Phillip Adams, Artistic Director/Choreographer

Phillip Adams is the founder and Artistic Director of BalletLab, forming the company upon his return home from New York in 1998. Phillip is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and his performing arts background spans a 25 year career in contemporary dance. Phillip lived and worked in New York for a decade after being awarded the ANZ International Fellowship Award in 1988. He was a member of several leading dance companies and worked with many independent choreographers including BeBe Miller, Trisha Brown, Irene Hultman, Sarah Rudner, Amanda Miller, Donna Uchizono and Nina Wiener. He has since been commissioned by numerous companies in Australia and overseas.

Kristy Ayre, Executive Producer

Kristy is Executive Producer of Phillip Adams BalletLab, a member on the Board of Next Wave and Head of the Green Room Awards Association Dance Panel. She previously Co-Produced the 2015 National Dance Forum, alongside Kath Papas, and was an Associate Producer for the 2012 and 2014 Next Wave Festivals. Kristy has been a peer assessor for the Australia Council for the Arts and a curatorial advisor for Ausdance Victoria and Next Wave's Kickstart program.  

As a performer, Kristy collaborated and performed for Chunky Move for over a decade (2001-2012) mostly in works by founding Artistic Director, Gideon Obarzanek. She has also previously performed for Lucy Guerin Inc, Shelley Lasica, Frances D’ath, Itoh Kim, Prue Lang, Natalie Cursio, Dario Vacirca, Lee Serle, Ashley Dyer and Luke George, appearing in numerous prestigious venues and Arts Festivals worldwide. Kristy teachers contemporary dance workshops and masterclasses to all levels from beginner to professional including regularly teaching for Chunky Move's Public Class Program. Kristy is a graduate of the VCA. 

Briony Galligan, Project Officer

Briony joins Phillip Adams Balletlab as Project Officer, with experience working on arts festivals, community and heritage projects. Briony has worked as an Associate Producer supporting emerging and experimental arts practice with Melbourne Fringe and Next Wave, and has curated and managed exhibition programs at Melbourne Museum and the Immigration Museum. Briony has also worked on large-scale public gatherings with WalkerAbercrombie and events with Indonesian arts organisation, Cemeti Art House. Briony is also a visual artist who has exhibited widely in Australia and Indonesia. 

Timothy Walsh, Shaker Maker Education Program Teacher/Facilitator

Timothy Walsh is a Melbourne based contemporary dance artist, curator and dance educator. He is a graduate of the VCA and upon his graduation was awarded the Orloff Prize for most outstanding talent. Since graduating Timothy has gone on to work alongside choreographers Brooke Stamp, Shelley Lasica, Phillip Adams, Atlanta Eke, Jo Loyd, Stephanie Lake, Byron Perry, Bec Jensen, Gavin Webber, Raewyn Hill, Larissa McGowan, Huang Yi and Tanja liedtke. Timothy has participated in the work of visual artists Marina Abramovic, Mikala Dwyer and Keith Deverell. Timothy’s choreographic credits include Remind Me Again in 24 Hrs, (2012, Menagerie, Revolt Art Space),

De-Mystifying the out-of-body Experience (2013, LGI’S P4SS, Shebeen Next Wave), Post-Phase: the summit is blue (2014, Dancehouse), Semaphore (2015, ArtsHouse). He was the first choreographer invited to undertake a choreographic internship with Chunky Move and received an Australia Council Art Start grant funding a trip to New York, Iceland and Denmark to establish and develop his choreographic practice. Timothy has begun to focus his choreographic attention toward curating contemporary performance and is currently undertaking a Masters of Art History and Curatorial studies at the University of Melbourne. 

Zela Papageorgiou, Marketing and Communications Intern

Zela is a recent graduate of the University of Melbourne, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music where she completed her Bachelor of Music with first class honours (2016). She is an emerging percussionist whose practice focuses on contemporary solo and chamber music, and is particularly drawn to performing music that explores unique combinations of sounds and textures. Zela has performed in festivals such as the Melbourne Festival (Ethereal Eye, 2016) and the Metropolis New Music Festival (2012). She has also performed as a Speak Percussion Emerging Artist in the Melbourne Fringe Festival (AUTOMATION, 2012) where she developed her first performance installation titled Performance Anxiety, which was performed at The Substation. Zela is looking to extend her practice and passion for interdisciplinary arts and has joined BalletLab as a Marketing and Communications Intern where she will develop her skills and knowledge of working with contemporary arts organizations.