MOVEMENT DIRECTION & CHOREOGRAPHY
"Jenni made me a dancer because she taught me that dancing was breathing through motion and not moving with perfection.
She gives her artists the permission to move and feel instead of dancing structured steps. She will always accommodate adjustments for your body or your mind as you work together, whether that is on day 1 or day 100 of a show.
Jenni’s only expectation of her artists is that they are true to themselves. That’s it. If you bravely offer yourself to her then she’ll create some magic."
Vinnie Heaven, Actor (COWBOIS, RSC).
Jennifer works across digital, filmed and live performance. She holds a BSc in Psychology, and trained at East 15 as a performer. Her practice is interdisciplinary, combining an academic understanding of human behaviour and related contexts, and her interest in the human body as a site for embodied knowledge. Her movement practice encompasses theatre practice, dance, and martial arts (judo). Her work explores connectivity and the ways in which bodies negotiate each other and the world.
Jennifer creates embodied performances and dynamic movement vocabularies, with a distinctive 'liveness' that has made her a much sought after creative. Her understanding and skill in staging, movement and visual dramaturgies have seen her create work across a broad spectrum of art form and spaces, ranging from small 360 degree spaces (such as Paines Plough Roundabout), to large outdoor work at scale, and unique performance spaces (Shakespeare's Globe).
She has extensive experience with with new writing, classical texts and in devised contexts, as well as working within non- narrative forms and live art.
She is a skilled facilitator and director, creating spaces for shared experiences with professional and non-professional performers alike. Jennifer has built a reputation as an inclusive practitioner, and is an effective communicator of ideas, and generously holds space for performers to create their best work.
Her work on I,JOAN (Shakespeare's Globe), has been critically acclaimed, mixing folk dance, contemporary dance and storytelling to reimagine a Joan for our times. Read Jennifer's Programme notes here.
"Jennifer Jackson's choreography, a muscular mash-up of hip hop and folk movement that brilliantly represents the play's battle scenes." The Times- 5 star review
"I've known Jen for years and have always been mightily impressed with her dedication to her art. The discipline she shows towards her craft in her day to day is matched by her rigorous and deeply thought out practice in productionsas I've been fortunate to witness. . We worked together on the Manchester Royal Exchange production of Our Town where Jen's work was not only instrumental in unlocking truth for our characters but also in shaping the meaning of the scenes themselves. It's exceptional, efficient, hard work in her room and she's true to who she is and a joy to be around. I found her devoted to the cast and to the production itself in our search for authenticity and will always happily reccomend her to anyone."
Yourself Kerkour, Actor and Filmmaker.
“Jenni Jackson is a bold and innovative artist, and an amazing creative collaborator. Her solo work has a unique and authentic theatrical language, with dynamic storytelling and groundbreaking perspectives on the world we live in. In my experiences working with her as a movement director, she has always been rigorous, provocative, sensitive and inspiring. She brings with her a wonderful sense of play married to an ability to fix problems and deliver solutions. She’s a boon to every process lucky enough to have her on board.”
Max Bennett, Actor (Macbeth, Shakespeare's Globe).
CREDITS:
2024
COWBOIS, Royal Court
Work it Out, HOME Manchester
(The) Woman, National Theatre Studio
Bindweed, Mercury Colchester
2023
Fame Hungry, Louise Orwin, The Place London
Julius Caesar, Royal Shakespeare Company
The Life and Death of All of Us, Victor Esses, Summerhall Gallery
Macbeth, Shakespeare's Globe
Cowbois, Royal Shakespeare Company
2022
5 CHILDREN AND IT, The egg
I, JOAN, Shakespeare's Globe
HOPE a film, Clean Break
BLUBBER, Katie Greenall & Dais Hale
BRITTANICUS, Lyric Hammersmith
MERCHANT OF VENICE, Shakespeare's Globe
THE BREACH, Hampstead Theatre
COVENTRY CLOSING CEREMONY, Coventry City of Culture
HABIBTI DRIVER, Bolton Octagon
KES, Bolton Octoagon & Theatre by The Lake
2021
5 CHILDREN AND IT, The egg
THE MOUNTAINTOP, Royal Exchange Theatre
PERSPECTIVE, National Theatre New Views
COVENTRY MOVES, Coventry City of Culture Opening Ceremony
LIVING NEWSPAPER EDITION 3, Royal Court
2020
INVISIBLE SUMMER, Royal Court (Digital)
LIGHTNING IN MAY, Mercury Theatre (Workshop)
CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE, NT Public Acts & CAST, Head Choreographer (postponed)
ANTIGONE: BURIAL AT THEBES, Lyric Hammersmith (postponed)
ELECTRIC ROSARY, Royal Exchange (postponed)
WUTHERING HEIGHTS, Royal Exchange
AMSTERDAM (TOUR), ATC
CUTTIN IT, Royal Exchange
2019
I WANNA BE YOURS, Paines Plough & Tamasha
AMSTERDAM, ATC & Orange Tree
BABY REINDEER, The Bush & FMP (Olivier Award Winner 2020)
POPS, Hightide & Jake Orr Productions
OUT OF WATER, Orange Tree
BE MY BABY, Leeds Playhouse
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, Leeds Playhouse
THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART, New Vic
LITTLE PIECES OF RUINED BEAUTY, GRAEAE & NT Studio
MARCO, UPSTART, Simon Carroll-Jones & Vaults
GYPSY QUEEN, Max Emmerson Productions
THE TRICK, The Bush
PHILOXENIA, The Bush
FLIES, RSC, The Barbican & Boundless
2018
DEATH OF A SALESEMAN, The Royal Exchange
THE MOUNTAINTOP, Young Vic Revival National Tour
THE DARK, Fuel Theatre
QUEENS OF THE COAL AGE, The Royal Exchange & New Vic
ISLAND TOWN, Paines Plough
STICKS AND STONES, Paines Plough
HOW TO SPOT AN ALIEN, Paines Plough
ANTIGONE, NT Studio
FLIES, Boundless
MAYFLY, Orange Tree
OUT OF LOVE/ BLACK MOUNTAIN/ HOW TO BE A KID, Paines Plough & Orange Tree
BRIGHTON ROCK, The Lowry & Pilot Theatre
2017
OUR TOWN The Royal Exchange
PARLIAMENT SQUARE The Bush/The Royal Exchange
KIKA'S BIRTHDAY Orange Tree
BLACK MOUNTAIN Paines Plough
OUT OF LOVE Paines Plough
HOW TO BE A KID Paines Plough
THE UGLY ONE Park 90
DEATH OF A SALESMAN Royal & Derngate
2016
THE MOUNTAINTOP The Young Vic
STONEFACE The Finborough Theatre
WHY THE WHALES CAME Wizard Presents & Watford Palace Theatre
THE FUTURE Company 3/ The Yard
WHY THE WHALES CAME Watford Palace Theatre and Tour
PHONE HOME- London Munich and Athens/ Shoreditch Town Hall
2015
SUBTERRANEAN SEPOYS (WORKSHOP), NEW DIORAMA (AVIN SHAH & JAMES
BLAKEY)
OTHER (PLS SPECIFY), ICT (NED GLASIER)
SHAKESPEARE IN OP, THE PEARL THEATER (NY), PASSION IN PRACTICE
PERICLES RECOMPOSED, BERWALDHALLEN (INTERPLAY FESTIVAL & PASSION IN
PRACTICE)
ATOMS, ICT (NED GLASIER, & JAMES BLAKEY)
2014
SILENT PLANET, FINBOROUGH, UPSTART THEATRE (TOM MANSFIELD)
KNIGHTS (MARCELO DOS SANTOS), THE BIKE SHED THEATRE
MACBETH IN OP, SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE (SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE & PASSION IN PRACTICE)
DEBRIS (DENNIS KELLY), SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE
Production nominated for two Off West End Awards.
GUT GIRLS (SARAH DANIELS), BROCKLEY JACK THEATRE
FISH KILL (RUBIAH HUSSEIN), GAP SALON
ASSISTANT MOVEMENT DIRECTION
THE INITIATE, PAINES PLOUGH ROUNDABOUT SEASON, 2014
Fringe First Winner at the Edinburgh Fringe.
LUNGS, PAINES PLOUGH ROUNDABOUT SEASON, 2014
OUR TEACHER’S A TROLL, PAINES PLOUGH ROUNDABOUT SEASON, 2014
DIRECTING
THANK HEAVEN FOR LITTLE GRRRLS, In Development with The Egg, The Lowry and The Place, 2019-2020
A DUKINFIELD STORY, The Royal Exchange (THE DEN) 2019
PENGUIN! ELEPHANT! Goblin Theatre (2015 & 2016 National Tour).
FACILITATION
New Earth Academy (Formerly Yellow Earth Academy)
Open Exchange/Royal Exchange
JMK Directors at HOME Manchester
New Wimbledon Theatre (Young Company)
Kiln/Tricycle Theatre (Mapping Brent Outreach Projects)
The Gate Theatre (Gatecrashers with Associate Director Lynette Linton)
The Roundhouse (Young Company Training)
Company 3
BTEC Performing Arts (N Warwickshire & Hinckley College)
Royal Russell School (Croydon).