Malgven Gerbes studied architecture in Paris in the ENSAAMA (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et Métiers d'Arts), and  worked two years as architect in Le Bon Marché Paris (Group LVMH). She graduated in  choreography in ArtEz Arnhem (former EDDC) in the Netherlands. In Arnhem she investigated in her personal movement research based on release technique. She is now based in Berlin and in constant travels. She continues her research on the medium of dance in own works and in collaboration with David Brandstätter. Malgven Gerbes choreographed and performed for group collaborative projects in Tanzhaus NRW Düsseldorf, in the Forum Freies Theater in Düsseldorf, for the Miryang Summer Festival in Korea, the Seoul Performing Arts Festival., among others. She was guest professor for one semester in the choreographic department at the Korean National University of the Arts (KNUA) in autumn 2007, in the choreographic department of ArtEZ Arnhem in spring 2008, in Dartington College of arts - UK in 2009. She regularly teaches  for professionals dancers in places such as Tanzfabrik Berlin, Labor Gras Berlin, Session House Tokyo.

David Brandstätter grew up in Frankfurt and studied applied music science in Hamburg. From the age of 15 he worked internationally as a juggler and unicyclist, and became a practitioner of traditional Japanese martial arts. In 2001, he started his studies of choreography in Arnhem at the European Dance Development Centre (now called ArtEZ). During his studies he met Seung Hee Yang and Malgven Gerbes who became his main collaborators at the time. He concentrated his research on the development of contact improvisation towards choreographic structures, and as a tool to bring conceptual thought and movement desires together. He graduated in 2005. Besides the work for s h i f t s and among other smaller works, he has organised different artistic exchange projects for choreography, improvisation and contact improvisation in Berlin, and has taught contact improvisation and choreography at: Tanzfabrik Berlin, Fabrik Potsdam, Ernst Busch Hochschule für Schauspielkunst, Statdtheater Düsseldorf, ArtEZ Arnhem NL, Korean National University of Arts Seoul, Dartington College of arts - UK, Session House Tokyo, and elsewhere.