ABOUT
AllouAqui Dance Theatre creates work that shifts between real and surreal worlds, blending movement, sound, visual and theatrical elements, and creating characters that question their realities and push their boundaries.
Artistic directors Xavier De Santos and Delicia Sefiha began their collaborative practice after graduating from their studies in dance and have since then created multiple works, experimenting with theatre, site specific and screendance pieces. They have also collaborated with various artists, universities, and community companies across the UK and Europe.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR | CHOREOGRAPHER
DELICIA SEFIHA
Delicia is a Greek/Jewish UK based dance artist working within a range of different aspects of dance, including performance, choreography, education and community projects.
She was trained in contemporary dance and physical theatre and holds a degree in Combined Creative Arts (major in Contemporary Dance and minor in Literature). She has continued her training by attending various dance intensive programmes around the world and has recently completed a Masters of Research in Choreography and Performance at Roehampton University in London.
Her creative practice dives into our humanness and our fantasy worlds to playfully interweave them, creating stories and characters that reveal aspects of the realities they exist in while attempting to shift them. Often in a mix of movement, imagery, text and sound her work takes various shapes and forms; from dance theatre performances and improvisation pieces to site-specific installations and screendance projects. Her current research explores intertextual relationships among movement/ choreographic practice, literary texts and sociocultural practices.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR | CHOREOGRAPHER
XAVIER DE SANTOS
Xavier is a current Bristol based freelance dancer, choreographer, dance teacher as well as artistic director and co-founder of AllouAqui Dance Theatre.
His dance journey started as a little boy, watching his mother boogying around the house, leading him to Balleteatro in Porto, Portugal where he trained in physical theatre for three years. Xavier has a varying range of training from both Portugal and the UK including a first-class Dance BA (Hons) degree from Bath Spa University where he is now an associate lecturer for both the Dance and Acting degree. He also received the Bath Spa Alumni Award as one of the top five students at the university.
Xavier has plenty of experience in leading, making and collaborating within the dance world as well as directing movement and performing within theatre. He has worked with a variety of artists, which has allowed him to mould his practice, merging the two languages together.
ASSOCIATE ARTIST
SAMUEL DE LA TORRE
Samuel is a freelance actor and director. He has worked with the company on Final Test and Milan’s Game. Samuel has a First-class BA (Hons) degree in Acting and has a number of years’ experience acting on both stage and screen, as well as directing and assisting for the stage. He has worked with a variety of companies, theatres, performers and directors, and has a strong passion for discovering new ways to manipulate scripted text as well as introduce text to compliment and contrast the movement.
Samuel’s theatre credits include working on The Young King with Slingsby Theatre Company, Hec with the Corn Exchange in Newbury, and Little Revolution with Taking Flight Theatre. He has also worked extensively as a walk-about act coordinator, bringing improvised characters to life with various companies and festivals.