Team
Alex Corwin – Marketing and Programme Manager
Alex Corwin looks after Kala Sangam’s programming and artistic support. This includes organising our year round programme of events and ensuring they align with our Programme Strands. As well as booking space in our studio for artists creating and rehearsing work, she supports artists with the development of their projects. Alex also oversees our marketing and PR, supported by our Marketing Officer. She has been leading on the consultation and development of our new name and brand.
Alex’s background is in literature programming and marketing and she started her career at Harrogate International Festivals, moving to Ilkley Literature Festival in 2014. She joined Kala Sangam on a freelance basis in 2019, before becoming a permanent member of the team in 2020. She is part of the steering committee of Maya Productions Routes to Roots project and is also supporting Womenzone’s Sufi Music Heritage project.
To discuss any artistic ideas you have or for more information about how we support artists (including booking studio space), email a.corwin@kalasangam.org.
Alex Croft – Creative Director
Alex is responsible for leading and implementing Kala Sangam’s strategic vision. This includes developing partnerships, fundraising and representing the company on a number of strategic Boards and Steering Groups. He is a Director of Bradford Producing Hub, which he co-founded, and was the first Chair of Bradford’s Cultural Voice Forum.
Alex began his career at Northern Ballet working in both press and marketing before joining West Yorkshire Playhouse and then Phoenix Dance Theatre, where he headed up the organisation’s marketing team. Prior to joining Kala Sangam, he worked at Arts Council England as a Relationship Manager for Dance, working closely with independent artists and arts organisations across the North. He is a Board Member at balletLORENT and a former trustee of Pyramid of Arts.
To contact Alex you can email alex@kalasangam.org or message @alexrobertcroft on X.
Alex Wilson – Archivist
Memory Dance was founded by Audio-Visual archivist Alex Wilson in 2016. The project works with festivals, arts and heritage venues, programmers, artists, and curators, locating rarely seen archival collections in new and exciting contexts. Memory Dance aims to build a greater community understanding of forgotten cultural heritage.
Beginning his career in 2008 at the British Library Sound and Vision Archive, Alex/Memory Dance has since collaborated with a host of organisations including The National Jazz Archive, Bridgeman Images, Villon Films, English Folk Dance Song Society, Sheffield Museums, and Goldsmiths University.
He works on historical footage and stills research for independent documentaries such as Eno. (2024), Strike: An Uncivil War (2024), Yorkshire Cop: Police, Racism and Me (2021), and runs an AV digitisation studio in Sheffield. He has worked in the music industry for Warp Records and Rough Trade and has founded two independent record labels. He was born and raised in Hull and is proud of that fact.
Amer Sarai – Head of Community Engagement
Amer is responsible for developing and overseeing Kala Sangam’s learning, participation and outreach programme. This includes developing partnerships, networks, fundraising and representing the company on a number of strategic Boards and Steering Groups.
Her career began in the Arts after gaining an Arts Degree at Bradford Art College and she worked in arts participation for 18 years for Bradford Local Authority. Her role had a specific focus on engaging people from Asian, African, Caribbean and other diverse communities, to take part in cultural expression in relation to their heritage. She has worked locally, regionally, nationally and internationally on a wide range of projects, many of which have had a lasting impact for those who participated.
She then moved across to working in Education and she has led on a number of Education, Employment and Skills projects, as well as Education and Learning projects. Whilst working in this sector she secured her Master’s degree in Education and has worked with schools and colleges across the whole of the Bradford District.
To discuss any community-based ideas you may have, please email amer@kalasangam.org
Claire Hudson – Arts and Heritage Officer at Kala Sangam
Claire studied a History BA (Hons) and History MA (By Research) at the University of Huddersfield. She worked for over 10 years as an Activity Facilitator at the National Coal Mining Museum for England and has over 3 years experience working within primary schools with a range of children, including as a one to one with children with Autism.
Claire joined the team in April 2024 as an Arts and Heritage Officer, working with 4 diverse community groups within Bradford to create artistic pieces which showcase and celebrate their heritage, culture and traditions.
Dave Dearlove – Facilities Assistant and Caretaker
Dave joined Kala Sangam in October 2018 as part of our facilities team and is now caretaker and facilities. He opens and closes our building and is responsible for bookings and events. He also take on the light maintencece of our building and installs our exhibitions. He likes old horror movies, animals and cooking, he’s a huge football fan and supports Manchester United.
Dave Searle – Freelance Theatre Technician
I am the main technician at Kala Sangam, working on a freelance basis providing technical support for most of Kala Sangam’s programmed events as well as technical consultancy for their wider technical needs. I have worked in theatre and events for the past 37 years, from college productions to community shows in old mills. Deputy Chief Electrician at Bradford Theatres, panto to Phantom (oh no you didn’t – oh YES i did !) Stage and Electrics Manager at St Georges Hall, Sooty to Steps, Halle Orchestra to Hello Dolly, Black Dyke Mills to Beautiful South and everything in between. Then Production Manager at Mind the Gap (the UK’s premiere LD theatre company) Uk National tours, International tours to France Germany and Switzerland. Now freelance. Theatre and AV tech working small scale Arts council funded and major corporate (money no object ) projects. I make stuff, Theatre sets, small props, audio environments, video interactions. Also things for myself, At the moment I am working on my third camper van conversion.
Ellie Cansdale – Arts and Heritage Officer at Bloomin’ Buds
Ellie Cansdale is a freelance artist and writer, with a passion for the arts. She facilities workshops in Leeds and Bradford, working with different communities across West Yorkshire. Ellie believes in access to the arts for everyone, wanting to bring the arts to people through explorative and creative workshops. Her passion for writing is focused on poetry, and script, and is motivated by her love for storytelling. Last year Ellie graduated with a BA in Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds, and has since started a period positivity project aiming to tackle taboos and encourage period empowerment.
Ellie joined the Kala Sangam team in August 2024 as an Arts and Heritage Officer alongside Grace. She is very excited to be working on this project with the Bloomin’ Buds team. In this role, Ellie is keen to engage and work with Rockwell’s community and participants, bringing arts and culture to them, while learning about their stories and heritage through creative activities.
Fay Beesley – Education and Outreach Officer
Fay is responsible for our schools and outreach engagement at Kala Sangam. This includes planning our annual school’s takeover week, deliver of Arts Award and supporting schools working towards their Artsmark. Fay is also responsible for the classes that are held at Kala Sangam.
Fay studied Theatre at York St John University and after graduating she was a freelance drama facilitator for 3 years before joining Kala Sangam in 2019. In that time, she worked for several different organisations delivering and developing education workshops for all ages and abilities. Fay is a board member at Peshkar.
For more information on our education offer or classes please email fay at fay@kalasangam.org
Gemma Bailey – Arts and Heritage Officer at South Square Centre
Hello I’m Gemma, I’ve worked in museums & galleries for many years, most recently as a freelancer and previously based at some amazing organisations including Bradford Museums & Galleries, Craven Museum and the Diocese of Salford. I’m also an artist and lover of the outdoors, I love exploring the landscape with my sketchbook! I’m excited to join the team at Kala Sangam & South Square Centre and I’ll be working with young people, ESOL learners and vulnerable people living in sheltered accommodation in the Thornton area, to bring creativity, culture and arts to the community!
Grace Wilkinson – Arts and Heritage Officer at Bloomin’ Buds
Grace began her journey with Bloomin’ Buds theatre company in 2020 as a student and has worked in the community arts sector ever since. Grace’s work ranges from running community workshops, directing plays telling real working class stories and working in early years settings, bringing arts to the next generation. Inspired by her proud council estate upbringing, her work is embedded in bringing access to the arts for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Haider Mahboob – Facilities Assistant
Haider is currently studying a degree in film and television, After working as the arts admin assistant he now works on the facilities team. Outside of work, Haider co founded Toothless Films which is a Bradford based, Bradford born young collective of working class filmmakers, writers and editors.
Jess Swift – Marketing Officer
Jess graduated with a degree in Fine Art in 2021, and has since then shown her work across Yorkshire in many galleries and solo exhibitions. She has joined Kala Sangam as their Marketing Officer after teaching herself marketing strategies and how to create an engaging platform to share her work and events. She has worked freelance for many arts centres across Bradford on different projects and workshops, as well as running the marketing programme for a local events management company.
Jess is a keen ceramicist and painter, and teaches classes in different schools, as well as tutoring fine art once a week at a local art school. She runs her own business selling prints of her paintings and illustrations and continues showing her paintings and sculptures in exhibitions alongside her new role at Kala Sangam
Contact Jess at jess@kalasangam.org or find her on Instagram at jessicaswift_fineart
Jez Arrow – Head of Finance
Jez joined Kala Sangam in May 2015, providing a steady hand on the company’s finances throughout its development since then. Jez has more than twenty years’ experience as a senior arts manager, director and artist in a wide range of contexts, including development of an independent multi-arts venue in the Northeast and bookkeeper on a Scottish feature film with BBC broadcast in 2013. He’s also worked extensively with young people throughout his career, many of them young carers, looked after children and those excluded from education, including tutoring at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland on the Film & Performance elective for young people. When not nursing a spreadsheet somewhere, Jez is an active member of the online gaming community, enjoys TTRPGs (as a player and a DM), can be found reading (particularly sci-fi), and practices Tai Chi (very slowly).
Lauren Kelly – Arts and Heritage Officer at Keighley Creative
I have worked and volunteered in Bradford and Keighley’s arts and culture sector for the past two years. This has included working in museums and galleries, producing art exhibitions and events, and supporting local talent on their creative endeavours! I am also a visual artist, having completed my Fine Art degree from Newcastle University in 2020, before moving back home to Bradford. My goal for Keighley is to work with communities across the district who are already doing fantastic work with their residents, as well as build relationships with communities who are currently under-represented, and we need to highlight! I want to help them explore and connect with their heritage stories, in fun and creative ways! I would love for Keighley to be more involved with Bradford’s year as City of Culture , as it’s such an important part of the Bradford district!
Mohammed Iftikar – Facilities Manager
Ifty is the welcoming face of Kala Sangam, having worked for us since 2008. He coordinates bookings, manages events and our facilities team and supports the Head of Commercial in the running of St Peter’s House. He has over 20 years of facilities experience. He is a board member for Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield, and in his spare time likes going to the gym, gardening, DIY and cleaning his car.
Mo Khan – Facilities Assistant
Mo joined the Kala Sangam team in January 2016 as part of our facilities team as facilities assistant. He was originally interviewed for the cleaner but was given the role of facilities assistant based on his experience. He is responsible for the opening and closing of the building as well as looking after our events and day to day bookings. He also helps with the running of our classes. He likes online gaming and watching cricket, and has huge sweet tooth!
Philip Henegan – Facilities Assistant
Phil is part of our facilities team. He loves being outdoors and going for long walks around the fantastic Yorkshire sights. He loves nature and taking photos of animals, flowers and plants that he finds and documenting these on his Instagram.
Sidra Bi – Bookkeeper
Sidra is the Bookkeeper at Kala Sangam. She is the longest serving member of staff here at Kala Sangam and plays a vital role within our finance department.
Steve O’Connell – Head of Commercial
Steve is our Head of Commercial and is responsible for generating income for the organisation. He achieves this mainly through the sale of space within our building; both long term rentals and short term hires. He has worked with Kala Sangam for over 10 years and prior to this he spent his career in sales and marketing, mostly in the print industry. Outside of work, Steve enjoys travel and supporting other local charities – especially Bradford City! To discuss commercial opportunities or to enquire about space at Kala Sangam, please contact Steve by email: steveoconnell@kalasangam.org