Staff

Rachel Liggitt – Co-Artistic Director
Rachel is Co-Artistic Director of Shropshire Inclusive Dance (SiD), Educator & Coach and a freelance dance artist with an impressive record of achievement across health, education, community & arts sectors. She has delivered an extensive range of school, community, performance & choreographic work both nationally & internationally.
Rachel began her career in the 1990’s as an independent dance artist & performer, collaborating with dance artists & small-scale dance companies in tandem with workshop delivery. She was Dance Fellow at Leeds University 1996-2004, Education & Training Coordinator at Blue-Eyed Soul Dance Company 2006-2012 & has held several dance Artist in Residence positions. In 2018 Rachel won One Dance UK’s ‘Inspirational Community Dance Practitioner’ Award.

Ray Jacobs – Co Artistic Director:

Ray is an experienced practioner and director in the fields of dance, performance and filmmaking. He has a wealth of experience in leading successful inclusive dance and performance based projects. After working with Blue Eyed Soul Dance Company as a performer and education officer (1998 – 2006), Ray has created multi-award winning films and directed performance based projects throughout the community. Ray currently works with Arty Party facilitating workshops and creating new works with disabled performers. Since 2012 Ray has worked with Shropshire Inclusive Dance, facilitating workshops, leading projects, and directing the company alongside co-director Rachel Liggitt. He states. ‘I aim in my work to create movement and image which steps quietly into the human heart’.

Jo Wright – SiD General Manager

Jo has been managing SiD since September 2022. She has worked in education throughout her career having graduated from Leeds Poly with a B Ed in Creative Arts. She taught in primary schools before moving into museum and gallery education and working for Croydon Museum Service and The Women’s Library, both in London. From there she moved into environmental education running a centre and services for schools and community groups. 

Jo became Chief Executive Officer of a charity in Milton Keynes operating a children’s interactive safety education centre in 2016. It was both strategic and hands on, so Jo did everything from marketing to bid writing, networking to budgeting. Having relocated to Shropshire in 2021, she was thrilled to join SiD in Autumn 2022 as their General Manager. 

 

Anna Belyavin – SiD Dance Artist:

Anna Belyavin is a freelance dance artist based in Shropshire and working across the West Midlands. Anna trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and gained a degree in Dance Theatre in 2010. Anna works as a performer, choreographer, teacher, facilitator and leader and works with children, young people and adults.. Anna works as a teacher and facilitator in educational and community settings, delivering projects, weekly sessions and curriculum themed work. Anna specialises in contemporary and creative dance and is Artistic Director of Arcadian Youth Dance in Shropshire, the county’s first youth dance company and is currently working with partners to develop Shropshire Dance Hub.