Artists || Water Mirror
Paulina Quinteros: Artistic Director & Choreographer
Paulina Quinteros is the Artistic Director and founder of Danza del Arte, a dance company based in Sydney, Australia, founded in 2014.
Renowned for her ambitious productions, musicality, and emotionally charged choreography, Quinteros creates works that are bold, intelligent, and deeply engaging.
Building on her commitment to creating original and collaborative work, Water Mirror, her highly successful production, reinforces Quinteros’ reputation as a leading choreographer. The production will tour Australia nationally supported by strong Australian Federal funding, and Arts on Tour. Reflecting the strength, ambition, and consistency of her practice.
Past award-winning works include ‘La Choreografia’, winner of 2016 Sydney Fringe Festival Best Dance Award; ‘Tryptico’, a five-star collaboration with renown Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin AO and visual artist Wendy Sharpe AM, and ‘Sui Generis’ developed in collaboration with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, premiering to standing ovations and exceptional reviews. She has collaborated with composer Ross Edwards AM for the Sydney Peace Prize in honour of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the premiere of his Oboe Concerto at the Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Quinteros has choreographed for The Australian Ballet, Queensland Ballet, and created works at leading institutions including VCA, WAAPA, UNSW, and NAISDA Dance College. She is the recipient of the prestigious Peggy van Praagh Award and Sir Robert Helpmann Award for Professional Choreography.
Quinteros believes that art lies at the heart of our humanity. She embraces all artistic genres and works with artists from all walks of life — renowned professionals, emerging voices, and anyone driven by a genuine desire to create. She views art as “one”: a universal language through which we connect, express, and transform.
Water Mirror ARTISTS
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Water Mirror ARTISTS 〰️
Bridget McAllister
Bridget is an Australian dancer with a Diploma of Elite Performance from Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year, has performed in Water Rhythms (2024–2025) with Musica Viva; Random (2024), Water Mirror (2023 Sydney Fringe; 2024 Adelaide Fringe), Tríptico (2023), and Sui Generis (2022) with Danza Del Arte Australia; and Galileo (2022) with Sydney Choreographic Centre. She is a Teaching Artist with Sydney Dance Company, touring Australia teaching company repertoire, and Assistant Choreographer for A Chorus Line (2025) with Willoughby Theatre Company and Believe: A Christmas Musical (2025) with Mark Edmonds Productions. Bridget will also tour nationally in 2026 with Danza Del Arte through Arts on Tour for the Water Mirror national tour.
Dancer
DancerKayla Hawkins
Originally from Perth Australia, she completed full-time dance at Village Nation in Sydney, and completed training with Danceformation run by Georgette Sofatzis-Xuereb. Has been featured in contemporary works by Georgette Sofatzis-Xuereb, Joseph Ipsaro-Passione and Paulina Quinteros. Has been working with Danza Del Arte since 2024 in Paulina Quinteros creation Water Mirror and will be touring that work across Australia in 2026.
DancerLauren Brereton
Lauren is a classical and contemporary dancer and circus artist. She completed full time contemporary training at Ev & Bow in 2018.
Throughout 2024 and 2025, Lauren has performed in Paulina Quinteros’ work “Water Mirror” alongside Taikoz musicians at the Blue Mountains Theatre, the Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre, The Pavilion Arts Centre, and the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Since February 2025, she has been performing as a ballet dancer in Fever Global's "We Call It Ballet" and “Ballet of Lights” at the Seymour Centre and Chatswood Concourse.
In 2023, she featured in Paulina Quinteros' "Triptico" at the ARA Theatre. In 2019, Lauren worked with Austinmer Dance Theatre, touring Cass Mortimer Eipper's "Pastiching Tetsuo" in Sydney and Melbourne.
Alongside dance, Lauren is highly passionate about circus. Lauren is currently touring NSW with Circus Rio, as an aerialist and a dancer. In October, she performed 4 aerial acts for 60,000 people at Australia’s largest music festival, Knockout Outdoor, at Sydney Olympic Park. Lauren has performed circus acts at Sydney Fringe Festivals, music festivals, and at many corporate, private and community events throughout Sydney.
Male PercussionistRiko Hirata
Riko is a Japanese taiko drummer from Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. She began studying taiko and dance in the first year of elementary school, gaining experience with the local group Makurazaki Hinokami Taiko, and later pursued a professional career in Hyogo. Her activities have expanded to include film work and performances overseas. Since 2020, She has participated in performances in Estonia for three consecutive years, and in 2024 appeared at the Japan Festival in Perth, Australia, demonstrating his active presence on the international stage. She is currently also working as a Taiko teacher.
Male PercussionistRyota Kawano
Ryota is a taiko drummer and shinobue player. He built the foundations of his artistic expression through work with theatre companies based in Yokohama and the taiko ensemble Wadaiko Shoryu. Under the guidance of his mentor, Shogo Yoshii, he studied Hachijojima taiko and a wide range of regional traditional performing arts from across Japan.
Ryota is currently a member of the taiko ensemble Tokyo Dagekidan. His career includes appearances in the NHK historical drama “Kirin ga Kuru” and the film “Ao ni Hibike!”, as well as international performances in Spain and India in 2024. In 2025, he performed at the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Tomioka Silk Mill and later appeared as a taiko and traditional percussion performer in the poetic music drama “Yakumo Tatsu”, further solidifying his active presence on the professional stage.
Toby has been a lighting designer for live productions of theatre, opera, music, dance and events for over 20 years, he has toured in the roles of Designer & Production Manager with a variety of companies both nationally and internationally. Toby provides technical and design guidance through the development, manufacture and installation of lighting. Toby also manages all technical supplier relationships for projects along with planning logistics, scheduling, equipment and technical personnel required to produce a light festival in Australia.
Lighting directorToby Sewell
Angus Denton
Angus has over 25 years experience in theatrical production and lighting design. He has worked and toured extensively with a number of major companies and independent artists such as The Sydney Dance Company and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He has freelanced extensively and has been working with Paulina Quinteros and Danza del Arte for a number years. Angus has developed a keen interest in creating projected environments for dance that complement and uplift the choreography.
Production director
DancerElla Roper
Ella Roper is a Sydney-based dancer and actor. She completed full-time ballet training at Tanya Pearson Academy and graduated from the English National Ballet School in 2023 with a Diploma in Professional Dance. During the 2022/23 season, Ella performed with English National Ballet in “Swan Lake”, touring to Manchester, Liverpool, and London. She has also performed in George Balanchine’s “Who Cares?” and worked with choreographers including Morgann Runacre-Temple, Andrew McNicol, and Didy Veldman.
Recent performance credits include “The Sleeping Beauty” with The Australian Ballet, and multiple collaborations with Anna Rushmer as a dancer, actor, and choreographer in “Undine”, “Firehawk” (Sydney Fringe Festival), and “The River Ghost” (Newcastle Fringe). She has also collaborated with Australian flautist Jane Rutter and worked as a presenter for Progressing Ballet Technique. In 2025, Ella joined Danza Del Arte, performing “Water Mirror” at Blue Mountains Theatre and Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre. She is excited to tour the work across Australia in 2026.
DancerIsobella Laidlaw
Isobella Laidlaw is a recent graduate of Sydney Dance Company’s 2023–2024 Pre-Professional Year Program, receiving both a Diploma and Advanced Diploma. In 2019, she was a semifinalist and grand finalist on Australia’s Got Talent with Akrobatika. She is currently part of the ‘Leg Up’ program by Legs On The Wall.
Female percussionistHikaru Ishii
From an early age, Hikaru studied modern dance, Okinawan Eisa, and hula dance under Kazumi Ishii, and took part in performance tours throughout Japan and internationally. Hikaru began playing taiko at the age of 16 and later entered and completed the training program at the Kodo Cultural Foundation Training Centre. After returning to Tokyo, Hikaru has been active in musical projects involving taiko and Korean percussion, while also working as an instructor with Kirakira Hikaru Arts Japan.
Through Japanese folk performing arts, Hikaru also explores ways to reflect on contemporary Japan—its past, present, and future—together with today’s audiences.
Guest artistRyuji Hamada
Ryuji a leading member of Taikoz, is well known for his joy and passion for taiko, especially when performing yokouchi (side on style) taiko, katsugi okedo, shinobue and the grand odaiko.
Ryuji grew up in Yokohama, Japan, and began his taiko training with the taiko ensemble Shoryu, an ensemble he subsequently led before moving to Sydney.
His teachers and mentors include Suguru Kikuchi on Hachijo Island and Miyake-daiko with original masters Akio Tsumura and sons.
Ryuji co-leads the Sydney Onikenbai Club with Sophia (under the umbrella of ATA) and regularly travels to Japan for study with Iwasaki Onikenbai Hozonkai, the original masters of the dance-music form known as Onikenbai. When in Japan, he regularly performs Onikenbai in the Kitakami Michinoku Geinou Matsuri.
At the Australian Taiko Academy, Ryuji teaches several weekly classes, including ATA’s Tataku and Bachi Club youth programs. Ryuji tours regularly to metropolitan and regional centres to present concerts in schools and is often invited to teach community taiko groups around Australia.
Ryuji appear courtesy of Taikoz
DancerZoe Turner
Zoe Turner, originally from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, began her training at Noosa House of Dance. She began working in the professional scene in 2021 when she featured as a dancer in DanceLabs film for the Sunshine Coast Arts Foundation choreographed by Michelle Bucci. In 2022, she was elected dance captain for the Horizon Festival work Looks Like a Tourist choreographed by Ashleigh Musk and Daniele Constance.
Since then, Zoe has moved to Sydney, Australia and is currently completing her Advanced Diploma of Elite Performance at Brent Street. Most recently, she has worked in developments with industry professionals including Jessica Hesketh, Charmene Yap, Tegan Jeffrey-Rushton, Stephen Tannos, Neale Whittaker and Zee Zunner. Zoe is also a featured dancer in Brent Street’s remount of Garry Stewart’s Be Yourself.