Abed Awad, Esq.

Abed Awad is a founding partner of Awad & Khoury, LLP in New Jersey. His practice focuses on complex international family law, estate planning, not-for-profit law, and business law. Abed was an adjunct law professor at Rutgers Law School, Newark (2003-2020), and has taught at Pace Law School and Seton Hall Law School. Awad was also a contributor and U.S. Editor for Harvard Law School’s Islamic Legal Studies Program ShariaSource portal (2016-2019). Awad is AV-rated by Martindale and a fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers. Awad has native fluency in Arabic and is an international expert in Islamic law and the laws of Arab and Muslim countries. Awad is the Founder and CEO of Shariawiz.com, an award-winning online Islamic estate planning portal for Muslim Americans. As a frequent public speaker at bar associations, universities, conventions, and political events, Awad lectures on subjects ranging from law, American politics, International Affairs, immigrant identity, gender, religion, and culture internationally, and he has more than 200 television and radio appearances as a political and/or legal commentator for numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, ABC, CNN, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Al-Jazeera, BBC, NPR, Dream TV, Palestine TV, French 24 (Arabic), and Al-Arabia. Awad was a member of the New Jersey Electoral College (2004) and has been the recipient of numerous awards, most notably Scholar of the Year, New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association (2018), Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year, Unchained (2018), Avenue Magazine’s Legal Elite (2010), the Vision & Achievement Award, Mental Health Association in Passaic County (2010), Community Activism Award, Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) (2007) among others. Awad is on the Board of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, a leading civil rights organization defending Arab Americans.

Adan Azzam

Adan Azzam (she/her), a Palestinian dancer born in Nazareth, graduated from Aida Dance School for ballet and contemporary dance before attending the Vertigo Dance Program in Jerusalem, where she earned her certificate in 2021. That same year, she joined Shaden Dance Company. From 2022 to 2024, she choreographed and taught contemporary dance and floorwork in various places. In 2023, She participated in the Nuova X Program in Turin, Italy, where she gained experience from renowned choreographers. She also attended the B12 Dance Festival in Berlin and participated in several workshops. Currently based in Jerusalem, she works as a freelance artist, teaching contemporary dance and improvisation. She is a founding member of Studio Collective, a Palestinian-led initiative that organizes performances and events in Palestine. In addition to her dance career, she choreographs movement for theatre and is continuing her studies in theatre and psychology to deepen her understanding of movement and artistic vision.

Amir Nizar Zuabi

Amir Nizar Zuabi is an award-winning playwright and director. He was the founding Artistic Director of ShiberHur Theater Company, an Associate Director of the Young Vic Theatre, a member of the United Theaters Europe for artistic achievement, and an alumni of The Sundance Institute Theatre Program. He has collaborated with numerous projects with YSDT Artistic Director Samar Haddad King, including Against a Hard Surface, Last Ward, Who Killed You Asmahan, Hoota, Lanterns of the King of Galilee, and multiple works with The Walk with Amal and the Herds.

Following his work on The Walk, in January 2022 he took up the role of Artistic Director of The Walk Productions Limited. His writing and directing credits include I am Yusuf and This is my Brother, In the Penal Colony, Oh My Sweet Land The Beloved (ShiberHur/Young Vic); Three Days of Grief, West of Us The Sea, Mid Spring Musical, Dry Mud, Against A Hard Surface (ShiberHur); Last Ward, Who Killed You Asmahan, The Huta and Grey Rock (Remote Theater Project, La Mama NYC). Directing credits include: Samson and Delilah (Flanders Opera, Antwerp); Jidarriya by Mahmoud Darwish (Edinburgh International Festival, Bouffes du Nord and world tour); Forget Herostratus, Le Mallade Imaginer, War or More, Sneeze, Deep Sorrow, Fall Tale, When The World Was Green, Lanterns Of The King Of Galilee, Taha and The Comedy of Errors (Royal Shakespeare Company).

Arzu Salman

Arzu Salman (he/him) takes the dance floor thanks to the LGBTQIA+ and immigrant communities preceding him. His dancing is a fervid and unbridled love letter to those who follow. Salman first attended Piedmont School of Music & Dance in Charlotte, NC. Salman next graduated Magna Cum Laude from The Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in 2018. Based in NYC, Salman joined Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre in 2020, and Katy Pyle’s Ballez Company in 2022. He has had the pleasure of working with choreographers such as Tsai Hsi Hung, Peter Alfred Elizalde, Lavinia Eloise Bruce, and is featured in the All Arts WNET Group documentary episode Travesty-Past, Present, Future. Salman is currently working as a co-creator & assistant choreographer of Das Rauschgift with Cosimo Pori, Travis Amiel & Nina Rodriguez.

Ash Winkfield

Ash Winkfield (xe/xem/xyr/they) is a multidisciplinary artist working primarily in theater and the puppetry arts. Winkfield specializes in new and devised work presented in New York City, and has toured domestically and internationally with Basil Twist (Rite of Spring, Sister’s Follies, Book of Mountains and Seas), The Walk with Little Amal, Shake on the Lake (The Othello Project, Songs & Sweet Airs, Mxbeth, Henry V), and Josh Rice Productions (Kayfabe). They have had the great pleasure to perform in several projects that have been developed as part of La Mama’s Jumpstart, St. Ann’s Warehouse’s Puppet Lab, The Floating Tower, and the Object Movement Puppetry Festival. Winkfield was featured in Yaa Samar Dance Theatre’s World Premiere of Gathering in New York City in 2024. Ash is currently based in New York City. Visit www.ashleywinkfield.com or check out their Instagram @ashleyk.music.

Charles Brecard

Charles Brecard (he/him), born in New-Caledonia/Kanaky of Vietnamese descent, is a dance artist, curator, sport massage therapist, and poet based between Montreal/Tio’tia:ke and France. His approach, FLUIDIFY, bridges traditional, contemporary, and street dances with bodywork, philosophy, and spirituality. He teaches in diverse settings, from cultural mediation to professional festivals and programs across Canada (Quebec, New Brunswick), Europe (Greece, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Poland), Japan and New Caledonia. His choreographies—marked by strong physicality, epic surrealism, melancholic poetry, and lucid activism—have been presented in Brazil, Spain, Japan, Poland Quebec, New Brunswick, Greece, and Germany, earning awards in Montreal (Best Performance, Short Film, Outdoor Performance) and Stuttgart (Best Choreography, Residency). He has created for Bradyworks, André Pappathomas, Wroclaw Opera Ballet, and professional dance programs. Believing art should foster solidarity and celebration, he co-initiated community projects in Montreal such as Le Bercail, Sacré Jam, and Proto-studio.

Dahlia Khair

Born in Malaysia & raised in Kuwait, Dahlia Khair (she/her) grew up outside of the US as a Palestinian-Malaysian expat with her family. After receiving her B.S. in Biology from the University of North Carolina, she moved to New York City, working as an artist with United Talent Agency. She has had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Mandy Moore, Tanisha Scott, Brian Friedman, Charm LaDonna, Luam Keflezy, and more! Dahlia has also been featured on GQ Middle East, Paper Magazine, NatGeo, and Schön Magazine as an upcoming artist, and has most recently been awarded the GALLIM Moving Artist Residency in 2022. As an artist she tends to favor a variety of mediums. Using kinesthetics as a foundation, she implements technology, spoken word, and theatrics to form experiences that are immersive as well as accessible.

Dounia Dolbec

Dounia Dolbec (she/her) is a dancer, performer, author, and pedagogue, born in France to Lebanese and Canadian parents. She is currently based in Brussels. Trained in ballet and contemporary dance, she also studied social and political sciences at Sciences Po Paris and holds a master’s degree in dance and choreography from Charleroi Danse-INSAS-La Cambre (Brussels). Her creations have been presented in Brussels at the (Pas) si fragile festival, Espace Vanderborght and Art on Paper, and in Paris at Regard du Cygne (Festival Signes d’Automne), Générateur (Festival Frasq) and Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles (Festival Performissima). As a dancer, she collaborates with artists such as Joan Jonas, Serge-Aimé Coulibaly, Florian Boutin, and Hanne Kristine Jensen, performing across multiple countries, including Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Norway, in diverse venues ranging from theaters and museums to art centers and public spaces.

Elizabeth Jebran

Elizabeth Jebran (she/her) joins the YSDT team with a background that bridges performance and leadership. A University of Connecticut Acting graduate, she is a multi-hyphenate artist and musician specializing in singing/songwriting, acting, movement, and guitar. Her work has been showcased at Green Room 42, 54 Below, and Broadway Comedy Club. She complements her artistic career with extensive experience in Operations / Project Management / Event Planning and is absolutely thrilled to be joining the YSDT team as the Operations + Communications Manager.

Enrico Dau Yang Wey

Enrico Dau Yang Wey (they/he), from Taiwan, has presented work through Danspace Project, DTW (US), Conde Duque, CA2M (ES), Perdu (NL) and LMCC’s River to River Festival (US). They are a long standing member of Handspring Puppet Company as cast in William Kentridge’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse and in War Horse on Broadway. They were Resident Puppetry Director for the German production of War Horse. Wey is current Associate Artistic Director/ Puppetry Director for all productions with The Walk/Little Amal and Associate PD for Faustus in Africa. Other notable roles include Shulea Cheang’s 3x3x6 (2019 Venice Biennale Taiwan Pavilion), Dennis Cooper/Zac Farley’s feature film Like Cattle Towards Glow and onstage for Robyn Orlin, Big Dance Theater, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Aitana Cordero and Rob Icke.

Erin N. Moore

Erin N. Moore is a versatile artist, working across genres and mediums. A graduate of Ailey/Fordham, she began her career as a concert dancer at Philadanco, performing modern and contemporary ballet repertory in the US and abroad, followed by a transition to theater and tv/film. Some credits include HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Netflix’s A Very Murray Christmas, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She was in the original Broadway casts of the revival of Follies, Tony award winning After Midnight, and Shuffle Along, choreographed by Savion Glover. In the classical realm, Erin was in the company of Rigoletto at The Metropolitan Opera, and a soloist with The San Francisco symphony. Most recently, she can be seen in the finale of Fosse/Verdon on FX, Tick, Tick… Boom on Netflix and on PBS’ Great Performances, 50 years of Broadway. Erin’s broad skill set has seamlessly led her into creative roles, ranging from teaching master classes at conventions to associate choreography work for regional theater. She has worked as a movement coach, preparing actors for roles and has choreographed for The Tonight show with Jimmy Fallon. Erin has also worked as guest adjunct instructor at Syracuse University and as the program coordinator for Brooklyn Ballet’s public school residency program. Her passion, eye for specificity, and ability to make movement accessible to all is the through line of all of her work

Frances Caperchi

Frances Caperchi (she/her), originally from Rome, Italy, moved to the US in her early twenties for university and to pursue her professional goals. Since then, she has spearheaded cultural projects in the US and globally. She worked 5 years producing outdoor public arts and culture programs in Downtown Manhattan with the Battery Park City Authority and had the good fortune of working with musicians, dancers, and theater companies from across the world. She now commits her time to production work, programming and curating for a variety of local and international projects. In 2023, Frances joined The Walk Productions and toured with Little Amal – the 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl – across the United States. In 2021, Frances launched her own project, Salaria Productions, and the Sali Tropicali event series that showcases artists and chefs worldwide. Each event is a unique journey that explores the space where tradition meets the contemporary in food and music.

Jess Ducey

Jess Ducey (they/them) is a writer, producer, fundraiser, and occasional clown. They co-chair the board of National Queer Theater and co-produce Down to Clown, a monthly show for new work development. Jess is currently producing multi-awarded solo show A Drag is Born and offering one-on-one fundraising consults at PhysFestNYC. They have previously worked with Moxie Arts NYC and Clown Gym, toured shows to Edinburgh Fringe, and co-founded Queer AF, Wellington, NZ’s first festival of queer art. Jess has been fundraising for over twenty years, including grants, events, and several years advising arts campaigns for Aotearoa New Zealand’s first crowdfunding platform. Their writing has appeared in Radio NZ, Landfall, and off-Broadway in Primary Stages’ Echoes emerging playwrights residency.

Jessie Mandel

Jessie has covered the gamut of higher education administration for the last fifteen years. Working at some of the country’s most respected institutions she has managed everything from athletics administration to human resources, finance and information technology operations. While at Georgetown University she helped to lead the transformation effort around HR and financial processes through the development of a service center operations model. As director of HR IT systems she introduced comprehensive project management strategies within her team supporting continual process improvement for HR services. Now at Williams College, she continues to provide guidance on process documentation, process improvement and project management strategies supporting finance and HR information technology needs.

Katie Baer Schetlick

Katie Baer Schetlick is a dance artist and educator who uses dance and movement to grapple with how ideas of humanity appear on the stage and in everyday life. Katie’s work has been presented in Brazil, Egypt, Poland, Holland, Austria and several cities in the U.S. Katie was a founding member of Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre, and has worked with The Francesca Harper Project, Susan Marshall, Athena Kokoronis, Shandoah Goldman, Zap McConnell, and Jennifer Hoyt Tidwell. Active and ongoing collaborations include projects with Zena Bibler and with Conrad Cheung and Anna Hogg as part of the collective, nonhumanities. Katie holds an MFA in dance from Hollins University, a Masters in Performance Studies from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and a BFA in Dance with a minor in Anthropology from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Virginia.

Kristine Covillo-Lynch

Kristine is a former professional dancer, Radio City Rockette and Broadway actress. She served on the national board of governors for the American Guild of Musical Artists. She currently sits on the board of the Irish Arts Center in NYC where she serves on the Strategic Planning Committee. She is also a managing director of the Covillo Lynch Family Foundation. She graduated with honors from Fordham University, and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University where she received a 2019 Merit Fellowship. She is the wife of Liam Lynch, a venture capital investor and media owner. Kristine and Liam live on the UWS with their two kids.

Megan Fairchild

Megan Fairchild is a principal dancer with New York City Ballet. Ms. Fairchild was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began her dance training at the age of four, studying with Judy Levitre and Kaelynne Oliphant at Dance Concepts in Sandy, Utah, and at the Ballet West Conservatory in Salt Lake City with Sharee Lane, Deborah Dobson, and Maureen Laird. While at the Ballet West Conservatory, Ms. Fairchild was also a Ballet West trainee. Ms. Fairchild entered the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, in the fall of 2000. In November 2001, Ms. Fairchild became an apprentice with New York City Ballet, and in October 2002 she joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. Ms. Fairchild was promoted to the rank of soloist in February 2004, and in January 2005, she was promoted to principal dancer. In addition to performing full time with the New York City Ballet, Ms. Fairchild is currently on the faculty at the School of American Ballet and has completed her MBA with NYU’s Stern School of Business. Her first book came out December 2021 titled, The Ballerina Mindset. She is the proud mother of three beautiful girls, and is looking forward to her retirement from New York City Ballet in May of 2026.

Mehdi Dahkan

Mehdi Dahkan (he/him) is a Moroccan choreographer and performer originally from Tangier now based in Lyon, France, whose work uses the body to interrogate socially constructed behaviors and ideas in today’s Maghreb social landscape. After working as a dancer with several companies in Morocco and Europe, he founded the company Jil Z in 2019, where he began his research in choreography. Coming from a background in breakdancing and parkour, Mehdi places the body at the center of his work, using it as an essential element to create sound, movement, and meaning. His work has been exhibited in many countries, including Jordan, Egypt, Canada, Germany, Belgium, France, Turkey, French Guiana and Brazil.

Mohammed Smahneh

Mohammed Smahneh (Barges), a self-taught hip-hop and contemporary dance artist, has won various break-dance battles in Palestine and performed in many international and local projects including: Badke, a co-production between KVS, les ballets C de la B & A.M. Qattan Foundation (2013-16, Belgium); B choreographed by Koen Augustijnen and Rosalba Torres (2017-2019, Belgium);  Nomads Dance Camp directed by Dina Abu Hamdan with choreographers Jorge Crecis, Taoufiq Izzediou, and Samar Haddad King (2014, Jordan); Naji Ali with Botega Dance Company directed by Enzo Celli (2009, Italy); and was a champion in Floor Wars Battle (2012, Denmark). Mohammed has been a puppeteer for the walk with Amal since 2022 and has been a member of YSDT since 2013.

Muaz Aljubeh

Muaz Aljubeh (he/him) is a Palestinian lighting designer based in Jerusalem, who has been working in the field since 1995. He was the technical director for Al-Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque (Ramallah, Palestine) for almost 20 years, and is currently the technical director for the Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival since its founding in 2006. He is technical director internationally for The Walk with Little Amal and The Herds (The Walk Productions). Muaz has created light for more than 30 local productions, which have toured nationally and internationally. His work has been seen in notable theatres and festivals such as Tokyo Art International Festival (Japan), Carthage Theatrical Days Festival (Tunisia), Young Vic Theatre (United Kingdom), The Avignon Festival (France), Adelaide Festival, and the Institut De La Monde Arabe (France). He is currently touring Taha, Houta, Gathering and Milk.

Nadim Bahsoun

Nadim Bahsoun (he/they) is a Lebanese performing artist based in Europe. Trained in Lebanon, he collaborated early on with directors Nidale Al-Achkar and Lina Abyad before studying performing arts at the University of Nice, Paris VIII, and the Rosella Hightower Dance School in Cannes. Nadim has toured internationally as a performer, creative collaborator and choreographer. He has taught at the University of Nice (Institut Supérieur des Arts et Chorégraphie), the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, and the Performing Arts Department at the University of Paris VIII. Currently, he is performing with Fouad Boussouf and Olivia Granvill, as well as Nadia Beugré, Mona El Yafi and David Wampach. Current creative projects include: Cis-tem Error, a solo co-produced by the National Theater of Brussels and BUDA art center Kortrijk, premiering in NEXT festival (November 2025), and collaborations with Eyad Houssami (contemporary opera) and filmmaker Mohammad Shawky Hassan.

Nancy Mkaabal

Nancy Mkaabal (she/her) is a Palestinian artist and designer based in Haifa, holding a Master’s degree from Tel Aviv University. Over the past seven years, she has specialized in stage, set, and costume design, drawing on her background as both a musician and creative collaborator. She has designed several plays throughout her career, and worked as an Assistant Designer and Props Maker for MILK at Khashabi Theatre in collaboration with the Avignon Festival. She also designed costumes and props for Gathering: New York City with Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre. For the past four years, she has been collaborating with Director Bashar Murkus, most recently working as both Assistant Director and Assistant Designer on Khashabi Theatre’s Yes Daddy. In addition to her theatre work, Nancy has contributed to film, commercials, and fashion photography as an Art Director.

Natalie Salsa

Natalie Salsa’ (she/her) is a Palestinian dance artist based in Brussels, Belgium, raised between Bethlehem and Amman. Natalie earned her bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts majoring in Acting/Directing from the University of Jordan in 2014, with dance training from the National Center for Culture and Arts, Amman, and the National Academy of Dance, Rome. Natalie has participated in many dance festivals in the Middle East, such as the Beirut International Platform Of Dance (BIPOD), the Amman Contemporary Dance Festival (ACDF), and the Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival (RCDF), and has worked with renowned choreographers and companies such as Guilhermo Bortelho, Cie Alias, Athanasia Kanellopoulo, and Koffi Koko. Natalie is currently collaborating with the Gent based company Action Zoo Humain.

Ryan King

Over a 25+ year career, Ryan has worn many hats. He cut his teeth on Wall Street, selling and trading securities with mutual funds, money managers and other institutional investors located around the globe. Ryan focused on the people side of the business, visiting clients nationwide, teaching strategies, recruiting new talent, and running the operations side of the various desks he worked on. In 2012, Ryan segued into the startup world, co-founding a (short-lived) creative collective called Factory Floor before launching a craft spirit, Western Grace Brandy, in 2013. Over the next decade, Western Grace made a name for itself in the cocktail community, landing on the menus in bars and restaurants in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Austin, Nashville, New York and, naturally, Huntsville, AL. Currently, Ryan is working at a couple of startups aimed to directly improve the lives of people in two of the most pressing industries of the moment: housing (EquiShare Alliance) and healthcare (HCOP i.e. Healthcare Outreach Platform). Ryan loves his family, human rights, the arts, wordplay (dad jokes), tennis, animals and all things spicy.

Samaa Wakim

Samaa Wakim (she/her) is a Palestinian actress, dancer, and choreographer. A graduate of the University of Haifa’s Department of Theatre and Acting, she is currently a member of both Khashabi Theatre (Haifa) and Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre (YSDT). Her stage work spans numerous local and international productions, including I Am Yusuf (ShiberHur / Young Vic, London), The Beloved (ShiberHur / Bush Theatre, London), and Badke (a collaboration between Les Ballets C de la B, the Royal Flemish Theatre, and the A. M. Qattan Foundation). She was a performer in YSDT’s Bound and Last Ward and choreographed and performed in Khashabi Theatre’s Cabaret. She is currently touring internationally with Losing It, a co-creation with Samar Haddad King. Beyond performance, she has worked in production management for various festivals, including the Haifa Independent Film Festival.

Samar Haddad King

Samar Haddad King (she/her), artistic/founding director of YSDT, graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program under the tutelage of Kazuko Hirabayashi. Her work has been performed in 21 countries on five continents, with commissions throughout the US and abroad including Hong Kong Arts Festival (Hong Kong), Hubbard Street 2 (Chicago), Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival (Ramallah), The Walk/St. Ann’s Warehouse (New York), Good Chance Theatre (Marseille), and The Herds (Paris). Awards and fellowships include the Prix des Jeunes Créateurs Palestiniens pour la Diversité des Expressions Artistiques (Palest’In & Out Festival, Paris), La Fabrique Chaillot Residency (Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse, Paris), The Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU, and Toulmin Creator (CBA/National Sawdust, NYC). Samar is a 2023 Creative Capital Wild Futures: Art, Culture, Impact awardee for her new multidisciplinary project Radio Act. 

Shahd Jabarin

Shahd Jabarin (she/her), a dancer and artist from Nazareth. She graduated from Aida dance school for ballet and contemporary dance in Nazareth, after taking part in many courses, workshops and dance intensives she chose to continue studying dance and graduated from “The Maslool for professional dancers” in 2022.  Throughout her studies- in the years 2019-2022- she was a dancer in Shaden Dance Company and took part in the company’s works; “Trilogy”, “When the body remembers” and “On the Way”. After graduating she continued working as a freelance artist, now based in Jerusalem. She is a Founding member of “Studio collective-  an initiative by Palestinian dancers and artists aiming to organize various dance events and create a platform for dancers and artists to connect and create for and in their community. 

Her work in Studio Collective includes the participation in choreographing and performing improvisational shows that focus on the connection between improvisational dance and music, as she took part in: “Sahab”(Clouds) 2022, “Waraa Ayunena”(Behind Our Eyes) 2023, “Huduo Murakab” (Complex Silence) 2023, and “Ala Atharek”(On your Trace) 2023. Furthermore, she works as a project coordinator in Studio Collective.  Additionally, Shahd aims to develop and strengthen the role of dance in her community through the practice of teaching. She teaches improvisation in “Sukoun”, Jerusalem and “Oshak”, Jerusalem.

Shaina Adams-El Guabli

Shaina Adams-El Guabli serves as the Director of the Williams College Center for Global Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Shaina received her B.A. in Sociology and Religion from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX and her M.S.Ed. in Intercultural Communication from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Through her studies, Shaina focused on discourse and communication across and within diverse communities, and she is particularly interested in the intersections of language and identity. She has built a career in higher education and international education, serving international students and scholars in various roles.
Shaina is passionate about global justice issues and international education and has spent extensive time volunteering in Morocco, traveled on a social justice delegation to Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, and conducted research on aboriginal land rights and reconciliation in Australia. She has supported several community organizations, including as a previous board member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Williamstown Youth Center.

Sipho Ngxola

Sipho Ngxola (he/him) is a South African puppet designer, director, and multidisciplinary artist from Cape Town. At 33, he has established himself as one of the leading creative voices in contemporary African puppetry, known for merging traditional storytelling, craftsmanship, and performance with bold, socially conscious narratives. He is the co-founder of Ukwanda Puppet and Designs Art Collective (Ukwanda Puppet Company), where he serves as designer, maker, and puppet director. His work with Ukwanda has been celebrated locally and internationally for its innovation, cultural depth, and emotional power. Sipho began his professional journey as an intern at the Handspring Puppet Company (2013–2015), the internationally renowned creators behind War Horse. During this time, he co-created and performed in the award-winning production Qhawe, which toured across South Africa, including at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda. In 2018, he honed his craft at the Curious School of Puppetry in London and later designed puppets for In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, performing at the MayDay Festival in Minnesota, USA. With Ukwanda, he co-created the acclaimed Warona, which toured nationally and received multiple awards, and later collaborated with Fak’ugesi Digital Africa on Lonely Sailor Weather Report (2021). He is currently an Artist-in-Residence at the Centre for Humanities Research, University of the Western Cape, where he continues to explore identity, community, and the human condition through visual theatre.

Stephanie Sutherland

Stephanie Sutherland (she/her), a proud founding member of YSDT. She transitioned from performer to working in production and closely with the Artistic Director serving as Assistant Director in Gathering and as assistant to Samar Haddad King. She also leads YSDT’s efforts in making their programs more accessible to differently abled communities. She has served as Rehearsal Director and assistant to Samar Haddad King on YSDT’s collaboration with St Anne’s Warehouse and The Walk Productions of When fear is a raging bull (NYC, 2022). As a performer, she has worked all over the world in dance, theater, film/tv, fashion, music, and comedy. Stephanie is also a certified Intimacy Director, movement director, and choreographer for theater, film, and opera. She is a graduate of the Fordham University/Ailey BFA program, and is on faculty at Fordham University and Manhattan School of Music. 

Waseem Alzer

Waseem Alzer (he/him) originally from Rocky Mount, NC, has been a performer and teaching artist with YSDT since 2022. He firmly believes in the transformative power of theater to change the world. Alzer stands in solidarity with The Freedom Theatre in Jenin, Palestine, supports the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, and advocates for a free Palestine.

Yousef Aref Sbieh

Yousef Sbieh (he/him) is a dancer and performer from Jerusalem, Palestine. He grew up in Silwan, a neighborhood near the Old City. Sbieh earned a BA in Marketing & Business from Birzeit University (2015) while training as a Community Dance Trainer with the Austrian non-profit Yantè. During this time, he collaborated with schools in the West Bank, integrating physical learning and non-violent communication for young students and people with disabilities. Since 2016, Sbieh has worked as a freelance dancer, performing in projects with choreographers such as Omar Rajeh, Samar Haddad King (Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre), Hooman Sharifi, and Khaled Barghouthi. He also worked with Sareyyet Ramallah and the Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival. In 2017, he moved to Norway after receiving an apprenticeship with Carte Blanche, the Norwegian national company of contemporary dance, with whom he performed in productions across Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany.

Yukari Osaka

Yukari Osaka (she/her) is originally from Kobe, Japan. Yukari began her dance career at Sadamatsu-Hamada Ballet in Japan. She has danced for Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre as a founding member since 2005. As a freelance dance artist, Yukari has appeared in various dance/theatre festivals and productions, including Dance Biennale Tokyo (Japan), Downtown Dance Festival (NY, USA), Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival (Palestine), opera Les Contes D’Hoffmann at the Metropolitan Opera, and musical Phantom among others. She is also a director of ENTERART, a dance performance project based in Kobe, Japan. Yukari recently co-directed a performance at the renewal opening ceremony of the most traffic-filled Sankita Plaza in Kobe, Japan. Yukari is currently a puppeteer with The Walk with Little Amal. Yukari is grateful to have spent 20 years with YSDT and excited about the 20th year.

Zoe Rabinowitz

Zoe Rabinowitz (she/her) is the Executive Director and a founding member of Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre based in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Vermont, Zoe graduated from the Walnut Hill School for the Arts before earning her BFA in Dance from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program, with additional studies at De Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (Netherlands). She has performed with artists including INSPIRIT: a dance company, JoAnna Mendl Shaw/Equus Projects, MBDance, The Movement Party, Nia Love/Blacksmith’s Daughter, Urban Bush Women, and Anne Zuerner. Her own work for stage and film has been presented throughout the US, and abroad in Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Mexico, and South Korea. In recognition of her work as a leader in the non-profit field, Zoe was awarded a 2020 NYFA Emerging Leaders Fellowship and selected as a New York Community Trust Leadership Fellow in the same year. 

Sens Interdits

Sens Interdits is a producer and coordinator of tours In France and abroad for Shabaab and Losing It. Present in the Lyon metropolitan area with the International Festival, Sens Interdits also needs no introduction on a national and international scale thanks to its tour coordination activity. Since 2009, Sens Interdits marked its desire to support artists over the long term. The association has staged more than 400 performances in France and around the world (Europe, Chile, Brazil…). Sens Interdits has become a prescriber on a national and European scale. A crucial extension of the Festival and an essential platform for visibility for international artists, tours invite cultural stakeholders to join forces around powerful and sometimes risky proposals. In a context of financial fragility of cultural structures, rising extremism, and withdrawal, this activity demonstrates our commitment to continue defending the presence of committed artistic discourse on stage. In an era of carbon footprints, coherent tours also help reduce the ecological impact, mobilize funding and make artistic mobility possible in order to continue to defend the essential presence of international artists within programming. Shabaab collaboration between YSDT and Sans Interdits, following the highly successful touring production Losing It – co-created by Samar Haddad King and Samaa Wakim – seen in 44 cities in 16 countries since 2021.

Au Contraire Productions

Au Contraire Productions is a non-profit organization established under the French 1901 association law and the international producer and representative of Gathering. It was founded in November 2017 under the name Good Chance Theatre and became Au Contraire Productions in 2022. Chaired by Claire Béjanin, alongside Valérie Six, this non-profit association is deeply rooted in essential humanistic values: equality, ethics, and commitment through art. The dedicated team focuses on creating, producing, and promoting performing arts—ranging from theater, dance, visual and digital arts, opera, readings, and concerts—while placing special emphasis on humanistic and societal issues.

Specializing in the production of artistic projects, the association operates both in France and internationally. Its approach is characterized by its interdisciplinary nature and open-ended partnerships. The collaborative work of its two producers, whose backgrounds are complementary, enables the development of ambitious projects that are both innovative and grounded in ethical practices. Claire Béjanin, having worked in public theater (MC93 Bobigny, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence), has produced international projects such as The Bridge Project with Sam Mendes at BAM-New York and the Old Vic-London, and more recently, The Walk featuring Little Amal. Valérie Six, on the other hand, has a background in public theater (La Salamandre-Théâtre du Nord, Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe, Festival d’Avignon, Aix-en-Provence Opera Festival) and specializes in communication and fundraising, dedicating the past decade to adapting and initiating artistic projects.

The association is also committed to including new audiences by offering artistic activities, educational programs, and research on performing arts. Based in both Arles and Paris, Au Contraire Productions aims for European and international outreach. Its mission is to address ethical and meaningful challenges while placing artistic proposals at the heart of its endeavors, from the earliest stages of project development.