board of trustees
LAUREN KENDALL (CHAIR)
Lauren Kendall brings a wealth of fundraising and strategic experience and a deep commitment to the arts and community welfare as the new Chair of the Board for Body Politic Dance in Oxford. Currently serving as CEO at Survivor Space Oxfordshire, Lauren has dedicated her career to supporting others, advocating for their well-being and empowerment in innovative ways.
With a passion for the transformative power of dance, Lauren believes in its ability to inspire creativity, build confidence, and encourage connection among young people. She shares Body Politic’s vision to create an inclusive environment where every child can experience the joy and benefits of movement, regardless of their background.
Outside of her professional life, Lauren finds peace and inspiration in the ocean. A keen (but terrible!) surfer, she feels most at home in the waves and the sea, reflecting the same spirit of resilience and freedom she aims to instill in the children and communities she serves.
Natasha Anderson
Natasha Anderson is Sadler’s Wells’ Senior Community Engagement Manager, with a focus on young people, low-income households and over 60s, she leads on all engagement work based in Islington and East London as part of the Learning and Engagement Department.
With over twenty years’ experience in the arts and culture, she has spent the last ten years focusing on arts education, community partnerships, audience development and marketing. Her previous employers include Barbican Centre, Bernie Grant Centre and Iniva.
Natasha has spent most of her career working closely with different members of the community to offer the opportunity for people whom the arts are sometimes not accessible. She has championed their needs from within the organisations and flags opportunities to build closer relationships.
Natasha’s experience will be invaluable to the team as she sees arts and education through the lens of groups less engaged with arts institutions and her experience and ensures that activities will be delivered authentically.
“Now more than ever we need the arts to pull us together and form strong untied bonds within communities, Body Politic’s programmes offers so many opportunities for young people to explore dance and self expression in a supportive environment. Their performances continue to provoke debate and like all good cultural experiences help us question who we want to be as a society. I am so excited to be part of their journey and look forward to supporting and working closely with the team.”
Rohini Jhally (TREASURER)
Rohini has worked in the charity sector for 7 years and has focussed on charity finance for the past 5. She began her career as an intern at a human rights organisation and is currently a finance assistant at Paul Hamlyn Foundation. She has also held roles at other grant making foundations, focussing particularly on protecting and improving girls’ and women’s rights.
Rohini holds a BA in English and French from the University of Leicester, and spent a year studying in Paris at the Sorbonne Nouvelle as part of the Erasmus exchange programme.
She is currently studying for a CIMA qualification and joined the Board of Directors as Treasurer for Body Politic in 2022. She is an avid reader and even runs her office book club.
Shannelle Fergus
Shannelle ‘Tali’ Fergus works within the dance community and industry across performance, choreography, teaching and talent management.
Recent choreographer credits include The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (West End, UK Tour) and Redlands (Chichester Festival Theatre). Tali is currently developing new work as part of The Place’s Choreodrome and is a shortlisted artist for The Arts Foundation Futures Award in Dance.
Tali served as Agency Manager of ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company from 2011 to 2024, providing performing and creative talent for stage, screen and corporate productions, with work frequently moving beyond representation into casting and production. She continues to do this independently.
Tali is founder, producer and lead facilitator of identity. ideas. industry. (iii), a programme and method designed to encourage dance artists’ curiosity about their creativity and the industry at large, through movement, conversation and literature.
Tali understands the work it takes to maintain and grow a Company and is excited to lend her insight to Body Politic as it continues its vital work for the dance sector.
Hanna Smyth
Hanna Smyth has worked in public engagement with research at the University of Oxford for eight years, supporting mutually beneficial engagement activities across a wide range of public audiences and research areas. With a background in museum work, she has had a particular focus on community partnerships and arts & heritage engagement. In October 2025, she leaves her role as Engagement Coordinator at the Oxford Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging to become Public Engagement Lead for the project “Shakespearean Graves“.
A lifelong dancer, Hanna is passionate about the empowering effects that dance can have on young people. She trained in Irish dance from age 6-22, competing at the North American and World Championships and serving as dance captain of a performance troupe. She resumed Irish dancing recreationally in 2017 and now also takes Intermediate Jazz classes to broaden her horizons!
Hanna holds a PhD in Global & Imperial History (Oxford), an MA in Museum Studies (Leicester), and a BA in Classical Archaeology (University of British Columbia). An immigrant from Canada, Oxford has been her home for ten years and she is delighted to join Body Politic in 2025 as a Trustee.
Lucy Bellingham
Lucy Bellingham is a teacher and freelance drama consultant, based in Warwickshire. Since studying Drama at Manchester University and pursuing a PGCE in Secondary Drama, she has worked within the field of drama education for over twenty years, from the rural midlands to inner city London academies.
She has written educational resources for West End shows such as Back to the Future The Musical and Witness for the Prosecution. She has previously worked with Avant Garde Dance to develop and implement their educational programme.
She founded We Teach Drama in 2021 and now creates resources & CPD for drama teachers internationally.
Gemma Cannon
Gemma began her career in arts sector marketing before moving into academic publishing over 15 years ago. She has held positions within both marketing and editorial functions, and currently works at Oxford University Press as a Senior Publisher specialising in managing mission based, society publishing portfolios. She runs a strategic development course for publishing industry professionals.
Gemma holds a degree in English Literature and a Masters in Gender and Culture from Swansea University.
She joined Body Politic as a Trustee in 2024 and brings her skills in strategic development, reporting, and relationship management to the organisation.
Lucia Prentice
With a career focused on improving outcomes for young people and disadvantaged families, Lucia is experienced working in the charity sector. She has worked on early identification of need for interventions for families and has provided 1:1 support to them when facing crises. Currently, as Deputy SENDCo in an Oxfordshire Secondary School, Lucia advocates for and empowers young people to access the education they deserve, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive.
A passionate believer in the power of the arts, Lucia is committed to finding ways to make dance and theatre accessible to all. She is focused on creatively reaching young people from a diverse range of backgrounds, helping them discover their own potential through the arts. Lucia is dedicated to fostering a sense of community and belonging, giving young people the opportunity to explore their love for dance, expressing themselves, and develop lifelong skills.
Laura Ayoade
Born in Oxford, Laura’s journey into dance began with majorettes, eventually leading her to
professional training in Hip Hop through the Urban Dance programme at the University of
East London. Her deep-rooted passion for dance—especially styles shaped by culture and
community—sparked a global education that spanned performance research, and
International Human Rights Law.
This unique blend of artistry and advocacy laid the foundation for Laura’s lifelong
commitment to justice, equity, and activism. Guided by a strong sense of purpose, she
transitioned into the field of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), where she found a role that
brought all her experiences into alignment. Her professional path has included teaching in
secondary education – specialising in performing arts, as well as working in corporate and
social responsibility—each chapter building towards her current DEI leadership.
While her work centres on creating more inclusive and equitable systems, Laura’s love for
dance remains constant. Today, she continues to nurture that passion through salsa,
bachata, and zouk lambada, embracing both the joy of movement and the cultural roots of
the styles she practices. Whether on the dance floor or in her DEI work, Laura is committed
to creating spaces where everyone feels seen, valued, and free to move.
GET INVOLVED WITH THE COMPANY
We’re always looking for passionate people who would like to get more involved in the work that we’re doing. If you’re interested in marketing, media or you’re an artist looking for work, we’d love to hear from you!
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