The Rendez-Vous dance Team
Mathieu Geffré (he/they)
Artistic Director
After graduating from the Paris Conservatoire in 2006, Mathieu Geffré has danced across Europe for 15 years. As a member of companies such as Dansgroep Amsterdam, Noord Nederlandse Dans, and National Dance Company Wales, he collaborated with numerous leading choreographers including Itzik Galili, Johan
Inger, Mark Baldwin, Christopher Bruce and Angelin Preljocaj among others.
Alongside his performing career Mathieu has created and presented work on many European stages. Mathieu was awarded the 3rd Prize Choreography at the Copenhagen International Choreography Competition in 2016. Mathieu launched Rendez-Vous dance in February 2021. He is the first recipient of the Made In The North East commission award enabling him to create The Monocle. Mathieu has also made work for Nationaltheatre Mannheim, Rambert School, CobosMika Seeds Company and Boston Dance Theatre. He is a celebrated dance facilitator who is regularly invited as a guest teacher for Company Wayne McGregor, Matthew Bourne New Adventures, Ballet de l’Opera du Grand Avignon and Venice Biennale among others.
Phil Douglas (he/him)
Phil Douglas is a North-East based Arts Director and Executive Producer.
Founding leading LGBTQIA+ arts charity Curious Arts in 2017 where he is currently part time CEO, Phil has spent the past 15 years developing and delivering dynamic artistic projects and programmes across the North.
Passionate about Queer Arts, Outdoor Arts and Dance, Phil is currently working with Yorkshire Dance, Rendez-Vous dance and is a Trustee at Mortal Fools. Having also recently held the roles of Producer, Interim Artistic Director and Director of Artistic Programmes at Dance City, the North East’s leading development organisation for Dance.
Rachel Shipp (she/her)
Productions Manager
Rachel is a highly experienced production/technical manager and lighting designer. She specialises in
small and medium scale dance and performance, nurturing shows through the production period to
first night, and then taking them out on tour, responsible for relighting, staging, and operation of
lighting (and sometimes sound).
She has toured extensively through the UK and Europe, and also to North America, Australasia and the near and far East. She has production managed and toured with
Akram Khan, Shobana Jeyasingh, Nigel Charnock, Protein Dance and H2 Dance amongst many
others. She is also production manager for Spitalfields Music Festival. Recent touring projects include The Little Prince for Protein Dance and The Monocle for Rendez-vous dance. Recent lighting designs include Bleak House for David Glass Ensemble and Macbeth for
Flabbergast Theatre Company.
Andrew Gardiner (he/they)
Dramaturg & Engagement Artist
Andy trained and received BA (hons) in both
Theatre and Dance, and has a PGDip from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, with a distinction. He currently performs as a dance artist and actor whilst working as a freelance dramaturg, (Rendez-Vous dance The Monocle, What songs may do... and Act. Zoielogic Dance Theatre's Ride, Heist and Sleuth) rehearsal director and teacher.
Andrew has worked with UK based Dance and Theatre companies such as New Art Club, Anatomical, bgroup, Protein Dance, Curious Seed, ZoieLogic Dance Theatre, Ricardo Buscarini, Jamie Fletcher Company, James
Wilton RLWC14, Casson and Friends, Smallpetitklein, Encounter, LaBanda, Simon McBurneys' The Rakes Progress' (Igor Stravinsky) in collaboration with Festival Aix and The DNO. Andy is also the Artistic Director of Society of Strays (an interdisciplinary performance company based in Newcastle) and
has directed, devised and performed in their outdoor work 'Cycle' co-commissioned by Dance City and Nexus
Rachel Jean Birch (she/her)
Rachel is co-director and founder of Moving Art Management, and is a freelance producer, teacher, dancer and creative entrepreneur, specialising in dance.
Matthew Bartram aka
Cave & Sky (he/him)
Digital and Communication Creative Designer
For all media enquiries please contact mathieu.geffre@rendez-vousdance.com
Sarah Trist (she/her)
Sarah Trist is a dedicated dance producer and tour booker who really wants to contribute to the success of dance in the UK.
She connects artists with presenters, communicates with audiences nationally and internationally and meets a range of cultural objectives.
Since the beginning, STDMA has centred on the individual needs of the artist, developing market opportunities to facilitate artistic growth and career progression. STDMA has provided sophisticated management support to dance artists in the UK for nearly thirty years, and now focuses full-time on tour booking.
Our Advisory Board
Ste Dunn (he/him)
Francesca McCarthy (she/her)
David Kam (he/him)
Shelagh Avery (she/her)
Zoie Golding MBE (she/her)
Hedley Sugar Wells