ASSIS Carreiro, DanceEast’s creative powerhouse and the driving force behind the Jerwood DanceHouse on the Ipswich Waterfront, is leaving the company after 13 years.

Assis has been appointed artistic director of The Royal Ballet of Flanders and takes up her new position in January.

Born in the Azores, but raised in Canada, she moved to the UK in 1994 having been director of education for the National Ballet of Canada. She was the founding director of DanceXchange in Birmingham and joined DanceEast in 2000.

Assis oversaw the transformation of SuffolkDance into DanceEast and spearheaded the Red Shoe campaign to raise funds for the creation of a �9million dance facility as part of the regeneration of the Ipswich Waterfront.

DanceEast was awarded Arts Council National Porfolio Organisation status last year. Her passion for education work means that DanceEast has always split itself between promoting world-class dance performances in the region and providing dance classes and dance training for people of all ages. Assis has always been keen to develop and support young talent and DanceEast has several youth programmes helping youngsters pursue a career in the arts.

Assis has also used her contacts to help DanceEast forge links with some of the world’s leading choreographers. Wayne McGegor, Akram Khan, Heather Eddington, Cameron McMillan, Darren Ellis and Matthew Bourne’s Re:Bourne (Adventures in Dance) are all associate artists and develop work in Ipswich.