Professional Training: Jane Castree (she/her)
Tuesday 16, 23, 30 September
Jane’s class is informed by her background in contemporary dance, contact improvisation, and inclusive practices. Her classes utilise a Universal Design approach, which means they are created for disabled and able-bodied dancers and people of all neurotypes. The session starts with a moment to check in with your body and how you are feeling and progresses through an improvisational warm up, which you can undertake at your chosen energy level. From there, you will have opportunities to develop your palette of movement qualities, that will then be explored through dynamic, co-created movement phrases.
The class is designed in a way that works for disabled dancers and all neurotypes. If people want to share specific accessibility information with me beforehand, they are welcome to do so or they can tell me on the day, but this is at their discretion.
About Jane
Jane is Artistic Director of Jane Castree and…- a collaborative dance company working with movement to create open and accessible opportunities for performers, community members, and audiences. The company’s work seeks to acknowledge and interrupt invisible structures of hierarchy within our culture. Jane's choreographic work invites people to consider alternative perspectives, imagining and creating a more open and flexible world, while supporting individuals to connect with the innate sense of freedom and wellbeing that comes from moving.
Her practice embraces the Universal Design approach, ensuring it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people. Since moving to Oxfordshire, Jane has collaborated with Dancin’ Oxford and Oxford City Council to deliver Barton Moves, a project working with local people and organisations to help the community thrive. She also works with Dance Creative to facilitate Silver Shakers, a dance group for people over 50 in Wood Farm, now celebrating its tenth year.
Previously, Jane was an Associate Artist at The Mill Arts Centre in Banbury, where they worked to create dance opportunities for young people of all abilities and neurotypes. She has received support from South East Dance through the Flourish 2024 Bursary and is excited to deliver professional classes for us this September! She also works with Pro Dance Oxford to strengthen the network of dance professionals in the region.
Jane's relationship with Modern Art Oxford - devolved through Boundary Encounters and Situated Ecologies - has been a pivotal influence in her choreographic practice. Her current involvement in the exhibition Movements for Staying Alive is enabling her to explore physical intelligence with community groups, professional dancers, and gallery visitors, cumulating in a performance on 28 Aug.
