Jane Mason

Associate Artist 2018

www.jane-mason.co.uk | jmason30@hotmail.com Jane is currently developing a new touring work Night Flying in collaboration with David Williams supported by Exeter Phoenix for 2019 touring. Based near Exeter, Jane Mason works as an independent choreographer and performer; creating, collaborating and facilitating in different contexts across the UK. She has a special interest working with non-trained performers and work that creates intimate portraits of people in community and bespoke contexts. Since training in dramatic arts at Bretton Hall University in the early 90’s, she’s created various performances to tour including: Life Forces (in collaboration with Phil Smith), Singer, Desert, Come on Sun (shortlisted for The Place Prize) and films: ANDOUT, Hard Told and The Pleasure of Gliding commissioned by Pavilion Dance South West. She was formerly a dancer, firstly as a founder member of Wayne McGregor’s Random Dance (94-97) before freelancing for various choreographers including: Charles Linehan, Wendy Houstoun, Colin Poole, balletLorent and Deborah Hay. In 2017 she performed in STRETCH; an interactive sound installation screen, made of hundreds of strands of shirring elastic in Exeter Cathedral (Sophia Clist) and will perform in Exeter based Theatre Alibi’s new touring show Table Mates, touring primary schools across Devon in autumn 2018. She is a long time collaborator with Manchester’s Quarantine for over twenty years working on numerous shows including: SUMMER. AUTUMN. WINTER. SPRING (a large-scale work about the human life cycle) Wallflower, Entitled and the acclaimed SUSAN and DARREN. She also collaborates widely with a range of artists: Last Act of Rebellion and Street Dance (Lone Twin), Mr Kolpert (Royal Court), Song of Songs (Sonia Hughes), Breathing Irregular (The Gate), LIFE GUARD (Adrian Howells, NTS Scotland) set in a water-filled swimming pool, Selfie and This City’s Centre (Blind Ditch) working with live video streams from people’s homes, We’ll Meet in Moscow (Natalie McGrath) in response to Russia’s banning of Gay Pride for 100 years and most recently supporting Rhiannon White from Common Wealth exploring the political body and class. Jane also collaborates in research contexts including: with the Room Acoustics team at Ircam, Paris, working with interactive sound spatialisation technology periodically between 2003 and 2008, Dinos Dancing…with Dr Astrid Schrader (University of Exeter) working with research into marine microbes, and MIPV with geographer Dr Jennifer Lea (University of Exeter) working with people and their experiences of homelessness. In 2018 she piloted a project ‘Time to Be’ working with primary age children and their families exploring connection and togetherness through choreography, funded by Exeter City Council. Jane works in varied community contexts such as: A dance at home; three performance events hosted in people’s homes (Dance4 and the Commission Collective), From Source to Spring; a national libraries project commemorating WW1, Here with You; a performance with 120 young people (Daisi) and Lone Dances II; three contrasting solos for young men (South East Dance). Her practice explores supporting people to find expression and personal insight through choreography. Between 2016 and 2017 she was invited by Dance4 director Paul Russ to lead Nottingham’s Dance4 team through a creative participatory staff development project to support the organisation’s relocation to the new IC4C centre, and to support the organisation’s understanding of how they engage the public in projects. Jane is an associate artist at Exeter Phoenix and a Kaleider resident. Find out more about our Associate Artist scheme here >>