Cusan Theatre
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Tanya Cusan-Espinosa is the creator of Cusan Theatre she works in partnership with Alan Pergusey.
Tanya is a skilled and multifaceted independent performing artist and storyteller with a variety of skills that range from dance, theatre to singer, puppeteer and maker to permaculture practitioner and amazing cook, this makes her work impossible to put into boxes as she has an incredible amount of skills that feed into her performing and teaching career. She was born and grew up in Colombia surrounded by great visionaries and pioneers of the arts in Cali – Colombia, her mother, Cecilia Espinosa de Cusan, a professional ballet dancer, dance pedagogue, writer and the director of La Academia de Ballet Allegro were Tanya studied and assisted her mother for many years in the dance school, her grand father Jesús María Espinosa, a painter and the founder member of La Escuela de Artes Plásticas de Bellas Artes in Cali Colombia, in 1934. Her family history is part of the global story of migration, her father was born in Prague and had Italian and Polish heritage, he left the Czech Republic to settle in South America before Tanya was born and subsequently she returned to Europe to settle in Yorkshire in the UK. |
Trained in classical ballet at the Academia Allegro in her native country, and later joined the Ballet Nacional de Colombia. She came to the UK in 1985 and Nadine Senior offered Tanya a place at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds, Tanya had the privilege to be part of the first group of dance students at the NSCD in Leeds were she studied from 1985 till 1988 and graduated with a BA (Hons), distinction, in Performing Arts. She was co-founder and co-director of the Northern Dance Company, the first dance company based at the NSCD in Leeds. Since 1988, Tanya has worked as an independent artist, freelance actor/ dancer/puppeteer/ teacher/ choreographer, director and maker for many companies including her own, venues and organisations all over the country and abroad such as The Northern Dance Company, Cusan Theatre, Tutti-frutti Productions, Interplay Sensory Theatre, RJC as a carnival maker, Heads Together, Northern Ballet Theatre, Stowe Opera, Lakeland Opera, Leeds Playhouse, Academia de Ballet Allegro, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Geraldine Connor, A Quiet Word, Yorkshire Dance Centre, Dance City, Dance 4, Skippko Arts Team, Adam Smith Theatre, Vincent Dance Theatre, The Art Unit Cultural Services, Women’s Health Matters, NHS Patient and Public Involvement, The Maltings Theatre, Space 2 and many many more…
'Cusan Theatre works in partnership with Fool's Paradise an international street performance agency founded in 1991, they champion the most inspiring and imaginative talent there is.'
For the last 25 years worked under the name of Cusan Theatre promoting and developing her creative performance work, storytelling, making and her teaching. Cusan Theatre have worked for many years with a variety of freelance independent artists, collaborators, organisations on many projects
Artist's of great expertise and commitment.
'Cusan Theatre works in partnership with Fool's Paradise an international street performance agency founded in 1991, they champion the most inspiring and imaginative talent there is.'
For the last 25 years worked under the name of Cusan Theatre promoting and developing her creative performance work, storytelling, making and her teaching. Cusan Theatre have worked for many years with a variety of freelance independent artists, collaborators, organisations on many projects
Artist's of great expertise and commitment.
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Alan Pergusey - is a visual artist. He is a painter, mosaic artist, street performer and curator. He is co-director of Leeds Sculpture Workshop, a studio group for artists and creatives and regularly curates exhibitions in his own Gallery 16.
He also collaborates with Cusan Theatre who perform walkabout acts and shows in the UK and internationally. As well as performing for the company, he co-creates costumes and giant puppets alongside artistic director, Tanya Cusan Espinosa. The performance experience has fed back into his paintings, with characters from the street theatre appearing in his canvases.
Alan regularly exhibits and sells his paintings in the UK and internationally, and he has many works in private collections around the globe. They are an emotional and soulful outlet for ideas about the world based on observation, memories and imagination.
He has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Leeds and an Art Tutor at Leeds City College.
Alan trained in fine art during the 1980's at Eastbourne College of Art, Goldsmiths College, London and Jacob Kramer College, Leeds.
Please get in touch if you're interested in making a purchase or to see more of Alan's work visit:
http://www.alanpergusey.com
He also collaborates with Cusan Theatre who perform walkabout acts and shows in the UK and internationally. As well as performing for the company, he co-creates costumes and giant puppets alongside artistic director, Tanya Cusan Espinosa. The performance experience has fed back into his paintings, with characters from the street theatre appearing in his canvases.
Alan regularly exhibits and sells his paintings in the UK and internationally, and he has many works in private collections around the globe. They are an emotional and soulful outlet for ideas about the world based on observation, memories and imagination.
He has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Leeds and an Art Tutor at Leeds City College.
Alan trained in fine art during the 1980's at Eastbourne College of Art, Goldsmiths College, London and Jacob Kramer College, Leeds.
Please get in touch if you're interested in making a purchase or to see more of Alan's work visit:
http://www.alanpergusey.com
Cusan Theatre also collaborates with a variety of amazing Independent Freelance artist's with a variety of skills that feed into our performance and creative work, from initial ideas and concepts to creating, developing and making characters that will take to the streets or creating shows and workshops suitable for a variety of venues suitable for indoor and outdoor performances.
Some of those Independent Freelance artists below.
Some of those Independent Freelance artists below.
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Sergio Cusan - Espinosa - performer
Born in Cali – Colombia South America. For many many years Sergio worked extensively for Cusan Theatre, performing and teaching in a variety of venues, schools and festivals around the country. Sergio was part of the making of Latintastic, Travelling Stories (Pepito, The Princess of The Rain Forest and The Boy who Found his Smile) and Arnold's World. |
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Cecilia Espinosa de Cusan
Is the director and founder of The Academia de Ballet Allegro in Cali, Colombia, founded in 1980. She is one of the pioneers and visionaries of dance and the arts in Colombia and in the Valle del Cauca region. www.academiadeballetallegro.com/ I have worked constantly through out the years choreographing for the students of the dance school and developing programmes to introduce adults and children alike to the arts. |
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Marcela Cusan Espinosa
The co-director of the Academia de Ballet Allegro in Cali Colombia. A centre for dance and the arts in Cali, Colombia, Marcela brings her experience as a psychologist to her work at the academia, she teaches beginners ballet classes for young people and adults as a therapy for the mind and body. www.academiadeballetallegro.com |
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Maria Ximena Doody A Colombian textile artist, puppet maker, painter and ceramicist based in Dewsbury.
Her education as an artist began at home in Colombia, South America. |
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Diana Bayliss - Independent Puppeteer and maker, she works as Black Cat Theatre. Diana practices and promotes live theatre with puppetry, through performances, workshops and training.
www.blackcat-theatre.co.uk |
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Jane Morland - Independent Freelance Performing Artist
For many many years we have collaborated, performed and co directed many shows. Jane is an incredible talented artist with a variety of skills she sings, performs, makes large scale theatre and teaches. |
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Lizzie Coombes/ Betty Lawless Independent photographer artist since 1990, she's worked as a photo artist , documentary designer and publicity photographer for a variety of people and organisations. She has for ever taken our photos and been involved in many designs for our publicity.
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Rhian Kempadoo Millar Independent Freelance artist and creative designer
A collaborator with Cusan Theatre, Rhian is an incredible talented artist she works on costume design, production, events, textile and visual arts with in dance and carnival. Like Cusan Theatre's work, one of the main focuses on Rhian's creative work is sustainability and how to reduce the impact on our planet by up cycling, re- using where possible. |
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An many many more Independent freelance wonderful artists...
Jonathan Thorner (photographer)
Nabarro Steel Audio(musicians- composers)
Jack Glover (composer,musician)
Sue Miller (Composer - musician - Charanga del Norte)
Liz Lempen - Lempen Puppet Theatre.
Jonathan Thorner (photographer)
Nabarro Steel Audio(musicians- composers)
Jack Glover (composer,musician)
Sue Miller (Composer - musician - Charanga del Norte)
Liz Lempen - Lempen Puppet Theatre.