Associate Artist

ISH develops longer-term contracts with a number of invited artists: we call these our Associate Artists. The selection of artists happens organically and is filled as needed.

Below are a number of possible trajectories at ISH:

Spending a longer period with ISH in an artistic-organizational capacity.
As a choreographer for a full-length performance.
With a two-year research and production trajectory offered by the New Makers Pathway initiative provided by the Performing Arts Fund, and with support from ISH.

Denden Karadeniz

Denden Karadeniz, also known from TV (SYTYCD), Elements of Freestyle, Jungle Book and founder of Zero Dance Theatre is connected as Associate Artist at ISH. With his performance Home he toured across the Netherlands in 2025.

Earlier Associate Artists by ISH include Nedda Sou, Shailesh Bahoran, Sarada Sarita Keilman, Gil Gomes Leal, Lara Wakelkamp, Abdelhadi Baaddi, Dunya Khayame, Raphael Moussa Hillebrand, Anna Maria Suijkerbuijk, Carl Refos, Raquel Tijsterman en Mareille Labohm.

Carl Refos

Carl Refos has been part of ISH since the very beginning and, until 2016, performed in many of Marco Gerris’ productions as a breaker, rapper, beatboxer, and MC. He now works as a singer with the Dutch National Touring Opera and regularly performs with ensemble Silbersee. In 2021, he created the performance Brothers Sisters for ISH, a successful dance theatre production that could only be performed on a limited scale due to the coronavirus pandemic. In 2026, his performance Paramaribo Dreams toured across the Netherlands under the ISH Talent label.

Cheroney Pelupessy

Cheroney Pelupessy is a dancer, choreographer and theater maker with Indonesian, Moluccan and Dutch roots. She interweaves traditional and modern dance to tell stories of cultural identity, family and memories. Cheroney previously created several performances, seeking depth in her cultural roots and connecting dance, heritage and community in her quest for representation. In season '26/'27, Cheroney will create the performance DJANGAN! under the banner of ISH Talent.

Donna Chittick

Donna Chittick began her career as a dancer and developed into a choreographer with work for BackBone, Raymi Sambo Makes and What We Do, among others. In 2024, she was invited by ISH Dance Collective and the Junior Company of the Dutch National Ballet for the Next Steps program, for which she choreographed a new piece. In 2027, Donna will create a piece under the ISH banner.

Previous Associate Artists of ISH include Dietrich Pott, Nedda Sou, Shailesh Bahoran, Sarada Sarita Keilman, Gil Gomes Leal, Lara Wakelkamp, Abdelhadi Baaddi, Dunya Khayame, Raphael Moussa Hillebrand, Anna Maria Suijkerbuijk, Carl Refos, Raquel Tijsterman and Mareille Labohm.