The Deal

Ailsa is a performer from Hong Kong, trained at SEAD (Austria) and IAB (Spain). She has performed internationally in opera, dance, and theatre, and her work bridges East and West.

Bianca Mikahil was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, and moved to London to study at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, where she graduated with a First Class BA (Hons). Bianca has worked with National Dance Company Wales and the touring production of Jungle Book Reimagined with Akram Khan Company and was one of the National Youth Ballet’s Beyond Ballet Artists in 2021/2022. She has also co-created Elbow Dance Collective in 2021, alongside delivering workshops and masterclasses internationally.

Choreographer and dancer. Holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Dance Choreography from Guangxi Arts University and has been a core company member of Sleep No More (Shanghai) since 2018. Performance and choreographic credits include Dreamless Red Chamber (Chinese National Arts Fund), Beijing Dance Week, Shenzhen Fringe Festival, and Hangzhou International Dance Week. Selected works include Four People, Not Quite Cooperative, and Towards.

Callia Roulland is a French singer, violinist, dancer, and actor. Trained in classical violin at the Haute École de Musique in Geneva, she later studied musical theatre at the Guildford School of Acting (UK). In 2025, she was awarded the Marion Bourgine Prize at Jazz in Marciac. She performs across musical theatre, jazz, and classical settings, from London jazz clubs and Abbey Road Studios to Windsor Castle. As an actor, she recently originated the role of Marianne in the new play Comment tombent les Rois in Paris.

Eera is a London-based artist from India, trained at Trinity Laban. She has worked with Gecko and Good Chance, and contributed to projects for The Grateful Dead in Las Vegas.

Enea is a dance theatre performer whose main objective is to make the audience leave their own identities for a few moments and fill them with passion and raw emotions.

Grigory is a violinist and swing dance teacher, performing internationally in manouche jazz and theatre.

Guan is a Chinese dancer and choreographer, founder of the “Grassland Project.” His site-specific works have been shown at major festivals in China and internationally.

Trained from a young age in ballroom, ballet, and modern dance, Daniel has collaborated with artists from and performed across China, the United States, France, Australia, and Belarus in both performances and competitions.

Hung is a contemporary dance artist. A graduate of HKAPA and former teaching artist at CCDC, she brings her artistry to works by a range of choreographers, from international names like Diane Madden and Gabrielle Nankivell to local masters such as Helen Lai and Yuri Ng.

Jianze Qi is a professional cellist based in Shenzhen as resident cellist for The Deal, a former professional cellist with Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra and collaborating cellist for Martha Graham Dance Company. Awarded a scholarship, he holds a Master’s degree from Mannes School of Music and a Bachelor’s degree from Boston Conservatory at Berklee. He previously acted as principal cellist of Mannes Orchestra and cellist of Boston Conservatory Orchestra. He has performed at iconic venues including Lincoln Center, Boston Symphony Hall, New York City Center and MIT Kresge Auditorium.

John is a choreographer and performer with credits including Gecko, DV8, Punchdrunk, and Jasmin Vardimon. He has won multiple UK choreography awards and his practice spans across Theatre, Dance, Cabaret & Circus.

Mingchao is a dancer from China, formerly with Tao Dance Theatre and a long-time performer in Sleep No More Shanghai.

Natalia is a Polish-born contemporary dancer and a physical theatre artist. Trained at Anton Bruckner University in Linz, collaborated with Landestheater Linz and began her professional career with Hofesh Shechter Company.

Pin is a Taiwanese performer with over 20 years of international experience, including with Pina Bausch and Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More and The Burnt City.

Rob is a performer and founding Punchdrunk ensemble member with credits across theatre, film, and opera worldwide.

Originally from Spain, Samuel Perez Duran began his career touring nationally with La Tourne Teatro before moving to the UK, where he developed his practice in physical theatre. With a background in acting, dance and acrobatics, his work has since expanded across Europe, South America and now Asia, collaborating with companies including Tmesis Theatre, Wired Aerial Theatre, Theatre Temoin and Theatre Porto.

Tobie is a violinist and producer, director of the Gypsy Jazz Festival London. He has performed internationally with leading jazz musicians.

From England, TJ Firmin studied at Rambert School and began his career at BalletBoyz. He co-created “I-Want-Absolute-Beauty” at Ruhrtriennale Festival with LAHORDE, PJ Harvey, Sandra Hüller, Ivo Van-Hove, afterwards joining LAHORDE at Ballet-National-de-Marseille. He worked at Paris-Dance-Project under director Benjamin Millepied, and also performed as a guest artist at Origen-Cultural-Festival, Switzerland. He has taught internationally and worked with brands such as Apple, Zara, Levis and artists including ROBYN and Ellie Goulding.

London-based actor and musician, Tom Blake trained at École Philippe Gaulier and has a background in visual art from the Slade School of Fine Art. His work spans theatre, film, and live performance, with a focus on new writing and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Raised in New Zealand, Viva trained at the National Theatre Ballet School in Melbourne and earned a Master’s in Performance from Trinity Laban in London. She was an aerialist and stunt double on the world’s largest lake stage for seven seasons (Wired Aerial Theatre, U.K. & Bregenzer Festspiele, Austria), and regularly performed at the Royal Ballet and Opera, as well as collaborating in new puppetry creations across Switzerland and Germany.