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 4, 2024
A Brief History of Difference heads to Ageless Festival
LEEDS
DAR and Jo will be heading to Ageless to present A Brief History Of Difference
We can't wait
13th July 2024
SAVE THE DATE
See Yorkshire Dance to BOOK
A Das Clarks Production created with support from Chapter, Riverfront and Arts Council Wales
March 4, 2024
Brighton and London
2024 TOUR
Hopefully hopeful – The Rest of Our Lives is a joyful dose of dance, theatre, circus and games. A cabaret of life and near death. Two middle-aged lives in an eclectic, spontaneous, predictable and random decline.
Jo is an old dancer, George an old clown. International artists with 100 years of life experience between them, armed with a soundtrack of floor-fillers, a book of raffle tickets and a sprinkling of eco-friendly optimism. Joyful, celebratory and hilarious. The struggle is real. It’s the beginning of the end. But we’re still here.‘Whatever your age, it will make you very happy indeed’ Lyn Gardner, Stagedoor ‘Fong and Orange have found a blueprint for happily living the rest of our lives’ ★★★★ The Guardian ‘Life is too short not to live like this’ ★★★★ The ScotsmanMay Brighton Festival, Caravan Assembly. BOOK June Battersea Arts Centre, London. BSL performances available. BOOK
March 4, 2024
Cardiff – open session
Jo will be leading an open level movement session at Chapter as part of Groundwork Collective's weekly morning classes
Join 10am - 11.30am
Friday June 28th 2024
Go to the Groundwork Collective website for MORE INFORMATION
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/TROOLlei
With 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