The Artistic Team

Susanne Thomas

Susanne is a German born choreographer, producer and director, currently based between Murcia (Spain) and Leeds (UK) after 29 years in London and Devon. Her wealth of choreographic work has been presented in both indoor and outdoor sites in the UK and worldwide, with venues ranging from theatres and museums, department stores and railway stations to the Royal Opera House and the National Theatre. Her company Seven Sisters Group has been at the vanguard of site-specific and immersive performance since the early 90s.

Susanne’s career in dance and performance began 32 years ago with a scholarship to study at London Contemporary Dance School, upon which she quickly became an established artist in London and beyond. She is co-artistic director and producer of Seven Sisters Group, together with scenographer Sophie Jump. Their projects focus on communicating contemporary issues through new and idiosyncratic works that defy labelling. Evolving with advancements in hand-held technology, Seven Sisters Group has led the way in morphing virtual reality and site-specific performance. Recent projects incorporating these innovative approaches have drawn great acclaim, with ‘Like a Fish Out Of Water’, winning the “Gold Award for Exceptional Achievement Across All Categories” at World Stage Design 2013, and The Twelfth Player, commissioned by Fermynwoods Contemporary Art and the Royal & Derngate in 2017.

Susanne has an international teaching profile, delivering in creative and contextual studies in Higher Education, as well as in professional and community contexts. Her background in visual arts, contemporary performance and cross-art collaboration enables her to teach a wide range of people with interests in dance, performance, collaboration and space/site. She was Head of Dance at the Institute of the Arts Barcelona until 2023, following previous teaching and leadership roles at Northern School of Contemporary Dance (UK), University of East London (Programme Leader: Urban Practice) and Dartington College of Arts (Director of Choreography).

Susanne returned to working as a freelance artist and researcher in 2024, also joining forces with ¡Vamos Simbiosis! to develop joint projects that reconnect humans to the sea through arts and science to inspire change towards a more sustainable future.

Sophie Jump

Sophie Jump is a founder member of Seven Sisters Group and is co-Artistic Director of the company. She designs for theatre and performance and won the overall Gold Medal at World Stage Design 2013. Her work with Seven Sisters Group was selected to represent the UK at the Prague Quadrennial in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011, and has been exhibited at the V&A Museum and internationally. She is curator of the Site Specific Performance Festival for the Prague Quadrennial 2019.

In parallel with her creative practice Sophie is committed to supporting, exploring and furthering the role of the performance designer in the visual arts; an aim that she pursues through involvement in organisations such as the Society of British Theatre Designers and Linbury Prize for Stage Design, as well as engagement in academic research and lecturing.