Celebrating Juncture by Yorkshire Dance

Yorkshire Dance

Celebrating Juncture 2012, 2014 & 2016

Juncture is • a unique project in the UK dance landscape and a magnet for independent dance artists in Leeds,Yorkshire and the north of England. • curated by an independent artist, throwing a spotlight on artistic practice in ways that can’t be seen anywhere else in the UK. • the only platform in Leeds and the North for curating and creating innovative, contemporary artist-led practice otherwise unavailable to artists and audiences. This diversifies the cultural ecology of the city and enriches the public understanding of the art-form of dance.

Jo Fong © Alex Green www.greenphotographs.co.uk

Juncture achieves this by: • dedicating resources and profile to independent female artists to develop a unique curatorial vision and supporting them to lead the festival; this experience informs their own practice, gives them sector insight and in their words, ‘ups their game’ • supporting emerging artists (the Juncture fellows) to immerse themselves in cutting edge contemporary performance practice that is new and relevant to them Antonia Grove, Small Talk © Matthew Andrews

• offering a curated dance festival that sparks unique connections, conversations, experiences, perceptions and thinking across attendees from different sectors • encouraging critical dialogue and reflection on quality, excellence and opportunity through debate, provocation and discussion • creating a community of artists, participants and audiences who support, encourage, question and challenge • creating a safe and empathetic environment for risk taking, innovation and new thinking to emerge

Eyes as Big as Plates Agnes © Riitta Ikonen & Karoline Hjorth

• bringing together a diverse range of artistic practices for a wide community of artists in the North which is not usually available through a festival context • enabling practitioner leadership of the curatorial vision, process, programming decisions and artists’ relationships

Sonia Hughes in Quarantine’s Wallflower © Simon Banham

Impact and Outcomes Juncture has • successfully built audiences for artists not previously seen in the UK or Leeds and raised the profile of artistic practices considered to be at the margins of the mainstream • generated a community of dance practitioners committed to risk-taking, interdisciplinary and cutting edge practice

New Art Club, Quiet Act of Destruction © Amy Bramall

• engaged some of the ‘least culturally engaged’ of the Leeds public with cutting edge contemporary performance • developed a cross-sector network of venues, agencies, funding, educational and other partners who are invested in and committed to the ethos and spirit of Juncture • given a boost to female leadership in dance and been instrumental in the artistic development of individual artists (e.g. Hannah Buckley, Sophie Unwin, Gillie Kleiman)

Annie Hanauer in Candoco Dance Company’s Miniatures © Hugo Glendinning

• been the single most important factor in communicating the reputation and perception of Yorkshire Dance as a hub of high quality artistic development

Lucy Suggate, Swarm Sculptures © Amy Sinead Photography

Juncture 2012 Curated by Charlotte Vincent Curatorial focus:

Female-led experimental practice and longevity of practice across generations.

Outputs:

8 performances, a visual arts installation, 13 workshop days including a week-long choreographic intensive, a party, a symposium, debate, city tour and two sharings

Data:

1033 tickets sold; 44% Leeds, 48% north of England, 8% south east postcodes

Venue partners:

Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre

Other partners:

Arts Council England GfA funded

UK premieres:

Installation; Aurora Lubos, Still Alive One-off event;Vincent & MacDonald, Traces of Her One-off event;V&A Artefacts (Charlotte Vincent & Liz Aggiss), Blurred Vision

Overall Budget:

£23K (excluding in-kind support through staffing and venues)

Aurora Lubos, Still Alive © Andy Wood

Claire MacDonald & Charlotte Vincent, Traces of Her © Andy Wood

Juncture 2012 symposium © Andy Wood

“Juncture was an amazing event for me, as a woman interested in choreography. It was really inspiring to hear other female choreographers speak (we don’t hear or see them often enough in the UK!) and to ask them questions. It has inspired me to pursue my career as choreographer.The workshop with Liz Aggiss was also a breath of fresh air, and many of her wise words have stayed with me, and inspired me to put in a proposal for a new solo work.” Ella Mesma, artist “Seeing innovative work from outside the region was refreshing and inspirational for my future work. From the networking I have made a new collaborative working relationship which is leading to creative new work.” Pass Holder “Juncture is valuable as a professional development fulcrum; an opportunity to view other contemporary artists’ work, debate with peers and provide crucial reflective context to your own practice. It was fantastic to see such a range of exciting and critical international work all on our doorstep, at the same time.” Practitioner Pass Holder “Juncture made an impact on my practice in that I had an opportunity to meet more experienced female choreographers that were willing to share valuable thought processes and make transparent artistic choices that has informed their individual career paths. (...) these meetings left me feeling inspired and propelled to continue working for what I believe in.” Louise Ahl,Yorkshire Dance New Associate

“The highest calibre of female choreographers in the North of England, more importantly in Leeds for two weeks was possibly one of the most valuable features of Juncture, putting Leeds rightfully on the map. Charlotte Vincent chose the work of strong female artists who wittily and wisely address the notion of age and the female body in performance, a festival with an inspiring female theme saw powerful minds and bodies of difference.” Pass Holder “A very interesting program and lots of great events. I feel very fortunate to have such intriguing and challenging work on my doorstep and I got a sense that this put Leeds on the map as a place where great dance happens. The discussions, performances, happenings, symposium... it all came together and I feel excited for the dance scene in Leeds.” Marie Hallager Anderson, artist “Juncture was revelatory for our students; a real ‘light bulb’ moment: their first glimpse of what a festival is, what belonging to a dance ‘scene’ might feel like, their first experience of networking, sharing practice and being in the same room as, for example, Liz Aggiss was exciting. This was not a worthy, theoretic experience, but fun, buzzing, inspiring and accessible – something they were part of. One student booked for one show and at the end immediately booked for another six. They were blown away by the visual arts installation. One university audition candidate, who happened to be in Leeds during Juncture immediately accepted their place [saying] ‘Leeds is an exciting place to be.’” Artist Advisory Group meeting, May 2012

Liz Aggiss, Survival Tactics © Andy Wood

Eddie Ladd, Llain © Andy Wood

V&A Artefacts (Charlotte Vincent & Liz Aggiss), Blurred Vision © Andy Wood

Juncture 2014 Curated by Wendy Houstoun

Wendy Houstoun & Co, Stupid Women © Andy Wood

Curatorial focus:

emphasising the humanity and honesty in work, reflecting the experience of everyday life, of the ordinary and of loss and death; creating a deeply personal connectivity that created a supportive community of artists and audiences.

Outputs:

6.5 workshop days, 9 performances, 2 films screenings, photographic installation, artist-guided walk, debate, lecture demonstration and party

Juncture Fellow Sophie Unwin, The Chronicles of Joy (sharing) © Yorkshire Dance

New commissions: Stupid Women, directed by Wendy Houstoun the live mixing of Unstill by photographer Hugo Glendinning and composer John Avery UK premieres:

Nicole Beutler (The Netherlands), I:Songs Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen (Finland/Norway), Eyes as Big As Plates

Data:

978 tickets sold 50% Leeds, 5% north of England, 5% south east, 40% unrecorded or abroad

Community Engagement: Eight Young Bloggers and Dancing with your Neighbours projects Vanessa Grasse, Movementscapes © Mike Johnson

Venue partners:

The Tetley, The Riley Theatre, Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre, Hyde Park Picture House

Other partners:

The Foyle Foundation, Leeds Inspired, Embassy of Finland, Unity Theatre Trust

Longer term impact:

Stupid Women went on to be performed at 3 other venues / festivals: The Place, Physical Fest (Unity Theatre Liverpool) and NottDance (Lakeside Theatre)

Overall Budget:

£45K (excluding in-kind support through staffing and venues)

“Congratulations on a great festival. It strikes me as a very important addition to the dance programme in Leeds and, clearly, the dance community and public are eating it up. Wendy did a fantastic job.” Betsy Gregory ex-Director, Dance Umbrella “It matters. Top quality – guest curator. World class, contemporary and intelligent.” Workshop participant “Bringing new dance to Leeds in a constructed way to give the public a taste of what dance can be. Great to have female curators!” Pass Holder “Best two weeks of my life, never wanted it to end.” Sophie Unwin, artist “It has, and will have a massive impact on my development as an artist. It has turned my whole existence on its head.” Hannah Buckley, artist “I’ve been offered the Oval House commission [with the Juncture Fellows commissioned work] – which I’m very chuffed about! I’ll be able to develop my Juncture research with the aim of creating a full piece of work which will tour.” Carlos Pons, artist

“A meeting of highly charged and memorable ideas. Opening doors for new possibilities, never accessed anything like it before” Audience feedback “Great opportunity and experience that I am very glad that I was a part of.” Pass Holder feedback “Good combinations of art forms and theories, thoughts and ideas.” Pass Holder feedback Jordi Cortés, Integrated Dance workshop © Andy Wood

“[Being a Juncture Fellow] meant flexibility and freedom to start an idea without the pressure of an end product as such but rather it’s the start of ideas which I am able to bring forward after this project. Being in an intensive creative environment meant I could fully immerse myself in discussions about work and meet people in the field I wouldn’t necessarily have the chance to otherwise.” Sophie Unwin, artist “Open us up to new alternative performance concepts.” Workshop participant

Ibelisse Guardia Ferraguti in Nicole Beutler’s 1: Songs © Anja Beutler

“It exposes the sides of humanity you’d thought about but never seen.” Workshop participant

“I just wanted to say a huge well done to you and Wendy for a fantastic festival. It is so good for Leeds to have such top quality work in the city. Many congratulations.” Annie Lloyd, Compass Live Art Yorkshire Dance Youth, Dancing With Your Neighbours © Yorkshire Dance

Nicola Conibere, Assembly © Andy Wood

Juncture 2016 Curated by Gillie Kleiman Curatorial approach:

bringing together a number of works where the role of professional performer is given to someone else; bringing artists, participants and their shared work into conversation about what happens when the dancing is handed over.

Outputs:

6 half-day workshops, 5 performances, 3 performance installations including local casts, 4 talks, a film-screening, pot-luck dinner and party

New Commission:

Dancing on My Own, film by Sarah Lindström (Sweden)

UK Premiere:

Fitzgerald and Stapleton (Ireland), MINE

Community Engagement: 57 non-professionals recruited to perform in 4 works, the Young Comms Team (three Leeds Beckett dance students) and the regional Dance Risks conference Data:

827 tickets allocated 34% Leeds, 22% north of England,

Venue Partners:

Live Art Bistro, The Tetley, Room 700 Leeds Library

Other partners:

Arup, Leeds Inspired, Jerwood Charitable Foundation, Unity Theatre Trust. Also supported from Yorkshire Dance reserves and by Juncture Patrons and the Spirit of Juncture individual giving campaign

Overall Budget:

£53K (excluding in-kind support through staffing and venues)

Gillie Kleiman Curator of Juncture 2016 “Curating Juncture has given me the conditions to think thoughts I otherwise wouldn’t © Camilla Greenwell have been able to think, and I don’t think I know there’s a better thing to offer a person. I was given the platform to make a contribution from my vantage point, which simultaneously affirms that position as a valuable one (that is, as a relatively young, independent, female artist interested in experimental, politically-engaged work), and allows me to expand it.” “Juncture is a very important and unique addition to the landscape of dance in the UK. I particularly admire how focused Gillie Kleiman’s curation of the festival is – I find it really valuable, as an artist, to be able to see a body of works brought together for a festival around a single, highly relevant subject that connects contemporary dance practice very strongly and directly with urgent contemporary issues. Though such a format is very established in visual arts, it is a relatively new and very important and valuable development in contemporary dance in the UK. This type and scale of festival, with the high quality of work in it, that looks towards the future with intelligence and creativity, is exactly what the UK dance ecology needs more of.” Matthias Sperling, artist “So different to anything I have ever done, it has built my confidence so much.” Participant performer (collaborator)

“Sara [Lindström] was such a marvellously comforting presence; at once reassuring and challenging. I was absolutely exhausted and exhilarated at the same time.” Participant performer (collaborator)

“Fantastic experience working alongside an innovative artist and skilful facilitator. Wish there was a second performance!” Participant performer (collaborator) “The politics talk was really important for me. As a young dance artist (that doesn’t have a clue what I’m doing) it’s so valuable to have events like this where I can explore, participate, watch, learn and talk.” Artist “Yes, I feel this will help when developing work in the future.” Workshop participant “Yes, I am currently trying to improve my dramaturgy skills so I will definitely use the co-lecture and panel tasks in my own practice.” Workshop participant “Very interesting. This is something I do not ever do or attend but I found it mesmerising. I couldn’t stop watching it.” Audience member

“I enjoyed the clarity of it – the mesmeric quality that didn’t mask an important politic. Great to see a bunch of people really seeing, listening & being in touch with each other.” Audience member “Fierce and Generous. It was very good.” Audience member Sarah Lindström, Dancing On My Own film © Sarah Lindström

YORKSHIRE DANCE

with thanks to all our funders and partners

Yorkshire Dance champions the value of dance and its development in Yorkshire. We do so by raising standards, increasing knowledge and understanding and by fostering creativity and innovation. We create opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to see, make and take part in high quality dance that is rooted in their creativity, in their lives and in their communities, with the power to transform and inspire. We create opportunities for emerging and established artists and practitioners to research, create and present new contemporary work on the small scale, and in communities, developing their skills, expertise and networks. We create opportunities for people to experience dance by working with partners in local authorities and the arts, in health and in sport, building a region-wide infrastructure for dance development. www.yorkshiredance.com

2016 Festival Associate

Gillie Kleimanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s curatorial role in Juncture 2016 was part of Artists Curating Dance, a Yorkshire Dance project supported by Jerwood Charitable Foundation

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