Dreams of Benny by Sarah-Vyne Vassallo and collaborators

Sarah-Vyne Vassallo

Director and Lead Artist

Sarah-Vyne is a recognized arts and cultural leader who lives with unseen disabilities. She was awarded the prestigious Winston Churchill Fellowship in 2014 and has previously served as the Artistic Director of Murmuration. Currently, she is the Associate Artist for DirtyFeet, a Teaching Artist at NAISDA, and a Resident Artist for Sydney Opera House's Children, Families, and Learning programs since 2017.

Sarah-Vyne has built a career spanning over two decades in the arts and entertainment sector. She has a diverse practice that encompasses dance, theatre, design, television, film, creative learning, and arts development. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with renowned organisations such as Sydney Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival, Museum of Contemporary Arts, Vivid Sydney, MilkCrate Theatre, Create NSW, Festival of Dangerous Minds, FORM Dance Projects, Bankstown Arts Centre, Art Gallery of NSW, Accessible Arts, Taste Creative, Disney, ABC, Foxtel, Channel 7, and SBS.

Sarah-Vyne is highly regarded as a passionate and well-loved artist with a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise.

Emily Dash

Writer and Performer

Emily Dash is an emerging writer, actor, producer, and speaker who works across theatre and screen. Her acclaimed and wide ranging work emphasises social justice issues, community engagement, intersectionality, and expanding perceptions of disability.

Keila Terencio

Perfomer and puppeteer

 

Keila is a performance artist and arts facilitator, born and raised in Brazil, living with neurodiversity. In her practice she merges physical theatre and visual arts, exploring subjects related to culture, languages and diversity through aerial dance, puppetry and movement. Keila's works often incorporate objects, installations and audience participation, and have been programmed at a number of festivals and events across Australia and overseas. Currently she is engaged in creative projects with the Centre for Creativity at the Sydney Opera House, Erth Visual & Physical Inc. and Strings Attached Physical Theatre, as well as working as arts facilitator for a number of arts organisations running and supporting workshops for people living with disability and disadvantaged youth.

Suzy Dunne

Dancer and Access Assistant

Suzy is an inclusive theatre-maker, dancer, educator and artist support. She has extensive experience directing and facilitating workshops within diverse communities. Suzy has worked across a broad range of programs for various organisations including: Crossroad Arts, Bus Stop Films, Milk Crate Theatre, Beyond the Square (Riverside Theatres), RUCKUS, Murmuration, National Theatre of Parramatta, Maitree House, Blacktown Arts Centre, The Joan and FORM Dance Projects.

Chris Bunton

Performing Artist

Chris Bunton is an actor, gymnast and dancer who just happens to have Down Syndrome.  Chris has a passion for dance and was a dancer in DirtyFeet’s program Out of the Studio and worked with choreographer Sarah-Vyne Vassallo in a new work ‘In Transit’. The work was presented a second time at STARE Festival at Riverside Theatres. Chris has acted in a few feature films, Down Under, Little Monsters, Kairos and Lone Wolf, and appeared in TV series.  He has also appeared as himself on Attitude TV’s Keeping up With Chris (NZ TV), You Can’t Ask That (ABC) and The Sunday Project (TEN). Chris’ performance development started with 7 years at NIDA Drama Classes for People with a Disability.  From there Chris graduated to the Ruckus Ensemble. Chris started gymnastics when he was 5. Chris is currently the national champion in Special Olympics for Men’s Artistic Gymnastics and has represented Australia three times. Chris is a qualified gymnastics coach and works at YMCA Penrith, also studying Film at AFTRS with Bus Stop Films.

Zoe Morgan

After completing a Bachelor's majoring in Dance and Performance and minoring in Music and Anthropology, Zoe Morgan carried a curiosity and passion for the creativity, freedom, inclusivity and healing, dance has to offer both its artists and viewers into her working life. Zoe is enthralled by dance’s ability to facilitate deeper connection, meaning and empowerment; with one’s self, others and the world around them, through both personal and shared movement explorations and expression. Zoe has been working for an inclusive contemporary dance organisation called DirtyFeet, since 2019 completing roles in artist support, facilitation, arts program and access management. Zoe undertook an audio description course in 2021 to broaden her inclusivity practice and is currently studying for a graduate certificate in Creative Therapies.