February 12, 2025

Open studio – Llandudno

Email JanFeb Get InvolvedJo Fong, Gwyn Emberton and Anna Seymour have begun a 15 month collaboration with iCoDaCo. The artists will gather to research as the Wales Collective and connecting with 12 collectives from across Europe.
The Wales project has been led by Jones the Dance . Find out more about our Open Studio events in Cardiff and Llandudno in Jan / Feb 2025.
 
February 12, 2025

Open Studio Cardiff, Dance, Law and Consent

An invitation - FREE EVENT Open Studio  Common Room, Chapter, Cardiff 8th May 2025 2.30 - 6pm  Hi everyone,  I’ve come together with anthropologist James Leach and we are both involved in a research project called The Choreography of Consent. The project brings together Dance and Law practitioners with a question around the movement of consent. We invite you to an informal Open Studio. James and I are approaching this from the angle of how do we “come into contract”, and by this I don't necessarily mean the written, sign on the dotted line version or not even the spoken or physical understandings that come into play. James and I understand, as community practitioners, that consent is complex, messy, layered and continuous. I like the idea of consent being continuous, a navigation, that success, even if it goes wrong, success is how we might go about continuing or ending well.. Many of us like our law to perhaps be able to protect us or even free us. Our law colleagues Sean and Jess talked about how we like our law to be clean, bright lines and they are the first to admit it just isn’t, its blurry and that as far as law and the everyday is concerned, Jess said "law doesn’t really capture the everyday" And as I write this I'm wondering if they would consent to me writing this in a public invitation? (endless layers…) I'm holding this phrase dear “We are consenting to explore the unknown." We’ll be devising ways to meet (moving, listening, dancing, walking…) and devise ways to document and reflect on what is happening together. With James’ anthropological hat on there maybe things to notice or acknowledge, feedback or gather For us there will be no clear line at the end but we hope to begin to articulate what is happening and honouring the idea consent is complex, evolving and takes into consideration everything including space, time, who, how and why. In general, as a facilitator, I never ask anyone to do anything, I simply ask people to be themselves, which as we have learnt can often be a work in itself. I will make sure there will be fruit and snacks!  Please email jofongjofong@gmail.com to book a place.   
 
December 17, 2024

Dance Law Consent

The Choreography of Consent AHRC Research Network Led by Film Dance Artist Anna Macdonald, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London and Professor Marie-Andrée Jacob Jo has just begun an 18 month collaboration coming together with  practitioners and scholars from dance and law to develop innovative dance/law research methods that explore the movement of consent. In March 2025 Jo and anthropologist, James Leach will open the studio to people who dance. (Dates coming soon). The Network addresses the growing emphasis on the embodied dimensions of the law and the developing recognition of the refined understanding of movement that dance can bring to legal studies. The Network will bring together UK and international scholars with specialisms in dance improvisation, choreographic practice, somatic practice, socio-legal study, legal ethnography, anthropology, and legal materiality to experiment with innovative interdisciplinary research methods that investigate the following key research questions:
  • What the distinctive offering of practice-based dance research to legal and socio-legal research might be?
  • How can law and dance be brought together to understand topical societal issues in a way that avoids simplistic oppositions between language based and embodied ways of looking at things?
  • How might dance-based research enrich understandings of consent and in turn, how can legal forms of consent enrich dance research-specific, or dance embedded understandings of consent?
Over four events, the Network will: map existing dance/law expertise and methods; exchange and develop new collaborative dance/law methods; test these approaches focusing on the practice of consent; and identify future applications for these innovative methods. Each event will involve dance workshops, performances, academic presentations, and exchanges. Findings will be shared via a blog and podcast hosted in the Independent Dance Digital Library and People Dancing website, peer-reviewed journal articles, conference presentations and an exhibition documenting the Network activities and findings, to be hosted at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London, and online by the CSM research website.
December 1, 2024

Butterfly Soup 2025

Jo will return to Butterfly Soup to lead a session on the 10th February 2025 at Ardour Academy in Roath, Cardiff. Butterfly Soup is a weekly evening Creative Queer Meet-up. To find out more see the LINK
August 29, 2024

Open Movement sessions – Cardiff

Jo will be leading once again for GROUNDWORK COLLECTIVE in Cardiff. JOIN US Live music 4th and 11th Oct

10am - 11.30am  

(studio open from 9.00am)

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​"The sessions are about your body, bring you and your body, move for yourself, with others, observe, sense, listen, investigate, follow... live investigation is perhaps different from improvisation, perhaps its the same, sometimes its about purpose or need, sometimes for release or sensation, rhythm or repetition, everyday is different, yet to inhabit the body is a quiet and vital attention. 

For me, to take time to be with the body, with others is more than medicine, it is joyful and necessary." Jo Fong

For people who are interested in relating to the body.

£10 for a drop in session or BECOME A MEMBER

TERMLY 🌱 £40 for Thursday OR Friday classes (additional classes at £5)

🌱 £80 for BOTH Thursday and Friday classes DROP IN ​

As a member you get:

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  • access to weekly classes

  • a voice in decision making about facilitators and our future program

on top of our open offerings that are open to all such as:

  • free studio space with Groundspace

  • invitation to share work at Scratch nights

  • access to Creative Care bursaries

  • opportunities to teach

Photo by Lucas Chih Peng Kao 高智鵬  
August 10, 2024

Autumn Wales Tour 2024

The Rest of Our Lives is heading off around Wales this autumn!
With BSL by Katie Fenwick in Cardiff and Bangor.

5 September - Deaf Gathering Cymru @ Chapter, Cardiff bit.ly/TROOLdgc
12 September - The Paget Rooms, Penarth bit.ly/TROOLpen
14 September - Foundry House Community Centre, Pembroke bit.ly/TROOLpem
21 September - Volcano, Swansea bit.ly/TROOLswa 19 October - Hybu Llanymddyfri - Llandovery bit.ly/TROOLrpm
31 October - Bath Spa University bit.ly/TROOLbsp 8 November - Pontio Bangor bit.ly/TROOLban 5 December - Canolfan y Celfyddydau Aberystwyth Arts Centre bit.ly/TROOLaac



 Our hugest thanks to Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru | Arts Council of Wales for helping to make this possible.
July 26, 2024

Summerhall, Edinburgh 2024

A BRIEF HISTORY OF DIFFERENCE

by Das Clarks and Jo Fong with Becky Davies

13 August 2024 - 25 August 2024

Time: 16:15 ( 60 mins )
Venue: Former Womens Locker Room
Genre: Theatre, New Writing
Age: 14 and above (14+)
Tickets  
May 18, 2024

OFFTA in Montreal

Jo will be visiting Montreal to join artists Sonia Hughes, Marilou Craft, Alexandra ‘Spicey’ Landé. They've been in conversation, so far they've talked about not knowing, uncertainty & spaciousness Thanks to Chapter Arts Centre, Theatre Geneddlaethol, The Place (Newport) and OFFTA see the FULL programme
May 8, 2024

2024 Touring

The Rest of Our Lives Brighton London Cardiff Pembroke Swansea Llandovery  
May 8, 2024

Cardiff Open Session – 28th June 2024

Jo will be leading a movement session at Chapter Arts Centre  in Cardiff hosted by Groundwork Collective  Also joining will be musician Frances Bolley. Friday 28th June 2024 10am - 11.30am  (studio open from 9.00am)  

For people with varying movement experience from beginners to experienced. 

photo Richard Bowers

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