walkers and is a recipient of a Goethe Institute Award. He is a lead artist at Znakovni Ples is Pula Croatia
MARIA De Graal AKA
Isolte Avila- Director Znakovni Ples / Signdance Europe. Performer DIrector-Coordinator SDC UK
isolte /Maria Avila De Graal Short Portfolio
Isolte Avila De Graal was born in Santiago de Oriente, Cuba, and is a Cuban–Puerto Rican dancer, choreographer, and pioneer of Signdance Theatre. She trained with the Cuban Ballet and members of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, later earning her master’s degree in dance from the California Institute of the Arts. Her early career included work with Ismael Ivo, summers at Tanz Impuls Vienna, and performances with Carlos Ortas’s Choreo‑Arte in Venezuela, Milton Meyers and Gus Solomons in New York City, and Freddick Bratcher in Miami. She also danced at the Copa Cabana in Miami and sang at The Tower of London Restaurant.
Isolte is the founder and original pioneer of Signdance Theatre™, created in London in 1987. She has developed the movement language for many of the company’s award‑winning works, including Lunera at Battersea Arts Centre, described by Yinka Shonibare as “a perfect piece of dance art.” Performance highlights include Dancing Through the Amazonia with Choreo‑Arte (1998), recent international touring of In Between Spaces and Oriente Plus / Power Cut (2020–2023), and national tours of India with Dances for a Lost Traveler (2017) and The Tempest at Prithvi Theatre.
Her direction and choreography for Caridad Cvich’s Carthage/Cartagena (2017–2020) received international acclaim and is featured in Kasia Lech’s major new publication on European theatre. The work, like many of SDC’s recent productions, was funded by Arts Council England, Arts Council Wales, Graz Kultur, and the Austrian Cultural Arts.
Significant collaborations include Prometheus Bound at The Old Vic (1999), Silence and Travelling with Carovana SMI Sardinia, and Alone in the Crowd and The Cry of the City with Ana Monro, Slovenia. She recently collaborated with Pop‑Up Theatrics on Broken City Wall Street in New York City and with The Orange Tree Theatre, London, on The Solid Life of Sugar Water by Jack Thorne, directed by Indiana Lown‑Collins — a production that won an Offie Award.
Isolte is currently collaborating with Ana Monro on Stream Walkers and is a recipient of a Goethe Institute Award. She is artist‑in‑residence for NOTIZEN with Transmitter Performance, co‑produced by Znakovni Ples and funded by Graz City and Styria.
Her recent educational work includes developing Signdance Next Generation, funded by The Rothschild Foundation. Isolte is the director of the European Signdance NGO based in Pula, Croatia.
Testimonial — Orange Tree Theatre, London
“Isolte brought such a pure light and spirit to the creative team. Her presence elevated the room, and her contribution to The Solid Life of Sugar Water by Jack Thorne, directed by Indiana Lown‑Collins, was exceptional. She is a master at what she does, and we would love to have her back again.” — Sarah & Alex, Orange Tree Theatre
Angelina Schwammerlin
Composer/Musician / Performer Znakovni Ples & Signdance Collective
Angelina, also known as Lila, is a sound artist from Graz, Austria. Utilizing various instruments such as the flute, strings, and her voice, she creates soundscapes that blend natural and digital elements.
In 2006, Angelina wrote her diploma thesis on "Music as Expression" and trained in immersive theater with Ana Monro in Slovenia. Since 2012, she has worked as both a composer and performer, exploring interdisciplinary approaches within dance-theater processes with the Signdance Collective. She is currently collaborating with Znakovni Ples as a sound artist on a project called NOTIZEN. With the Signdance Group, Angelina has composed music and performed in productions such as "Gertrude McFuzz," "Carthage/Cartagena," and "In Between Spaces." She has also toured internationally in these roles. In 2015, Angelina founded Transmitter Performance Association, overseeing and producing various art and cultural projects.
She says: "I love creating work that engages different cultures and arts professionals, and to have the opportunity to write music and develop projects for the most accessible way of contemporary live performance.
Golda DaHan
Performer Education& Engagement Signdance Collective UK
Israeli Dancer Golda trained and performed with Moshe Efrati of the former Bat-Sheva Dance Company and the founder of the Sound and Silence (Kol and Demama) Dance Company in Tel-Aviv, incorporating deaf and hearing dancers, touring with them in Israel and Europe.
In 1987, she moved to Britain to join Common Ground Sign Dance Theatre, where she toured, performed, and led workshops in signdance theatre. Golda is a founding artist of the art form signdance theatre.
She's worked with the Shape London' Deaf Dance Project' at Sadler Wells Theatre and performed with Fiesta, Islington. She has a diploma from Hackney College London's Introduction to Community Dance, after which she became a freelance dance artist at Rachel Elliot company, extensively leading dance workshops for deaf children and young people. She also performed with Adesola Akeley of the Saltire Dance Company. She was part of SDC's Next Generation programme funded by the Rothschild Foundation. Golda leads the UK workshop programme
Barbara Bulatovic
Associate Director Performer SDC /Znakovni Ples
BARBARA BULATOVIĆ – puppeteer, producer, art and stage designer, director:
Barbara Bulatović was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, to Miodrag Bulatović and Nuša Kansky Bulatović. She discovered her passion for puppetry in early childhood, as a member of an amateur troupe mentored by Lojze Kovačič.
After studying English and Russian literature at Ljubljana University, she left Slovenia and got her bachelor degree at ESNAM- The School of Puppet Art in Charleville-Mézières, France. She continued her studies and obtained her masters at the Akademie Muzickych Umeni in Prague (Czech Republic). She joined Speakeasy pictures company from Edinburgh and worked with reffugies from the Balkan war, 1991- 1999. These activities were meant to stimulate and motivate children, adolescent and adult refugees and help them to overcome traumas from their past. Having settled in Ljubljana in 1997, she has been independently directing, producing and designing many projects, performances and art installations.
Signdance Group associate artists & Associate Artistic Directors & Executive Producer UK
Zhiling Guo
Apprentice Artist
PhD Theatre Studies
University Of Warwick UK
Experience
May 2023 Shenzhen Futian District Disability Federation
As a facilitator and director, working with neurodiversity groups and groups recovering from mental illnesses. And rehearsed a play, "Tear off the label and see who I am".
APRIL - JUNE 2023 Shenzhen Yuanping Special Education School
As a drama teacher, working with autistic and learning-disabled students.
17 - 28 OCTOBER 2022 SIGNDANCE COLLECTIVE
As an artist, working with Deaf and hearing artists to research sign dance project, ‘Places, Faces, and Broken Hearts"
6 OCTOBER 2022 FINGER-SMITHS
As an assistant, I participated in physical theatre workshops with Deaf people in the UK and China.
25-30 JULY 2022 SIGNDANCE COLLECTIVE & THE THEATRE SHED
As a facilitator, inclusive and international collaborative sign language workshops with local young people.
MAY - JULY 2022 ACCESS ALL AREAS
As a Creative Partner, working with learning-disabled and autistic adults.
MARCH-MAY 2022 OUTWARD - HUB CLUB
As a theatre volunteer, working with learning-disabled and autistic adults.
JULY 2021 A BABY - SEX EDUCATION WORKSHOP WITH DEAF AND HEARING
Facilitated a sex education workshop involving deaf and hearing people.
26 - 28 SEPTEMBER 2020 BEIJING FRINGE FESTIVAL 2020
Acted as a sign language interpreter in the play ‘A Fine Day 2020’.
22 - 25 OCTOBER 2019 INSIDE-OUT THEATRE & TOLD BY AN IDIOT
As a sign language interpreter, I joined a mask and mime workshop composed of hearing and deaf people.
Joke Menssink
Signdance Europe Znakovni PlEs
Announcement — In Memory of Joke Menssink
It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Joke Menssink, a long‑time friend, collaborator, and supporter of The Signdance Group.
Joke was part of our history, our story, and our artistic journey. Her commitment to inclusive arts, her generosity of spirit, and her belief in the power of creative community touched many people across Europe and beyond. She supported our work through different eras of Signdance Theatre, always with warmth, humour, and a fierce dedication to accessibility and artistic integrity.
We hold her memory with gratitude. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and everyone who worked alongside her.
May her legacy continue in the movement, connection, and creativity she helped inspire.
Joke is from Holland. Joke was a part of the critically acclaimed Dutch theatre group, Werkteater focusing on production and background community-based research. She founded several theatre organisations including her favourite, The World of Diagonaal. My work is like an artistic labyrinth, I have my own methodology of process and realisation. With 'Invitation', I have acted as an advisor and director for SDC since they started.
Viviana Molinares assosiate artist USA
Viviana was born in Cuba and moved to the United States as an infant, spending her early years in Nebraska and Virginia. She graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and took additional graduate courses at Florida International University and Barry University. After graduation, she began working as a set/graphic designer for WLTV23 and soon became assistant art director at Univision.
Viviana has showcased her work in a one-woman exhibition in the Wynwood Art District and has designed sets for various clients, including Disney and Office Depot. She has participated in fundraiser events for Big Brothers Big Sisters and continues to create art in her studio in Micco, Florida.
Goro Osojnik Associate Artistic Director ZnaKovni Ples & SDC UK / Performer
Producer and actor Gorazd Osojnik (nickname Goro) was born on January 20, 1960, in Ljubljana. He studied Spanish and philosophy at the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana. He is an Actor, cultural manager, and trainer with working experience in Slovenia, Western Europe (the UK, Netherlands, and France), and the Middle East (Turkey, Ukraine). He joined the theatre in 1979 as a playwright. Since 1983, he has been a member, actor, and co-author of the Anne Monro Theatre. From 1983 to 2002, he played and co-authored most of the performances of the Anne Monro Theater in over 35 different performances. In addition, he acted in Slovenian films and in children's plays, several TV shows.
In 1995, he invented the concept of Ana Desetnica, the international festival of street theatre. In 1996, with the support of the National House, it became a regular feature of the LENT festival program. Since 1998, the Ana Desetnica festival has been taking place in Ljubljana and other Slovenian cities, where he is the leader and chief selector.
Pedro De Senna Company Member Signdance Collective UK/ Associate Artistic Director
Associate director-writer in residence and performer at SDC. He is a theatre practitioner and academic. He was born in Rio de Janeiro and started performing in 1993. He has been a member of the Signdance Collective since 2010.
Pedro has worked as a performer and dramaturge for "New Gold", "Half-a-Penny", and "The Other Side of the Coin". He has also acted as assistant director for "Carthage/Cartagena" and "Bad Elvis". Pedro is writing Oriente Plus and dramaturged "the beautiful" In Between Spaces for Signdance Collective.
He has been a lecturer in contemporary theatre and a programme leader on the BA theatre arts course with a special focus on theatre directing at Middlesex University. His academic research focuses on translation and adaptation, examining the relationship between directing, dramaturgy, and disability aesthetics. Pedro’s chapter on the company’s creative processes for "New Gold" is included in Katja Krebs' book, "Translation and Adaptation in Theatre and Film" (Routledge)
His award-winning play "A tragédia de Ismene, Princesa de Tebas" is based on the Theban myth of Oedipus and
Signdance Collective & Znakovni Ples
Executive Directors
Executive Producer Signdance Collective - Jane Jutsum
Jane Jutsum, MBA, FRSA is an Executive Producer and strategic leader in disabled‑led arts, media and large‑scale programme delivery. She combines creative vision with deep expertise in securing and managing complex, multi‑partner investment, having raised more than £10 million for programmes supporting disabled people — including a £15m DWP Employment Programme, a £500k GlaxoSmithKline initiative on sexual health for young disabled people, Ready to Start, a £3m Barclays‑backed entrepreneurship programme, and the establishment of the Stelios Prize, awarding £50k annually to disabled entrepreneurs. Her work is defined by strong governance, funder confidence and measurable cultural and social impact, and has received international recognition, including the Los Angeles Film Festival Student Award.
A long‑standing collaborator with SIGNDANCE Collective, Jane produces work at the intersection of movement, music, sign language and storytelling, including the acclaimed Bad Elvis with BBC Manchester. She also founded the AMI Awards, celebrating disabled talent and authentic representation across the media landscape. Across all her projects, Jane builds platforms where disabled artists can thrive — guided by her belief that the most powerful work happens when disabled artists lead the story, the stage and the language.
Maria De Graal
AKA Isolte Avila Executive Director Znakovni Ples
Maria de Graal is a Cuban Puerto Rican dancer and choreographer known for her work in Signdance Theatre, a form of dance that incorporates sign language. She trained with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company and has a master's degree in dance from the California Institute of the Arts. Maria has been a pioneer in the development of Signdance Theatre, creating and performing award-winning productions that engage audiences through dance and sign language.
Bojan Furlani
Marketing & Digital Promotion Signdance Group
Bojan Furlani is a dancer who was previously based in New York City. He is also a specialist in Management Information Systems (MIS) and multimedia.
Born in Slovenia, Bojan studied dance at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater studio and the Merce Cunningham Studio in New York City.
In the late 1990s, he established his career as an MIS specialist, working for companies such as Avalanche Systems/Razorfish, ThunderHouse/McCann Worldgroup/IPG, and CodeFab.
Bojan has collaborated with the American Tap Dance Foundation (ATDF) and the Montclair Academy of Dance and Laboratory of Music (MADLOM).
For the past 15 years, he has worked closely with Eva Mueller in the fields of art and photography.
Bojan is now back in his hometown of Ljubljana, Slovenia!Bojan is now back home in Ljubljana, Slovenia!
2021- Lionel Macauley Lionel ....is not with us anymore.
We are without words, and it is impossible to express how grief-stricken we are.
We will take the next few days to reflect and understand how to respond to this horrific loss of life.
Lionel Macauley was a generous, wildly talented colleague and friend.
He was family. This company is heartbroken personally and professionally.
After all this time , we are still in shock , We are just silent and in that silence we can find Lionel's beauty, truth and gold.
He was simply the best. See Carthage for more information about Lionel
