A.R.A.B Team
David Ralph
Program Manager
info@arab-vass.com
David Ralph studied a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Management at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. David has over ten years of experience in culturally diverse art forms working as a tour manager, events coordinator and program coordinator, and has previously been a committee member of several community and charity organisations, such as the StyleAid Committee (01-07) and Channel 31. Before starting with the A.R.A.B Program David worked in events and project management with PAN Event Entertainment working with a range of clients like the Australia Day Committee, Department of Premier and Cabinet, City of Melbourne and Peter Jones Special Events. Alongside this was also a tour manager with Cultural Infusion touring IndoBboy Fusion nationally in 2008. Since beginning work with A.R.A.B David has undertaken work in event and program management, social enterprise development and youth performing arts practices. David is thrilled to be a new part of the A.R.A.B team and looks forward to helping the arts serve the youth.
Kate Gillick
Creative Producer
kate@arab-vass.com
Kate Gillick has worked as an actor, writer and director in film, TV and theatre since graduating from drama school in 1986. She is a graduate of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School and made a number of documentary films including Remembering Country, SBS (Co writer/Director) Minmaku Way SBS (Writer) and A Few Old Blokes (Writer/Director). Remembering Country won an Australian Teachers of Media Award, was nominated for the Sydney Film Festival Dendy Awards. She has worked as an Artistic Co-director on the A.R.A.B program since February 2004, co-writing, co-directing and producing on Yallah! Yallah Shabiba!, Yallah Hayat!, the Yallah Hayat! tour, Hurriya! Ahlam, Tammarrud, Conjure, Northern Trax and on most of A.R.A.B’s special projects.
Jeremy Angerson
Creative Producer – Projects & Events
jeremy@arab-vass.com
Jeremy Angerson has worked as an actor, director and producer in theatre, film and television for the past 20 years. His credits include Sweet Dreams (Co-director and producer) The Grand Feeling (Co-director and Producer), winner of a Melbourne green room award. As an actor he has performed in national and international film and television. He is the Co-founder of Paradigm Productions, a film and theatre company, which was the recent winner of two craft awards at the Tropfest Short Film Festival. He has been working on A.R.A.B since 2005, Co-directing Yallah Shabiba! Yallah Hayat!, the Yallah Hayat! tour, Ahlam, Glenroy Ahlam, Hurriya Road Tour and Tawasal, A.R.A.B’s gigging program and special projects.
Debby Maziarz
Program Mentor & Strategic Management
debby@arab-vass.com
Debby is an experienced social entrepreneur, theatre director, producer, community facilitator, and educator. In 1995 she founded the Westside Circus, a not for profit community arts organisation which uses circus, leadership and performance as modality to build personal confidence and resilience. She dreamed of harnessing her creative drive, love of circus and compassion for others to create the ideal job for herself and she made that dream a reality. Until June 2010 she was the Executive Director of the Westside Circus which delivers a far reaching social circus program to over 10,000 individuals each year. In 2009 she won the prestigious SACS Consulting Not for Profit Leadership Award – Executive Leader for her personal contribution to the growth and development of the Westside Circus and the Community Arts Sector. In 2010 she was a finalist for the 2010 Telstra Victorian Business Women’s Awards in the White Pages Community and Government Category and is participating in the 2011 Williamson Community Leadership Program. Today Debby is working as an independent producer and creative writer and is working at A.R.A.B as a strategic mentor and manager. Debby began her professional career as a Drama Teacher and Youth Worker, co-ordinating young women’s groups and youth events throughout Melbourne. Her life changed dramatically when she joined the Women’s Circus at the age of 16.
Natalie Zaibak
Accounts and Project Support
Hala Saba
Community Development Support and Cultural Liaison Worker
ARTIST TEAM
Melissa Cristina
Belly dance, Latin dance and choreogphy
Melissa has been Melbourne’s most sought-after Middle Eastern Dance Artist for over 10 years. She has taught and performed Australia-wide at events and festivals including the Woodford Folk Festival, Canberra National Folk Festival Melbourne and Sydney Bellydance Festivals and Moomba. Melissa has also performed on television shows Good Morning Australia, The Denise Drysdale Show, and The Secret Life of Us. As a fully trained Latin-American dancer, she is a member of Melbourne’s most popular Latin floor show Ole Ola with Fabio Robles. Melissa’s dance background incorporates jazz ballet, Flamenco, African, Street Latin and Lebanese Folk Loric.
John Gray
Hip hop, contemporary, Haka, choreography and acting
In 1996, John trained and graduated at Brent Street School of performing arts and has since entertained at sporting events, on television shows and numerous commercials. His Musical and Theatre debut started in 1998 with, the Australian and New Zealand Tour of ‘Grease the Arena Spectacular’. His following theatre endeavours include the Asian tour of The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Fame, the Musical and the Australian production of the Disney musical of The Lion King.
Deon Nuku
Hip Hop dance, break dance and choreography.
Deon has worked extensively as a professional dancer and actor in film, television and theatre. Deon’s theatre credits include Fame, Footloose, Oh What a Night and Saturday Night Fever to name a few. He has toured with international artists Shaggy, Macy Gray and Will Young and has worked with Kylie Minogue on both Mushroom’s 25th birthday celebrations and Kylies On a Night Like This tour. Deon’s television credits include the ARIA Music Awards, X-Factor (UKTV), Hey, Hey It’s Saturday, In Melbourne Tonight, the AFI awards, the Logie awards and Neighbours. Deon was also a featured dancer in the films Moulin Rouge and Scooby Doo Deon has taught dance at 20 different schools across Melbourne.
Irinie Vella
Irine is a musician who specialises in fretted instruments – the guitar, Cretan Lute, Mandolin and bouzouki. For the past twenty years, Irine Vela has worked with scores of musical ensembles, theatre companies and community arts projects throughout Australia Her choral opera Little City was acclaimed by both music and theatre critics and enjoyed sell-out and return seasons in Melbourne and Brisbane. Little City also garnered her a Sound Australian Award from the Australian Music Centre for Best Composition by an Australian Composer. In 2003 she won the Tropfest Film award for Best Original Score – the same year her epic music- drama 1975 enjoyed its world premiere.