We Are Epic Board

Ali Sinclair (Chair)

Ali Sinclair has over 15 years of experience in governance roles with creative and cultural organisations. Her professional background is in IT and engineering project management. She has coaching qualifications in Leadership Development and Business Growth backed up with relevant experience of working with many clients.

Ali has an inherited physical disability and she is an ambassador for inclusion and accessibility. Added to which she loves dance and has been an advocate for EPIC Arts for many years. She is delighted to be the chair of We Are EPIC advisory board supporting the work they do and equally the way they approach and deliver that work.

Other roles – Chair of Phoenix , Co-Chair of ArtReach, founder member of All-In.

Roxie Keon

Roxie Keon met Epic Arts when she was studying on the Inclusive Arts Practice MA course at the University of Brighton in 2015.

She has had a passion for inclusive engagement for over 10 years, and paired with a love of travelling since she was small, has embarked on numerous international projects across her career life including: the Intercult SEAS project in Sweden and as the commissioned theatre director for a project by WaterAid and Epic Arts in Cambodia in 2016.

In England, she continued working passionately as a freelance facilitator for theatre companies (with a disability focus) in the East Midlands. She is now working at the University of Leicester to gain experience as a fundraiser.

Sarah Shead

Sarah found her passion for the arts at age 8. After many years of dance competitions up and down the country and far too many hours in bright lycra, Sarah went on to complete a BA (Hons) Dance International. Sarah spent the first part of her career working her way up the ranks in arts organisations. During her maternity leave in 2010, as she battled to retain some of her former identity, Sarah founded a production company, Spin Arts. She’s been working as Director and Creative Producer ever since, producing award winning and critically acclaimed international touring productions. Committed to creating shows and experiences that showcase unique and under-represented voices, Spin Arts productions can be found in theatres, libraries, galleries, community centres, and outdoor festivals. Alongside Producing, Sarah is mum to Finley (age 10), who is her toughest critic to date.

Lauren Russell

Lauren Russell, met We Are Epic in our organisational development phase in 2018 and was frustrated by the lack of connections, support and progression opportunities for disabled dancers in Leicester. As a Dancer who identifies as part of the disabled community, Lauren is passionate about bringing more quality, inclusive dance and development opportunities to Leicester!

Lauren has been dancing since childhood throughout her teens and university days, but as her health began to decline she stopped dancing. In 2016 Lauren heard about SideKick Dance at Curve and started dancing again, she had to learn what she could do in (and out of!) her chair. Lauren finds dancing in a judgement free environment, liberating and she is now enjoying volunteering with Sidekick’s youth company supporting others to develop their dance skills.

Outside of the dance world, Lauren is a primary school teacher with full PGCE with her current aim to lobby and advocate to make dance and PE more inclusive in primary schools.

Kathryn Stamp

Kathryn Stamp (PGCE/MA/PhD) is a dance researcher, educator, and Assistant Professor at Coventry University’s Centre for Dance Research (C-DaRE). Her research interests span inclusive dance, representation in dance and trans/interdisciplinary research. In 2020 Kathryn completed her AHRC-funded PhD at C-DaRE, which focused on public interventions that sought to explore and challenge perceptions of disabled people who dance, in collaboration with People Dancing. Kathryn is Editorial Manager for the Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices, an Ambassador for AWA DANCE charity, and Co-Chair of the Society for Dance Research.