Assis Carreiro MBE

Assis Carreiro was born in the Azores and raised in Canada. She holds a BA (Honours) from Canada’s York University and an MA (Distinction) from Surrey University, Guildford.

A key figure in the international arts and cultural worlds, Assis is currently Cultural Strategist at the Canadian High Commission in London. Prior to this she was Director of Culture for the Quebec Delegation in London.

Assis produced Dance UK's first international conference and in May 2016 was the founding Director of BooksEast, a new literary festival in Suffolk, England. Assis also represents a number of international choreographers helping them develop their careers.

From 2012-2014, Assis Carreiro was Artistic Director of Royal Ballet Flanders, where she rejuvenated the company, with a merger with the Flemish Opera and producing new repertoire, including creations by Slava Samodurov (Romeo & Juliet), Edward Clug, Ashley Page, Cameron McMillan and Jacopo Godani and works by Wayne McGregor, Alexander Ekman, Jiri Kylian and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.

Assis Carreiro was Artistic Director & Chief Executive of Suffolk-based DanceEast from 2000–2012. She led the organisation through a period of reorganisation, profile raising and expansion. She spear-headed the respected Rural Retreats, a series of international think tanks for existing and future artistic directors. As a programmer, she produced at the Jerwood DanceHouse and Snape Dances an international dance series at Snape Maltings presenting among others Stephen Petronio, The Royal Ballet, Mark Morris, Wim Vanderkeybus and Rambert. She also launched the National Centre for Choreography. The conceiving, championing and fund-raised for the £9 million Jerwood DanceHouse, the cultural cornerstone of the regeneration of the Ipswich waterfront.

During 1998/99 Assis was programmer at DasTAT in Germany for William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. From 1994-96, she was founding director of DanceXchange, Birmingham and went on to work for Wayne McGregor Dance and as Fund Raising Executive at The Place. Prior to moving to the UK in 1994, Assis was Director of Education, Community Outreach and Publications for The National Ballet of Canada.

Assis is on the board of directors of Rambert School, the Jubilee Hall in Aldeburgh, Suffolk and National Dance Company Wales. She has served on the board of Akram Khan Company and on the jury for the Jerwood Awards for Dance. She has been an advisor/assessor to Arts C