Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Raphael Xavier is an award winning artist based in Philadelphia. A self taught Hip Hop dancer and Breaking practitioner since 1983, Raphael has forged an exceptional approach to improvisation. As an Innovative Movement Conceptualist, he creates new ways to expand the vocabulary of the dance form. He not only draws from the culture, but also from his visual background as a Hip Hop magazine photographer and musical artist.

His extensive research in the Breaking form has led to the creation of Ground-Core, a Somatic dance technique that gives the practitioner a better understanding of the body within all dance forms. As active Alumnus of the world renowned Hip Hop Dance Company, Rennie Harris Puremovement, Xavier’s choreographic dance works (solo and ensemble) have been performed worldwide. Raphael is also a 2013 recipient of the prestigious Pew Fellowship.

Emmanuelle Delpech is a theater artist: an actor, director and teacher. A native of France, she works and lives in Philadelphia. She was classically trained at l’École Superieur d’Art Dramatique de la Ville de Paris and then studied physical theatre at l’École Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq. Additionally, she has earned an MFA in Directing from Temple University.

Emmanuelle has performed with the Pig Iron Theatre Company and Second City Chicago, and she has also produced several successful solo shows. She has won a Barrymore Award, a City Paper Award, a LAB fellowship, and a Philadelphia Magazine Award for Best Theater Artist.
From 2008-2014, Emmanuelle honed her directing skills, bringing shows to life for the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and the Arden Theatre. During that time she was also a clown / mime consultant for The Civilians and 1812 Productions.

Teaching credits include the University of the Arts, Swarthmore College, Temple University, Movement Theater Studio NYC, Headlong Performance Institute and the Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training.