Developing dance compositions, where to start? with Justine Reeve

This workshop will be given in English

This 2 hour workshop will focus on improvising, developing dance movement and creating dance compositions with and for young dancers. Understanding the different types of stimuli and ways to create and recall movement using effective improvisations together. Keeping dance creative, interesting and fun. Then, collectively exploring ways to develop this movement material using the choreographic devices, relationships, and use of space. This terminology will underpin your choreographic practice with young dancers and inform your own understanding of creating dance pieces. You will feel more confident with what to do with dance after improvisation. You will be given defined lists to take away and use again and again. Let’s play and develop dance ideas together!

What to expect: To be moving, interacting with other dancers, to be given clear instructions, to be given space to generate ideas, to acquire new knowledge, to apply this in the moment and to share your movement ideas with others. Justine aims to inspire, involve, challenge, invigorate, include and is always open to answer any questions at any point during the workshop.

Why take part in this workshop according to programmer Anne-Lore?
The UK has one of the most elaborate dance education programs for children and young people, both in regular schools and specialized dance institutions. Higher education programs are fully aligned with this. They are masters in analyzing, developing methods and techniques, and driven by scientific research.

Justine Reeve is very experienced, with a tremendous commitment to making dance accessible to everyone. Her expertise spans from collaboration with professional companies to amateur schools. She looks forward to your experiences and questions. Her first book has long held a place on my bookshelf. I often browse through it when I am looking for inspiration or input for my own workshops.

Last year, Justine was also with us at Open Up to Dance. Like a whirlwind, she overwhelmed everyone with numerous perspectives. She can structure dance improvisation lessons and build them step by step like no other. This year, she returns with the same passion to share how you can let children and young people choreograph their own piece.

Who is Justine Reeve?
Justine Reeve is passionate about Dance and Dance Education. She endeavours to find new ways to ensure children and young people have access to dance, that creativity is at the heart of all education and that both Dancers and Teachers of Dance are given opportunities to realise their potential. Justine Reeve has a BA (Hons) in Dance and Related Arts, PGCE (Post-16) and Post Graduate Diploma (PGDip) in Dance and Collaborative Arts. She has taught for over 31 years teaching across all age ranges as teacher, Head of Department, Director, choreographer, and consultant.

Highlights include: being an animateur with Rambert Dance Company for over ten years she has designed, choreographed and delivered workshops, residencies, performance pieces and INSET based on Rambert’s company repertoire. She was artistic director of West Sussex Youth Dance Company for over 10 years creating 10 original pieces of choreography on the company of auditioned dancers aged 14-21.

Justine has been developing her choreographic voice with the support of South East Dance (through Business Development , Mentoring Scheme, Flourish Fund) and Pavilion Dance South West as a Discovery Artist with Rambert Dance Company providing support as both a critical friend and with studio space. In 2014 Justine was commissioned to create work for The Ignition Festival and has created work for The Brighton Festival. She has shown choreographic work at ‘The Showroom’ in Chichester, Siobhan Davies Dance, ‘The Point’ in Eastleigh, The Nightingale Theatre, Brighton, ‘The Pavilion Theatre’ in The Brighton Festival, at Pavilion Dance South West (Cabaret night, First birthday and Scratch night), The Brighton Spielgletent, The Rose Theatre, Kingston and at ‘The Place’, London. As a performer in both The Dance WE Made and the Selling Secrets trilogy for company ‘Casson and Friends’.

Justine is an author, and her first book ‘Dance Improvisations’ was published by Human Kinetics in 2011 and second book ‘More Dance Improvisations’ published in 2023. She recently wrote the Creature Educational resource on Akram Khan’s Full-length work for English National Ballet and consulted on their Khan Retrospective resource. For Russell Maliphant Dance Company she has written education resources on works Two, Silent Lines and VORTEX. All resources include appreciation and creative tasks based on professional works and aimed at young dancers.

She is presently a Continued Professional Development (CPD) dance course leader for Keynote Educational delivering courses for dance teachers a role she has had for 20 years. The creator of ‘Dance Teachers agony aunt’ and ‘The Dance Teachers Toolkit’ facebook groups providing support for dance teachers. She is an external expert for OFQUAL and a moderator for WJEC qualifications as well as a visiting lecturer at Arts University Bournemouth, Brighton University and Chichester University.

For more information: www.puppik.co.uk