Born in Tokyo. After graduating from Ballet Academy in Germany, went to Art Factory International in Italy. Her solo dance piece Augmented Spaces directed by Gyula Berger was performed in Japan, Korea, Romania, Estonia, and Hungary with the supports of Hungarian National Cultural Fund, L1 Association etc. Her first dance film SATO was featured on Dance Cinema (2019). She is leading an international dance collective UGOIQ, teaching Ballet and Contemporary dance in ZeroPlus DanceWorks, and working as an assistant director of Tokyo Space Dance.

Haseem Bivins (AKA Gorilla Sage) is a dynamic storyteller who is known for his commitment and dedication for bringing stories to life. Recently cast as a Principal Dancer in the new film, In The Heights. Gorilla Sage has been an active member of the street dance community for over ten years and has battled in numerous street dance tournaments all over the east coast. Since high school, Sage has studied acting and he believes whether someone is speaking or moving, the intention to connect to those watching should be very similar. If not, the same.

Iphul Asyhari Is a dancer and visual artist from Indonesia who was born and raised in the city of Jayapura, Papua. so that the work he made found a lot of inspiration from life and nature in Papua, he also often collaborated in combining films, dance movements and artistic visuals, often participating in artistic activities ranging from dance performances and participating in several art exhibition activities, and he also is currently studying at the Indonesian Art and Culture Institute in Papua, where he is doing it to increase knowledge, insight, and relationships in the art world.

Krystal Bates is an innovative, multifaceted artist making a difference in her communities through the vessel of performance art. Bates' work is sure to reflect the times and include present day social issues and current events such as police brutality, depression, protecting the black woman, and much more. This California native has shared her talents her various dance companies in the Bay Area where she started her performance career. You'll spot her work in commercials, live recordings, and on many stages. Her styles feature and fuse Modern, Jazz, Ballet, West African, and Commercial dance which join forces with her background in gymnastics and Acro Yoga. Over the past few years Bates took her talents to build Blakh Love Arts LLC along with her business partner, an arts company that blends Dance, Music, Flow Arts, and Storytelling to empower and encourage self-realization amongst black people. She truly believes that art heals and has the desire to create long-lasting impactful art.

Luli Brindisi is a dancer, choreographer and producer from Argentina currently based in New York. During the past years she has had the opportunity to work as a dancer and choreographer for theater and TV in the United States, Spain, France and latin america. She is passionate about the growing industry of dance film, and about dance as a form of cultural expression. She is now working on a graphic novel that addresses the issues of feminism and diversity by presenting dance as a means to break our boundaries and be just who we really are.

Stephanie (she/her) is a Miami based dancer, photographer, videographer, performance artist, and life enthusiast. She graduated from Point Park University in 2020 with a BFA in dance. In the spring of 2019, Stephanie studied abroad in Madrid, Spain at Conservatorio Superior de Danza: María de Ávila, where she received training in contemporary, ballet, composition, and danza española. This experience enhanced her skills as a teacher, and it carved the path for her passion in dance and film. Stephanie was a participant of the Mobile Dance in 2020 and 2019. She is very excited to be a juror in this year’s festival!

Valentina Cayota studied cultural management in Sao Paulo, Brazil; when she was invited by Raça Companhia de Dança. After being accepted to study art management at Companhia de Olga Roriz, she moves to Lisbon, Portugal and receives the recognition of the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Institute of Performing Arts of Uruguay for it. In Portugal she dances professionally in North Dance Company and presents her original work La Valija under the support of La Casa Da América Latina in Teatro Da Trindade.

Nicola Hepp is an award-winning choreographer and movement director. With an extensive background in dance, she holds a Master in Choreography and New Media from the Amsterdam University of the Arts. Nicola's dance films have won awards and nominations at Leeds International Film Festival, Alternative Film Festival Toronto, Dance on Screen Festival and CineManiacs among others. Her films Reset and Breathe were screened at MDFF in 2020 and 2018 respectively. She has previously served as a judge or curator at Utah Dance Film Festival, Screendance Festival, Underexposed Film Festival and Mobile Dance Film Festival. Nicola is currently conducting research into how to combine dance and film to invoke kinesthetic empathy in the viewer, supported by Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds/ Horizon and recently founded The Movers Dance for Film, a casting agency and producer for dance in film and commercials.