Jennifer Essex
DANCER & DANCEMAKER
Innovative movement for film, theatre, outdoor, interactive, and site-specific works.
INFO
CHOREOGRAPHY
A 2002 graduate of the Professional Programme of Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers in affiliation with the University of Winnipeg, I received by BA honours degree in Dance/Theatre. I have been creating work for stage, film, fashion, and site-specific projects for the past 15 years. I am the recipient of multiple awards from Winnipeg Arts Council, Manitoba Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and Arts Council England and have been involved in several projects in the UK that have attracted G4A and National Lottery Funding.
I am a contemporary choreographer, fascinated by story. In 2011 I was commissioned by the London College of Fashion to conceive and direct a new production , “Traveller and Unraveller” . We worked with a team of 20 dancers to realize the full-length production for a three night run at London’s Cochrane Theatre.
I am interested in technology and its integration into dance. I collaborated with award winning film director Ian Pons Jewel and interactivity designer Tim Harrison on an original concept interactive video entitled Helioscope which was shown at the London Short Film Festival in 2013.
Other film projects have included "Once A Man" for Illicitus Productions and "Two Dancers", which was an official selection at the London Independent Film Festival and the East London Film Festival. I choreographed and performed the movement for the stop-motion film FootBall for French fashion house Hermes, which premiered at NY Fashion Week. Most recently, I worked with award winning visual artist Corin Sworn on the choreography for her films as part of her Whitechapel Exhibition.
In August 2012, I was invited to be one of four choreographers in residence at the National Choreographic Centre for a laboratory exploring the links between dance and music. Mentored by Kim Brandstrup and Oliver Coates, and accompanied by some of Europe’s finest emerging composers and musicians, I had the opportunity to develop the seeds for several new works as well as creating lasting relationships with the other artists. Based on some of the concepts that emerged from this residency I developed Satyricon in collaboration with Composer Charlie Usher, which premiered at The Last Refuge in April 2013 and has had subsequent performances at The Albert (London) and Platform at the Mouth of the Tyne Festival. My interest in music has also lead me to work with new opera company Isle of Noise, choreographing their production, Handel Furioso. The opera played the Grimeborn Festival at the Arcola Theatre in London before embarking on a UK tour.
I was an Artist in Residence with Age Concern Central Lancashire working with people living with dementia. Two dance films I have created as a result of this residency premiered at the Museum of Lancashire in the autumn of 2014, before screenings in India, Greece, and London.
In 2014 I began developing REPLICAS which uses real couple’s texts to create an imagined dance duet that examine touch in the digital age. The project is generously supported by Arts Council England, Middlesbrough Council, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Teesside University, PDSW, Stockton International Riverside Festival, Dance Middlesbrough, and Dance City. The work premiered to enthusiastic crowds at the Stockton International Riverside Festival in the summer of 2016 and had a further secret show at the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art.
I am currently touring a new interactive work for children entitled Space Rebel Princess. The piece tells the story of a young princess who dreams of becoming an astronaut, but her parents have more aristocratic goals for her. With the help of the audience she must break free of the fears and preconceptions holding her back, and boldly go where no princess has gone before! Inspired by Helen Sharman, the first person from the UK to travel into space, Rebel Space Princess seeks to empower young people to follow their dreams and inspire in them a love of science. The show received development funding from Dance City, Tees Valley Dance, and Middlesbrough Council and premiered at Young Fest in Liverpool in April before touring the UK with SpareParts Festival, and performing at Middlesbrough Library, Mouth of the Tyne Festival, Stockton International Riverside Festival, Tamworth Library, Greenbelt Festival, DN Festival, and IncludFest (Darlington and Durham). More HERE
My most recent work, Once Upon Wall, was commissioned by Stockton International Riverside Festival and supported by Middlesbrough Town Hall and Arts Council England. It has toured to Salisbury International Arts Festival, Birdhouse Family Festival, IncludFest, Greenbelt Festival, and Stockton International Riverside Festival, among others.
PERFORMANCE
Having begun my career in Canada with the innovative dance and film company TRIP dance, I went on to work for some of the country's most celebrated choreographers, including Order of Canada recipient Rachel Browne.
Since moving overseas, I've had the pleasure of working with Gary Clarke, Liam Steel, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Luca Silvestrini, Eva Recacha, and Wayne Sables, among others. I've performed at London's O2 Arena, the V&A museum, The Barbican, and The Robin Howard Dance Theatre and Internationally at the Fernan Gomez Theatre, Madrid, the Angela Peralta Theatre, Mexico, and at Harbourfront Centre, Toronto.
Recently I've been a dancer in the feature film "Anna Karenina", Directed by Joe Wright, and "Les Miserables" Directed by Tom Hooper. You can also see me in the ballroom scenes of ITV drama "Murder on the Homefront". Most recently, I've been working with Supple Nam on an advert for Honda.
In the autumn of 2013 I worked with Poise Performance on their innovative physical theatre production of Dorian Gray which premiered at the Bussey Building. In 2014 I worked with Tmesis Theatre to R&D their new work "That's Amore" and performed in a UK tour of the work in 2015. I continued to work with Tmesis on "Happy Hour" and am currently performing in the national tour of their new work "Beyond Belief".
TEACHING
I was trained as a dance educator by the Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre (described by the Globe and Mail as “A national treasure”). I have gone on to teach in a variety of contexts from working with students in education to teaching at a pre-Montessori school to working with children in Cuba.
I have also developed workshops with schools including Rawlett Community Sports College, the Manning School for Girls and The Green School. Most recently I developed two original dances in collaboration with year 2 students at Woodbridge School in Suffolk for their spring concert. I am a creative practitioner with Eastside Educational Trust.
In the autumn of 2012 I worked with students at the University of Cumbria for six weeks, creating a new work titled “Exposed”. Thomas Devine, one of my students said afterwards: “Had the most amazing, inspirational 6 weeks of my life.” I was subsequently invited back in 2013 to create "RETURN". In the summer of 2013 I worked with Beauville Arts in the south of France, choreographing their production of Oliver! with over 40 young people aged 8 - 18. Based on the sucess of the production I was invited to return to choreograph "Les Miserables" in 2014.
Recent projects have included working with freerunners in Accrington to develop their choreographic skills, delivering workshops on Historical Dance to over 150 young people during U Dance SW 2013, and developing Flashmobs for the Transported project in Boston and South Holland.
The fundamentals of my practice are to create a space where people can work together, build confidence and gain a feeling of well being from physical exercise.
I was an artist in residence with Age UK Central Lancashire working with people living with dementia which resulted in the creation of two dance films. I recently worked with Age UK in Darlington to develop a programme of classes for people living with dementia entitled Good Vibrations. I am currently teaching class for dancers 65+ as part of Helix Arts Falling on your Feet programme
I recently taught a series of workshops to students at Haringey Sixth Form Centre that use text messages to explore communication and body language in order to develop empathy, confidence, and professionalism.
I am an Ashtanga Vinyasa 200hr RYT qualified instructor with a personal practice that spans over a decade. I am also a Spin City, Certified Aerial Hoop Instructor.
I am a part-time Senior Lecturer in Dance and Performance at Teesside University. I have a Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.
I am an active researcher with an interest in interactive performance and inclusive performance. A link to my research is available HERE
