BOARD

Paulette Ryan - Interim Chair

​​Paulette’s journey with IRIE! dance theatre began when IRIE! delivered a workshop at her college in 1986. Her experience as a former student and teacher of African and Caribbean dance underpins her desire to continue to contribute to the legacy of the company, and ensure that IRIE! maintains its presence, relevance and influence on the British dance platform.

As a young black dancer, she found IRIE! inspirational; to see herself reflected in art, culture and dance theatre. She would like all young people of African and Caribbean decent to share that positive experience of their culture, and know that there is a lengthy and rich heritage.  Her extensive work as a Youth Support and Development Worker adds to IRIE!’s Children and Young People's work. She is passionate about being a custodian of this dynamic artform, making it accessible to generations of young people and the community locally, nationally and internationally.   

Paulette is one of a few people to hold an accredited qualification in African and Caribbean dance. Delivered by IRIE! accredited by Birkbeck College, franchised by City and Islington College. The course ran as a pilot from 1998-2001.​

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Sheba Montserrat 

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Sheba is a graduate of IRIE! dance theatre’s first formal qualification in African and Caribbean dance. Gaining her Diploma in 1999. She has been a Caribbean dance practitioner with over 20 years’ experience teaching and choreographing in all aspects of the community. She is a live show producer bringing a variety of performance genres to diverse audiences. Sheba is Caribbean culture historian, trained at the Victorian and Albert Museum in 2016, where she created and give tours around the V&A Europe Gallery. She is also a performance poet and performs live as well as creating videos for social media. She is a stand-up comedian, who writes and performs her own material for live performances. 

She brings the above experiences to the development of IRIE! as well as an awareness of changes and trends in the performing industry, making sure that IRIE! dance theatre remains relevant. She has experienced intense dance training and understands the impact it can have on individuals and the wider community. She hopes that her experience will help to keep IRIE! dance theatre one of Britain’s leading African and Caribbean arts and cultural organisation. 

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Kadeja Braun

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Kadeja Braun is a dance artist, performer, and facilitator. She is an alumna of IRIE! Having completed both her BA in Diverse Dance Styles and MA in Diasporic Dance Styles with the organisation. Her training at IRIE! laid the foundation for a versatile and reflective approach to movement that continues to guide her creative work. Alongside her formal training, Kadeja has performance experience in traditional African dance, having worked with Nii Kwartey Owoo, which has further shaped her understanding of cultural practice and performance within diasporic contexts.

During her studies, Kadeja developed a practice that views movement as a tool for intergenerational community impact. Her work uses movement to help communities engage with the environment and foster meaningful connections with both the natural world and the people around them. She has also worked with the not-for-profit dance organisation DancingStrong Movement Lab, supporting the delivery of performances, tours, and community workshops. She contributed to SPLASH! An immersive, participatory performance work that used movement and creative engagement to explore human connections with water.

As a trustee, she hopes to bring first-hand insight into IRIE!’s education programmes and a considered perspective to support the organisation’s development and growth.