Ella Mesma Company

A Dance & Circus Theatre Company

Lineage

It’s very important to me to express gratitude for the dance forms that inform my work, many of which are rooted in the African diaspora. I also acknowledge the painful history of colonialism and enslaved peoples that contributed to the creation of these diasporic dances. I am committed to honouring and respecting these dances and their histories, including the unrecognised cultural lineages and untold stories they carry. For this reason, I speak frequently of the lineage of these dance forms, as well as my teachers, and you’ll find references to these styles in each show.

My Dance Journey:

  • Salsa – Began in Bristol in 1997; teachers include Angel Ortiz (NYC) and Pexava (London).
  • Samba – Started in Bristol in 2002; I’ve paraded as Rainha with the London School and as Passista with Alegria da Zona Sul in Rio.
  • Yoga – Began in Leeds in 2003; trained with Embodied Dancer, Karam Kriya School, and many others.
  • Middle Eastern Dance – Started in Bristol in 2004 with Medea Mahdavi.
  • Afro Cuban – First class in Bognor Regis, 2004 with Iris De Brito; main teachers Miguel Gonzalez & Luanda Pau.
  • Afro Brazilian – Started in Brazil in 2005 at Circo Picolino; main teacher Denilson Owulafemi at Funceb/online.
  • Aerial Silks – Discovered in Brazil in 2005; main teacher Claire Harvey.
  • Contemporary – Began in Leeds in 2006 with Merville Jones, later training at Laban, The Place, and The Graham School.
  • Breaking – Began in Birmingham in 2007; main influences are Bgirl Rokafella (NYC) and DJ Renegade (UK).
  • Popping – Started in London in 2007 with Fred Realness.
  • House – Began in London in 2008, mainly with Uchena.
  • Waacking – Started in London in 2008 with Uchenna.
  • Capoeira – Began in London in 2009, mainly with Ponciano.
  • Ashtanga – Started in Newcastle with Mileva Donachie.
  • Flamenco – Started in Newcastle in 2015, continuing with Flamenco De Leeds and a teacher in Cape Town.
  • Haitian Dance Styles – Trained with Peniel Guerrier in NYC, 2017.
  • Kundalini – Began in Birmingham in 2018.
  • Wing Chun – Began in London in 2023 during work on Okan with Damien & Leo.

Thank you!
Ella xxx

Samba & Afro Brazilian Dance

Denilson Owulafemi

Alegria da Zona Sul

London School Of Samba

Arnaldo Cruz

Militsa Stojanovic

Lubi Jovanovic

Salsa & Afro Cuban

Angel Ortiz

Eddie Torres

Miguel Gonzalez

Aleida De La Serna

Gil Prado, Shelly Cook & Yamulee

Luanda Pau & Domingo Pau

Sami Rodrigues

Moe Flex

Iris de Brito

Fadi K

Ozzy Shine & Dani K

Ivan Girard

Lubi Jovanovic

Joseph Davids

Philip Charles

Pedro Coimbra

Aerial

Circo Picolino

Claire Harvey

Upswing (Vicki Dela Amedume)

Greentop

Leeds Children’s Circus

London Circus School

Paper Doll Militia

Jessica Jay

Breaking

Rokafella

Kwikstep

Sunanda Biswas

Renegade

Gavin Vincent

Breakin’ Convention (Jonzi D)

Breaking Cycles (Benji Reid)

PMT Studios (Pavan Thimmaiah)

Speedy

Marso Candida

Contemporary

Merville Jones

Denapoli Clarke

Laban (Julia Gleich)

The Graham School

London School Of Contemporary Dance (Hilary Stainsby)

Helen Wilson

Ayo Jones

Pearl Chesterman

Capoeira

Ponciano Almeida

Mestre Valdir

Mestre Jose Antonio Almeida

Waacking & House

Vicki Igbokwe

Butoh

Yael Karavan

Maya Gandaia’s Lineage

My teacher’s teachers

Yogi Bhajan: His Grandfather, Virsa Singh, Sant Hazara Singh. Kundalini is influenced by Shaktism & Tantra as well as many aspects of Sikhism

Sri K Pattabhi Jois: Sri T Krishnamacharya

Sherin Warren: William Whitecloud

William Whitecloud: Robert Fritz, ???

Mooji: Papaji: Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi: Parashara

Merville Jones: Nadine Senior

Betty Martin: Harry Faddis

My teachers

Alchemy

Pachamama

Mother Aya

Alva

William Whitecloud

Ryan Pinnock

Tami Kent

Julija Kubova

Sherin Warren

Anne K Scott

Robyn Danzen & Betty Martin

Emily Fletcher

Ira Calixto

Maya Gandaia

Canay Atalay

My Guides (Spirit, Animal, Angel & Land)

Jyoti Ryder

Yoga

Abby Hoffman

Angad Kaur

Mileva Donachie

Joey Miles

Karam Kriya School (Yogi Bhajan, Shiv Sharan)

Siendo (Margaret Rosaria)

Sri K Patthabbi Jois

Susana Barataki

Yoga Trapeze

Leeds University

Bodywork

Tami Kent

Andrea Clusen

Pierpaola Volpones

Gerhard Hesse

Alexandre Paulain

Betty Martin

Robyn Dalzen

Hans Holter Solhjell

Martha Cuffy

Mentors

Alva

William Whitecloud

Mooji Baba

Lubi Jovanovic

De Nappoli Clarke

Abby Hoffman

Ira Calixto

Rokafella

Family, friends,peers, colleagues who also taught me/ we grew together

My Family

Ama Rouge

Akeim Toussaint

Marv Radio

Anna Clasper

Karla Thomas

Dani Byars

Nyrah Andrade & Judah

Dora Da Cruz

Leyla Okhai

Aisha Malik

Ahmad Jooma

Leah Francis

Azara Meghie

Hsing Ya Wu

Rama Ma

Emma Houston

Joey Odro

Patricía Verity Suarez

Patrick Ziza

David Evans

Lia Rodrigues

Myriam Gadri

Meera Patel

Ruth Lorna King

Zeina Hechme & Elisa Aloe

Eneyi Pemu & Emi Okazaki

Raony Penteado

Alexandre Paulain

Beverley Thomas

Jane McClean

My Mandala

Element Arts Family

Jyoti Ryder

Influencers & authors who have contributed to my growth

Layla Saad

Nadia Gilani

Dianne Bondy

Toni Morrison

Alice Walker

Carolyn Elliot

Robert Fritz

Joe Dispenza

Ally Boothroyd

Judi Sion & Tom Kenyon

Queen Afua

Dr Jewel Pookrum

Terarai Trent

Ichi Lee

James Redfield

Muata Ashby

Oprah Winfrey

(this list is ever-growing if I have missed someone you are still in my heart!)

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this JOY Journey (You too!!!)