Chameleon

With close to 2 decades of performance experience and study, Tsoof Baras is a composer, percussionist, session musician, hand drummer and graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium.  His versatility has seen him working with Menaka Thomas (QMA Winner), national productions including Hamilton Australia and Mamma Mia! Australia and MZAZA.

Tsoof is a co-founder, director, producer, and predominant composer of SoundStruck. With the group he has created numerous percussion works for the corporate and sporting setting, managing large groups of drummers of diverse backgrounds for events like: the ICC Cricket World Cup, Dolphins NRL Halftime Performances, 2018 Commonwealth Games and SeaWorld Carnivale Aqua Light Show (2021-25).

As a composer, Tsoof is known for his unique and inventive style of writing. Current projects include: Chameleon a contemporary ballet composed and developed in collaboration with Rani Luther.

Tsoof is currently involved in the percussion department of the Queensland Conservatorium and Young Conservatorium programs.

Rani Luther was born in Melbourne and attended the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School before beginning her professional dance career with the Kiel Ballet Company Germany in 1995 before dancing with world-renowned Netherlands Dance Theatre 2 and Netherlands Dance Theatre 1.

In 2003 Rani returned home to dance with The Australian Ballet Company, Sydney Dance Company, and in 2011 retired from stage as a principal dancer with Melbourne Ballet Company.

Rani won the gold medal at the Sanlam International Ballet Competition, South Africa 1993, was winner of the outstanding performance award in the City of Sydney Ballet Scholarship 1994 and received a nomination for best female dancer in the Green Room Award 2006 for her roles in Relic and Jiri with The Australian Ballet Company. Rani has choreographed multiple works for companies and schools both internationally and in Australia.

In 2019 Rani was appointed Ballet Mistress and Creative Associate for Queensland Ballet and Thomas Dixon Centre and during this time produced, curated, and choreographed six new seasons for the Thomas Dixon Centre.

In 2023 Rani worked as associate choreographer on the CIRCA production of Duck Pond and in 2024 was associate choreographer on the Opera Queensland and CIRCA co production of Dido and Aeneas. Rani teaches dance and Pilates across Brisbane.

Victor Smith was born in Hong Kong and received his early ballet training at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. After moving to Australia at a young age, he continued his training with Andrew Pronger at River City Dance and Nicole Marshman – Geyl at the Queensland Conservatoire of Ballet in Brisbane completing his Diploma of Dance.

During that time, he studied the Cecchetti Method and the Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus, passing exams with honours. He then went on to Sydney at Alegria Dance Studios under the direction of Hilary Kaplan and Archibald McKenzie, with whom he performed at the Sydney Opera House.

Victor then went on to extend his dance education in the USA. He was invited to join the Boston Ballet School as a Trainee and also to the Gelsey Kirkland Academy Studio Company. He also trained with the Joffrey Ballet School and Ellison Ballet in NYC. He has had the pleasure of dancing at the Florence Dance Festival, Italy in 2013.

Rafaela Morel was born in Brazil and attended the Bolshoi Theatre School in Brazil , being invited to join the Junior Pre-professional company of the school in 2011 after her ballet graduation. Rafaela’s professional dance career began with the Primorsky stage of Mariinsky Theatre in 2014, before joining Ural Opera Ballet in 2017 as a corps de ballet member. In 2019 Rafaela was promoted to the rank of soloist in the same company, where she worked until 2022, when she joined Astana Ballet as a soloist. In 2022 Rafaela also got certified in “Progressing ballet technique”, as a teacher , qualified for all three levels. Rafaela has had the great pleasure of working with and/or performing works by choreographers such as Vladimir Vasilyev, Cecilia Kerche, George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Andrey Kaydanovsky, Viacheslav Samodurov, Marius Petipa, Maxim Sevagin and many more.

Michael Braun has enjoyed a distinguished dance career worldwide, performing principal roles in ballets like Giselle, Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty. Trained extensively across ballet and contemporary styles, he has been a principal dancer with Queensland Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, and numerous companies internationally, as well working with the Australian Ballet as a senior presenter. As a guest teacher and choreographer, Michael brings years of experience to his coaching and continues to perform while pursuing a full-time physics degree, blending his passion for dance with a commitment to lifelong learning.

Rafaela was a finalist at the Rudolph International Ballet competition ( Budapest, 2013 ) . And was named as the best dancer at the “Enac Festival” in 2004.

In 2024 Rafaela moved to Brisbane , when she joined “Just ballet” school as a ballet , “PBT” and stretch teacher. On the same year she got her 200 hour yoga teacher training certification.

Jayden Grogan is an Australian professional dancer choreographer, performing artist, teacher, and creative practice researcher. Jayden has performed professionally throughout Australia and internationally in critically acclaimed productions by; Opera Australia, Queensland Ballet, Opera Queensland, State Opera of South Australia, Ballet International Gala (BIG), Matt Ward Entertainment,

JACs Entertainment’s Cirque Bon Bon, Cirque O L I O, and Cirque JINGLE, Lisa Wilson Projects, Lynch & Paterson, Ozfrank Dance, Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, Phluxus2 Dance Collective, Collusion Music and Dance, Restless Dance Theatre, Ballet Theatre of Queensland, and Leipzig Ballet Director Mario Schroeder. Most notably, he performed as a Principal Dancer in Opera Australia’s The Ring Cycle in all four operas of the cycle. In the recent production of Billy Elliot – The Musical at The Star Theatre Gold Coast, Jayden starred as the Older Billy soloist dance role, and showcased his triple threat talents as a performer in the ensemble. Jayden graduated from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) with two degrees including a Master of Philosophy (Creative Practice) in 2020 and received Distinction for a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance Performance) in 2017.

Zara Strelen began her dance training at the age of 4. At 6, she was selected to perform the role of child Snow White in Ballet Preljocaj Australian debut of its contemporary adaptation of “Snow White”. She has since performed as part of the children’s cast in Queensland Ballet’s productions of “The Nutcracker” and “Dracula”. Most recently, Zara took on the principal soloist role of the Evil Queen in Ballet Theatre Queensland’s premiere of “Snow White”.

Zara’s success in both the Youth America Grand Prix and Brisbane International Contemporary Dance Prix competitions has earned her prestigious scholarships for secondments at leading dance institutions worldwide. These opportunities have allowed her to further her training at renowned schools such as the Rambert School and Royal Ballet School in England, Nacho Duato Academy in Spain, Zürcher Hochschule der Künste in Switzerland, and Alberta Ballet School in Canada. A particularly memorable scholarship opportunity took Zara to the Nervi Festival in Italy, where she had the honour of working with Vincenzo Capezzuto to recreate Mauro Bigonzetti’s “Rossini Cards” for the YAGP Galas, performing as a lead soloist.

Anna is a dancer, choreographer and creative active in independent contemporary dance and theatre in Naarm (Melbourne) and Magandjin (Brisbane). Anna’s creative work looks at cultural practice through anti-colonial, feminist and queer perspectives.

She has written, choreographed and performed in independent contemporary dance and theatre for events including Melbourne Fringe, Yirramboi, Midsumma and the National Folk Festival. Anna has performed across Australia and in Italy as Taranta Meanjin, sharing cultural dances of liberation, community and resistance from Southern Italy.

Sophie is an FNQ born and raised violist and graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. She is passionate about all avenues of music and performance and enjoys exploring everything from classical to modern music. Sophie is an accomplished orchestral and session violist having performed in the Queensland Youth Symphony, Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra and Camerata| Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra.

She is involved in numerous chamber ensembles and has premiered many new works of both friends and colleagues. She freelances as an ensemble musician for various organisations including Four Strings and String Source, and works as a session violist for recording artists such as The Jungle Giants and Yirinda.

She first joined Deep Blue in 2019 for their show Our Place and since then has been involved in many events including intensive school projects, performances at the Australian of the Year awards in 2020 and Song to the Earth collaboration with Corrinna Bonsheck and Collaborators.

Another extremely valued component of Sophie’s musical life is her folk duo Old Semeil. They have been together since 2016, releasing their first single at the end of that year. Since then, they have released three singles in 2020 and early 2021, and their first full album titled “Lessons of the Rope” in February 2021.

Elias is a versatile Double Bassist and graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium. With the support of the Australian Arts Council, Elias spent three months in late 2018 studying under the tutelage of Francois Rabbath in Paris, France.

Elias has been greatly influenced by François Rabbath’s approach to playing the double bass, not being afraid to implement new and unconventional techniques to enhance his performance when required. He maintains the belief that the sound of his instrument not only shines as an orchestral accompaniment but also as a beautiful solo instrument.

During the past 5 years Elias has performed with ensembles such as Camerata – Queensland Chamber Orchestra, The Australian Session Orchestra and Perth Symphony Orchestra. He has worked as a session musician for artists such as Mirusia, Ministry of sound, Jay Dévu and The Callum Pask Trio, as well as “throw together” orchestras, recording sessions and musical pit work.

Elias is principal bassist with the Northern Rivers Symphony Orchestra, the Gold Coast Chamber Orchestra and was principal bassist for the Gold Coast Youth Orchestra from 2012 to 2015.

Matthew Teakle graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium with first class honours and the university medal. He is an enthusiastic educator and guitarist with a performance profile ranging from symphony orchestras to rock bands and jazz duets.

Matthew performs as the principal guitarist in the Queensland Jazz Orchestra, has opened for Australian rock icons The Choirboys and won the People’s Choice Award in the inaugural Queensland International Chamber Music Competition. His guitar playing has been broadcast nationally by the ABC and 4ZZZ, he has had the honour of performing as a featured soloist with the Queensland Wind Orchestra and enjoys playing the cello for leisure in the Queensland Youth Symphony.

Drawing on a rich experience of playing both the cello and the guitar at a high level, Matthew performs with a broad appreciation of music in its various forms as well as a multifaceted understanding of its inner workings. He is an accomplished guitarist with a diverse skill set.

Luke Cuerel is a musician and educator based in Meanjin/Brisbane, Australia. He is a versatile performer, improviser, composer and producer known for combining a background in jazz and electronic music production with a love for melody and texture. His projects include The Luke Cuerel Orchestra, The Luke Cuerel Quintet and Voltfruit, and he has played with some of the country’s biggest touring acts including Boy and Bear and The KiteString Tangle.

His compositions range from contemporary jazz for small and large ensembles to ambient and downtempo electronic music. His releases have been recognised at the Queensland Music Awards (Luke Cuerel Orchestra – Highly Commended in 2019, “Far From The Tree” – Finalist in 2021), both receiving considerable airplay locally and nationally. He was commissioned to write for Soundstream’s Emerging Composer Forum, with his work Generations II premiering in 2023 as part of Adelaide Fringe.

As an arranger, Luke has created string arrangements for RnB artist Poji and big band arrangements for the Brisbane Jazz Orchestra, and has also been an assistant producer for jazz recordings. He also has over a decade of experience producing and performing electronic music with Pigeon, Scholar, Polymer and Expo 88, with airplay on Australian commercial and community radio.

Luke shares his passion for music education and community music-making through his work as an educator and facilitator. He has been involved as a mentor with Creative Fusions (QPAC), Talkin’ Jazz and Dots+Loops’ Fellowship program, and has over a decade of experience as a music teacher in primary, secondary and tertiary education.