Happy New Year!
DAR and Jo begin 2024 in the studio on a new work called A Brief History of Difference.
They will be hosting an Open Studio on the 11th January, 3-5pm in the Basement at Newport’s Riverfront Theatre
Feeling different and being seen as different is complicated business. It can be exciting, distressing, temporary, permanent, liberating, advantageous, dangerous and a cause for celebration. A Brief History of Difference is an interactive theatre/performance piece rooted in conversation, knowledge sharing, questioning and personal narrative that seeks to open up new ways of thinking about and experiencing what it means to be different and to find a sense of belonging as a person of difference.
Part creative workshop, part conversation, the session will use physical and discursive tasks drawn from the creative process. Jo and Dee invite you to join them in considering some tricky questions around the subjects of difference, identity, positioning and belonging. In this workshop we will move, share, listen, play, be curious and keep in mind that our key questions will, most likely, remain unsolved and that that’s ok!
“The emerging artistic practice is an evolving, collaborative approach which puts ideas around belonging or forming community in the forefront. Each time we share this with people the learning around this project moves forward and begins to form.” Jo and DAR
Who is the session suitable for?
This workshop is for anyone interested in different perspectives. Everyone aged 16+ is welcome and especially people who diverge from the norm in any way and their friends and allies!
Find out more and how to book LINK
March 1, 2024
Butterfly Soup 2024
Jo will return to Butterfly Soup to lead a session on the 15th April at Ardour Academy in Roath, Cardiff.
Butterfly Soup is a weekly evening Creative Queer Meet-up.
To find out more see the LINK
January 29, 2024
A Brief History of Difference
This February premier, performances in Newport and Cardiff, South Wales
Then to Ageless Festival, Leeds 13th July at Yorkshire Dance
December 24, 2023
Pics from our Viet Nam visit 2023
Photos from our performance of The Rest Of Our Lives at the Labor Culture Palace in Ho Chi Minh City Viet Nam
LINK
Photos of Jo And George’s new creation called Picking Up Leaves And Kicking Cans Ho Chi Minh City 2023
LINK
British Council VN season 2023
Supported by British Council and Wales Arts International Images by Kiet Tuan
August 11, 2023
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
Jo and George will be heading out to Viet Nam this Nov/Dec 2023
We will collaborating with SaigonTheatreland and Life Art on a project called the Ecology of Community.
The five week visit will bring people together the idea being that if the arts and artists are to thrive, community will be essential. There will be workshops, conversation, lunches, walks, performances of The Rest of Our Lives with our fantastic translator Tham Tran. We'll be working with students at Trường Đại Học Sân Khấu - Điện Ảnh Hà Nội thanks to artist Nguyen Hoang Tung and the trip culminates in a creative process with 9 artists creating a new Physical Theatre performance at the HCMC Labor Culture Palace.
This project has received funding and generous support from British Council Wales / Viet Nam and Wales Arts International. There are many people who have helped this ambitious project get into motion including Thu Dang, Rebecca Gould and An Le... Planning continues.....
In the meantime, George and I would be really happy to chat with UK based Viet Nam artists. Please do get in touch.
August 11, 2023
The Rest of Our Lives
Autumn Tour 2023
Created and performed by Jo Fong and George Orange
We're heading back out on the road this autumn with the incredible Katie Fenwick providing integrated BSL interpretation at most venues. Book your ticket now and join us in a town near you...
Thu 21 Sept - CANTERBURY The Marlowe Theatre BSL bit.ly/TROOLcan Wed 27 Sept - EPSOM The Horton Epsom BSL bit.ly/TROOLeps Thu 28 Sept - READING South Street Arts Centre BSL bit.ly/TROOLrea Sat 30 Sept - MARGATE Cliftonville Cultural Space BSL bit.ly/TROOLcli Fri 6 Oct - NORWICH The Garage Norwich BSL the-rest-of-our-lives Thu 12 Oct - EASTLEIGH The Point bit.ly/TROOLeas Sat 22 Oct - CROYDON Stanley Arts events Wed 25 Oct - CAMBRIDGE Cambridge Junction BSL bit.ly/TROOLcam Thu 26 Oct - COLCHESTER Lakeside Theatre BSL bit.ly/TROOLcol Sat 28 Oct - FARNHAM Farnham Maltings BSL booking soon Fri 3 Nov - BOURNEMOUTH Pavilion Dance South West bit.ly/TROOLpav Fri 10 Nov - LEICESTER Attenborough Arts Centre BSL bit.ly/TROOLleiWith thanks to the House SE Theatre Network.
June 23, 2023
Documentation How Shall We Begin Again?
In Nov 2022, Neurolive commissioned the first iteration of How Shall We Begin Again? which took place at Siobhan Davies Studios. Take a look at the videos and images from the epic 16 hour project.
Neurolive Performance-2
June 22, 2023
Encounters Festival Leeds 2023
Yorkshire Dance have invited Jo and Dee Rogers to co-host a workshop and contribute to discussions are part of
Encounters / Performing Gender
Encounters-taking-space
Encounters festival unites people from all walks of life, bringing together a community of activists, to share food, conversation, workshops and performance here in Leeds. Our next Encounters will take place on 7 - 8 July.
Check out the link for the full programme whats-on
Part of: Performing Gender: Dancing in your Shoes
Sat 8 Jul, 11:30am
Pay As You Feel Venue: Studio 1, Yorkshire Dance
June 22, 2023
Workshop in Bristol
Jo will be leading a four hour afternoon session in Bristol on 11th July as part of a week long collection of events that involve dancing everyday.
I, we and wider // Dance Summer Series
WHERE — The Mount Without
Impermanence Presents: A week-long Summer series of Dance workshops and events with Kip Johnson and guests.
Morning Class with Kip / Mon - Fri
Afternoon Workshops with visiting Artists / Mon - Thurs
To book for the whole week - hdfst.uk/E91159
For individual days - https://hdfst.uk/i--we-and-wider
Jo's session is Pay-What-You-Like
Due to capacity, please do book in advance
June 22, 2023
Morning practice at Chapter Cardiff
Next dance, morning practice part of Groundwork Pro's improvisation programme of classes and events
Friday 30th June @Chapter Cardiff 10-11.30am
All are welcome.
The guided practice is designed so anyone can be involved whether you are a professional dancer, someone who would like to dance or if you simply would like to embark on a process that is about relating to your own body.
Jo lives in Wales and her creative work reflects the need in these times for people to come together. Her artistic practice is an evolving, collaborative approach which puts ideas around belonging or forming community in the forefront.
“What I need might be a sensation, connection, vibration, space, higher ceilings, skipping…part of my joy in being alive, or simply being me, is me in my physicality. My dancing is changing every day, the dance has changed, no doubt everyone’s dance has.
I sense this process is not so much a choreography, but rather, a creative action.
Just a moment,
to be in the moment,
Everyone dances for different reasons, fashions come and go and this particular time has its own difficulties and opportunities. My own study seems to be about finding more moments to be my fullest self, about acceptance, about channeling rage, about taking up space, saying the truth and about returning to a body that has changed. I’m considering how everyone is an artist, how this time needs more experiences that bring us into ourselves and to practice being witnessed in that.” - Jo Fong
If you have any questions or access needs you would like to tell us about, please do not hesitate to contact us at: Groundwork Collective
Capacity is limited, so please do book in advance.
More About Jo Fong
Jo is a Creative Associate with the Wales Millennium Centre. She has been dancing, peforming and making for 30 years and began her career with Rosas, Rambert and DV8 Physical Theatre to name a few. Some memorable moments include Wallflower with Quarantine Theatre, movement direction for Le Vin Herbe with Welsh National Opera, dancing in and contributing to the re-staging of Nigel Charnock’s Lunatic for National Dance Company Wales and creating English with National Theatre Wales. Jo regularly facilitates on a number of creative practice, community arts and visual arts MA courses and leads open studio events and workshops throughout the UK and further afield.
Recent performances and events; Ways of Being Together, Neither Here Nor There, To Tell You the Truth, Our Land, What Will People Need? Nettles: How to Disagree? and The Sun’s Come Out created in collaboration with artist Sonia Hughes. A Brief History of Difference with Das Clarks, Marathon of Intimacies with artist Anushiye Yarnell, Jo contributed to Luke Hereford’s Grandmother’s Closet at the Wales Millennium Centre and she is currently touring The Rest of Our Lives created with clown and circus director George Orange. How Shall We begin Again? was created and performed by 50 people in a 16 hour performance on the Donald Gordon Stage at WMC in February this year. Wales' artists, facilitators, actors, directors, writers and people at the very beginning of forming relationship with their bodies took to the stage. How Shall We Begin Again? Holds a space between portraiture, protest and something like a prayer. On its simplest level it’s about how we reconnect with ourselves, our bodies and each other.
Ways of Being Together has evolved into an artist-led community creating space and time to reconnect, repair, replenish and explore performance making and co-creation. The annual convergence is layered, centring learning, support, co-mentoring and actioning change.
