Creative Team

Aaron Cash

Choreographer

Aaron Cash is an Australian actor, singer, dancer and choreographer who now calls Long Beach California home, although the world remains his stage.

He has worked with the Twyla Tharp Dance Company, performed as Cher’s lead dancer on the Believe, Love Hurts, and Heart of Stone tours. He has danced with Baryshnikov and Michael Jackson. He was an original cast member of Tap Dogs, the Australian show that took the world by surprise and expanded the reach of tap dancing around the world.  His credits include Hook, Titanic, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Singing in the Rain, The Full Monty, Dancing Man and others. He was a judge on So You Think You Can Dance Australia in 2014. He is currently the Australian Judge on the “Wall of the World” for CBS’ hit talent show World’s Best. And has performed his hit Solo show Last Dance the Forgotten masters on Broadway, Los Angeles, Long Beach and at the 2019 Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

Roclan González Chávez

Choreographer

Born in Cuba, Roclan Gonzalez Chavez studied at the prestigious Escuela Nacionales in Havana, graduating in 1996 with a distinction in both contemporary and folk dance and was the only person in his class to be awarded a post-graduate scholarship to study choreography. Since then he has worked with most of Cuba‘s best known music and dance groups, including Omar Portuondo, Company Segundo, salsa big band Los Van Van and the famous Tropicana Cabaret.

He is the main choreographer of the Cuban television ballet with regular performances on TV programs and state events. For the past years, he has choreographed the national Cuban music awards, Cuba disco and many music videos for top Cuban bands. His recent international tours include choreographies for the hit shows Lady Salsa, and The Kings of Salsa, which have toured in Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA to great critical acclaim. He has also worked extensively all over South America and studied many styles from this region, from Brazilian samba and contemporary ballet to Argentinean tango. Roclan has an unrivalled understanding of salsa and Cuban dance’s folkloric roots, which he blends with breathtaking contemporary moves producing a unique dance fusion.

Jorge González

Costume designer

He’s the king of high heels. No one knows how to walk safely on 18-centimetre heels better than he does. Anyone hearing „Hola Chicas“ immediately knows who’s talking; the „Chicas Walk“ is his trademark. Jorge González has made a name for himself in Germany through numerous TV appearances.

The graduate nuclear ecologist Jorge Alexis González Madrigal was born in 1967 in Cuba and discovered as a model in the former Czechoslovakia. Parallel to his studies in Bratislava, he made his first contacts in the fashion business during stays in Prague. He soon became a stylist and fashion choreographer for renowned designers and organized fashion shows. After completing his diploma, he moved to Hamburg. He quickly became involved in relevant campaigns and still works with international designers and brands to this day.

From 2010 to 2012 he appeared as a catwalk trainer and model coach on the TV casting show Germany’s Next Topmodel by Heidi Klum – and became the favourite of the audience in no time. Jorge released the song „Don’t Touch My Shoes“ in 2012. In his biography (2013) Hola Chicas – Auf dem Laufsteg meines Lebens (Hola Chicas – On the catwalk of my life), the popular figure talks about how he had to fight his way into his present life. In 2014 he opened the „Chicas Walk Academy“ in Hamburg, in which every woman could learn to walk self-confidently through life with a great posture and type-appropriate style. Jorges motto: „The way you walk, determines how you´ll get through life“. From 2013 to the present day, Jorge has delighted viewers as a juror of the german RTL dance show Let’s Dance with his charm, wit and infectious Cuban passion for life. In 2019 he will be part of Let’s Dance – The LIVE Tour. In the show he dedicates himself to his second great passion: dance. His first career wish as a child was to become a dancer. Jorge González is therefore particularly pleased to have been able to combine his passions for fashion and dance at Ballet Revolución as a costume designer since 2012. In 2019/2020 he will also be creating the designs for the tour, which showcases his refinement and unerring feeling for dance highlighting the skills of the Cuban dancers. In spring 2019 he appeared as an international expert in the new CBS talent show The World’s Best (USA).

From 2012 until today, Jorge González has also repeatedly taken on roles in TV series and feature films: most recently around 2018 in the ZDF feature film series Herzkino. Märchen, in the SAT. 1 movie Unsere Jungs (Our Boys) and in the ARD children’s show Die Pfefferkörner (The Peppercorns); in autumn 2019 he will be featured in the German cinema production Eine ganz heiße Nummer 2.0.

Mark Brady

Producer

Mark Brady is a leading Australian producer with a passion for making live entertainment infused with cultural richness and diversity accessible to western audiences.
Representing the third generation of an entertainment business family, Mark Brady was breathing showbiz from a young age; Mark’s grandfather was a major venue owner and restaurateur in Berlin during the roaring twenties when the Cabaret era flourished; and Mark’s father, Tony Brady is recognised as one of Australia’s most respected entertainers and experienced producer/promoters in Australia and around the World. Consequently, Mark was introduced to the entertainment world from backstage, where he would watch his father, 50s bandstand singer Tony Brady perform.

In the early 90’s Mark and Tony began developing the theatrical show arm of the business. Mark’s first success was Gaelforce Dance, which he co-created during the era of River dance and Lord of the Dance. His first foray into producing proved hugely successful and Gaelforce Dance went on to tour Australia, New Zealand, and USA, Canada and spent three years touring Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
In London during the late 90s, Mark was introduced to show playing on the West end called Lady Salsa. This production instantly caught Marks attention and so the love affair with Cuba began. Mark collaborated with the shows original producers and together they re-produced, recreated and re-launched Lady Salsa in Australia. It was a great success and it has spent the next 5 years touring Europe, Australia and South East Asia.

Motivated by the great reception by audiences for Lady Salsa and inspired by the famous documentary Buena Vista Social Club, Mark collaborated with the co producers of Lady Salsa and investigated the famous quarter in Havana of the same name, Buena Vista. Home to the intensely passionate music and dance for which Cuba is famous, they created an extraordinary show The Bar at Buena Vista featuring three legends from the era of the Buena Vista Social club, who tell its history through music and dance. The Bar at Buena Vista has been touring the world consistently since 2004. Now in its 13^th year El Bar continues to pack out houses particularly in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France.
In 2010 mark commenced conceptualizing and working on a new production from Cuba utilizing the incredibly high level of talent found in classical and contemporary dance. Ballet Revolución was born and premiered in Australia in 2011. Since then Ballet Revolución has successfully toured for the past five years and has proudly played three sold out seasons in London’s West End. Now, moving into 2018, Mark Brady is revisiting his love for Cuban culture with Ballet Revolución and a new touring production. The show goes from strength to strength. With three new original productions in development this story is far from over.

In 2003, Mark was inspired to investigate India and the Worlds most prolific film industry namely Bollywood. Mark commenced researching and was enamoured by its cultural majesty and diversity.  A new production was born direct from Film City Mumbai. The Merchants of Bollywood. This show has received 5 star reviews from some of the Worlds most respected publications such as the London Times, The New York times and the Guardian. Now in its 10th year and just completing it’s third season on London’s West End, The Merchants of Bollywood continues it’s success story internationally.

During this time, Mark also produced smaller shows such as Kings of Salsa and traditional Irish folkloric shows around regional Australia including Spirit of Ireland and Celtic Reign and was assigned touring rights for Red Bull Flying Bach, Shadowland amongst many others.

In 2017 Mark acquired the touring and production rights for the iconic and legendary Cabaret, Crazy Horse Paris.  Established in 1951 mark was immediately drawn to the shows history and cultural importance in Paris. Australia was treated to an incredible 10-week tour taking in all major cities for le Crazy’s first tour ever produced down under. Mark then took the production onto Singapore and Macau. Le Crazy was a major event for the Australasia and certainly not the last.

Jon Lee

Co-Producer

Jon Lee’s career started as a professional trumpeter working extensively in London’s West End and session scene. In 1995, he formed the jazz orchestra ‘Echoes of Ellington’ that toured for two years with the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s highly acclaimed jazz ballet The Nutcracker Sweeties. The orchestra also played at all the major European jazz festivals and had a regular club spot at Ronnie Scott’s.

It was at the Edinburgh Festival in 1997, that he first started producing shows and his love of Latin music led him to put on his first Cuban production Lady Salsa with Toby Gough. This show went on to run in London’s West End for 16 months and has toured the world in partnership with Mark Brady of ATA Allstar Artists Pty Ltd.

BB Promotion

Founded in 1987, BB Promotion enriches the international live entertainment scene with its passionate commitment to a high-quality ambitious genre mix of theatre, dance and concert productions. BB Promotion is one of the market leaders in Europe in the development, marketing and realisation of national and international tours of musicals, shows and events, and is also instrumental in organising concerts and events in the west and south-west of Germany.

In 2015, BB Promotion became part of the world’s leading British theatre producer and operator, The Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd. (ATG), and has thus been able to expand its international theatre network. Under the umbrella of ATG the BB Group merged with the Mehr! Entertainment in 2018 and the new group, named Mehr-BB Entertainment GmbH was built, to which BB Promotion now also belongs.

As the co-producer of high-class dance productions, BB Promotion has been able to sign great names, such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Globally successful stage shows, as well as musicals, characterise their portfolio, including shows like STOMP, Disney’s The Lion King or Cameron Mackintosh’s Miss Saigon. On international stages, the company stands out thanks to its innovative own and co-productions of shows, such as West Side Story, We Will Rock You, Cats, Ballet Revolución, Bodyguard – Das Musical or Carmen la Cubana, which it co-produced with the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The company recently celebrated yet another success with BERLIN BERLIN The great show about the Roaring Twenties.

Ralf Kokemüller

CEO

Ralf Kokemüller joined BB in 1995 and was appointed Managing Director by Michael Brenner, the founder of the group of companies, just one year later. During their close collaboration BB Group developed into one of the most successful promoters of live entertainment in Germany and Europe.

Responsible for scouting and booking, he has been in charge of numerous internationally acclaimed productions such as STOMP, Marcel Marceau and Tanguera. As CEO of the BB Group, Ralf Kokemüller upholds the BB Group’s maxim to discover new and fascinating shows and artists and to realise the high-quality shows with great passion. The productions and co-productions, whose realisation he has been able to celebrate in German-speaking countries, include musicals as Disney’s The Lion King, WE WILL ROCK YOU, the original Queen musical, the German original production of BODYGUARD – DAS MUSICAL, the Cuban musical Carmen la Cubana and innovative projects, such as Ballet Revolución. Today, Ralf Kokemüller leads a competent and passionately dedicated, growing staff, the most important asset of BB Group in addition to the company’s growing portfolio of high-end productions and an extensive international network of artists and producers.

Michael Brenner

Founder and Producer (†)

Michael Brenner founded BB Promotion – The Art of Entertainment in 1987, and his passionate commitment to a high-quality genre mix of theatre, dance and concert productions is still at the heart of the BB Group today.

A visionary entrepreneur, he soon had the productions of his company showing in the most important theatre, concert and festival halls, among them the Berlin State Opera, the Semperoper in Dresden, the Hamburg State Opera, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London and Lincoln Center in New York.

Michael Brenner’s productions like Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show and the award-winning West Side Story brought him international recognition. He successfully produced long-running musicals like Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Chicago and WE WILL ROCK YOU, and also discovered new show formats like STOMP. He presented world-famous dance companies such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Martha Graham Dance Company in Germany and Europe, and in south-west Germany presented pop and rock giants like Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, Sting and The Rolling Stones.