Leadership

Liesl Townsend (South Africa)

Liesl became involved in Christian Dance when she joined the Christian Dance School with Rosemary Raw, the Founder of ICDF South Africa, in Cape Town, in 1981. She has fulfilled leadership roles in ICDF South Africa as the Provincial Coordinator for the Eastern Cape and Gauteng and the National Coordinator of South Africa from 2009. She was elected as the Joint ICDF Coordinator in 2019.

Liesl has developed a Basic Foundation Course in Christian Dance and has a passion for evangelism through dance. She runs an interdenominational dance group focusing on ministry opportunities. Liesl is married to Rory and they have two daughters, Zoë and Jesi, and as a family they have supported her in the ministry with choreography, music and video production.

SUE SUTHERLAND (UK)

Sue has served ICDF Britain since the inaugural conference in 1990. Initially on the regional committee and as a regional coordinator. Then as national conference secretary and a director of ICDF Britain. In 2019, she became the secretary to the ICDF Steering Committee and took up the role of Joint International Co-ordinator in 2022.

As Joint International Coordinator, Sue is excited to work alongside Christian dancers and artists across the globe to discover ways in which we can support, encourage, and inspire one another. She loves to explore how the creative arts can work together to create something beautiful and is passionate about seeing people freed into all areas of creativity. Recently she became a certified CaraMayan teacher and is an author.

BARBARA WOOD (Ireland)

Special Projects

Barbara served as National Coordinator for the Christian Dance Fellowship Ireland (CDFI) before joining the ICDF Steering Committee in 2003. She also is involved in documentation reviews and development - a challenging task.

Barbara is based in Ireland, but travels frequently. She has five children, four of whom are in Ireland and one in France. At present she has nine grandchildren. She loves almost all forms of dance and goes to classes three times a week. She has a passion to see people released in free-movement in worship. 

LUCY ANDREW-PARK JARASIUS (Australia)

ICDF Frontier Connections, ICDF Documents

Practising love, life and faith in various ICDF national and international leadership roles (including ICDF Coordinator 1997-2006), Lucy loves prayer, praise and worship, utilising every God-given intelligence and ability!

Various dance techniques, movement improvisation and original poetry feature in her solo/group presentations, workshops and seminars for “Zoomies” and/or “Roomies”. She loves making new friendship connections and encouraging ICDF countries in, but not limited to the Oceania Region.  Indigenous peoples, egalitarian and Jesus-centred peace-building activism, help bring unique justice perspectives to her passion for dance and collaborative arts to model and mediate unity, empowerment and maturity within the Body of Christ, so we become “healed healers” in a world crying out for hope and transformation!  Oh, and strangely enough, this wife, mother and Grandma also “moves” in the sphere of Administration, especially Documentation review and development, a never-ending task as ICDF ministry hurtles and turtles into God’s future!

Noël Filemon (Suriname)

Networks Events Liaison, Publications

Noël lives in Suriname (South America) where, for many years, he served as the National Coordinator of the Christian Dance Fellowship Suriname. Noël travels nationally and internationally to help strengthen the Body of Christ through worship in all its forms. He provides education, training and workshops in Christian Dance and movement. He has a heart for the prophetic, for leading others to find their true calling and for reaching men for dance in worship. He is also a singer, writer and preacher of the Word.

Noël has been active for more than 30 years in dance ministry, and intensely desires that the Lord comes to His full potential in the life of every born-again Christian. 

Heather Gilfillan (South Africa)

Steering Committee Secretary

Heather’s dance movement adventure began in her “quiet” time. It was never quiet! She became a member of CDFSA in the early 1990s and served as Regional Secretary before being appointed to the role of Regional Coordinator (1994-1997) and, later, as National Secretary to ICDF South Africa. Her most exciting time was co-leading a dance group with her husband Hilton from 1997 - 2006. Heather has written and produced drama skits over the years. The highlight being 'The Marriage Supper of the Lamb' production which she wrote specifically with all the dance groups in her region in mind. She delights in colour, be it fabric, yarn, clothes or flags used in expressive worship dance.

She has been married to Hilton for 47 years and they have three adult children and five grandchildren.

Kaye Strauss (UK)

Kaye was born in the UK but grew up in South Africa. There Kaye was mentored in dance and went on to lead three dance groups. After returning to the UK, she led a Youth Dance Group in her Church and travelled nationally and internationally on mission with the Northern Messianic Dancers.

Kaye has been supporting ICDF in prayer for some years now through the Roots Dance and Creative Arts Group in her Church. She is a member of CDFB.