Jenna Hubbard – Jenna Hubbard

About Jenna

Jenna Hubbard is a dance artist with an interest in community practice, improvisation in performance and site-specific dance. Jenna is a Senior Lecturer in Dance and the Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Dance course at De Montfort University. Jenna has a masters degree in Community Dance from the University of Roehampton, and a first class BA (Hons) in Dance and Professional Practice from Coventry University. Jenna’s research and practice interests are working with young children and their families, creating site specific performance and improvisational practices.

As a performer, Jenna has performed for Spiltmilk Dance, Rosemary Lee, Tim Casson and Friends, Claire Benson and Genevieve Say, and has collaborated with Lily Hayward-Smith on a number of projects.

Jenna is an advisory board member for Spiltmilk Dance, a member of DanceHE and People Dancing and a reviewer for the Journal for Dance and Somatic Practices.

Jenna was a board member for Decoda-UK from the formation to the closing of the organisation, and previously worked for Decoda-UK as a Project Manager (2008-2013). As a project manager, Jenna developed the marketing and communication for Decoda and contributed to the Moving Out Graduate programmes and the Sound Moves project, as well as the day to day running of the organisation.

Education and Training

Dec 2015 -June 2018 University of Southampton

Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (HE)

Sept 2014 – Sept 2015 Roehampton University

MA Community Dance

Sept 2005 – June 2008 Coventry University

BA (Hons) Dance and Professional Practice – First Class Degree

Sept 2002 – June 2008 Mid Kent College

BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts – Distinction
A Level dance – A

Other Skills and associations

Member of People Dancing and DanceHE
Chair of the Performance as Research Group at Arts University Bournemouth
Member of the Participatory Research Group at Arts University Bournemouth
Member of panel for Coventry City Council’s Small Arts Grant funding scheme – June 2009 to Sept 2011
Arts Policy Committee – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry July – Sept 2011
Accredited Final Cut Pro user (Film editing software – accreditation from Apple) – May 2011
Courses in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign, with experience of creating printed materials and pdf documents to a high design standard – Courses in March and April 2011.
I hold a full, clean UK drivers licence, and have access to my own vehicle. I have a current enhanced disclosure CRB check and public liability insurance.

Professional Qualifications and Memberships

March 2020	200 hour Yoga Teacher Training with Yoga Alliance
July 2004	IDTA Associate Teacher Modern Jazz- Honours
July 2003	NATD Associate Teacher Classical Ballet- Honours
August 2002	IDTA Associate Teacher Freestyle Dance- Distinction

Teaching and community practice

Campus updates_is3a7980 — Teaching at Arts University Bournemouth

Dance Lecturer at Arts University Bournemouth

Sept 2015 – to date

Teaching responsibilities including release-based technique classes, somatic practices, improvisation, choreography, performance practice, dance analysis and theory, dance as a socio-cultural practice, dissertation supervision, final major projects and producing dance events in non theatrical spaces. As well as dance specific teaching I also teach fitness and conditioning through yoga, running and HIIT workouts.

I am the Level 4 year group leader, supporting students with pastoral and academic issues. I module lead units across all three levels of study and supervise the hourly paid lecturers within my modules. I have contributed to other courses at AUB including architecture, graphic design and costume.

As a small team, we all contribute to the marketing, recruitment and outreach work at AUB, curriculum design and student experience, which has resulted in 5 years of 100% student satisfaction in the NSS.

Within my research I have been collaborating with a costume design lecturer to explore improvisational practices, and chaired the Performance as Research Group at AUB, which has produced both traditional research outputs as well as public performances and workshops.

Freelance Community Dance Practitioner for Pavilion Dance South West

June 2016 – to date

Teaching community dance classes, including Intermediate Contemporary, Youth Conditioning and Youth Contemporary Dance. Covering Rehearsal Director for Coast Youth Dance Company.

Rehearsing for UDF2014. Photo by Sean Goldthorpe

Dance Lecturer at De Montfort University

Oct 2011 – Jun 2015

Teaching responsibilities including release-based technique classes, improvisation practices, choreography, performance practice and working in educational and community dance settings. Experience of creating movement phrases, schemes of work, giving feedback to students in both verbal and written form and assessing student work for formative and summative assessments. Supervising tutor for Dance Research project students (dissertations) and personal tutor for students across the three years of undergraduate study. Contributed to both the Dance and Performing Arts undergraduate programmes. Production manager for University Dance Festival (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015), held at Curve Theatre. Contributed to admissions and recruitment activities including teaching selection day classes, interviewing candidates and making decisions on applicants.

Kenilworth Creative Dance

Jan 2010 – July 2014

Since 2010 I have been running weekly creative dance classes for children and their parents in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. These classes include improvisation, stories, poems and music. I feel passionate about intergenerational learning and these classes offer a space for families to work creatively together. More info at www.kenilworthcreativedance.co.uk

Visiting Dance Lecturer at Coventry University

Oct 2008 – Nov 2012

Contributed to a number of aspects of the curriculum including contemporary release-based technique, ballet technique, improvisation practices and dance within community and education settings. Whilst teaching the contemporary and ballet technique classes, I worked with a range of students on the undergraduate course including students with physical disabilities.

Teaching in Schools

I have experience of teaching in a number of primary and secondary education institutions in both Coventry and Kent. I have worked with classes on a weekly basis for the duration of a term and have also facilitated a number of one off workshops and sessions. I predominately teach creative dance and improvisation as a way of inspiring children to create their own interpretation and response to movement tasks. I have worked with children with SEN in both exclusive and integrated class settings.

Sound Moves

Sound Moves was a collaboration between Decoda-UK, The Pea Pod Collective and Taylor John’s House, developing a series of adult creative dance and music workshops. I was a lead artist for this project between 2012-2013, facilitating workshops, improvisation jams and performances.

Oxford Youth Dance

Community Dance Artist – managing, administrating and teaching classes for ages 3-15 years, teaching classes in creative dance to children and parent and with a youth group.

Choreographic practice

*Stand by Me* (2014)
Performance for DMU’s University Dance Festival, at Curve Theatre

**My mother is not Julie Andrews and other fascinating revelations** **(2014)**
Research residency in collaboration with my mother at C-DaRE (Coventry University).

*If I were you* (2013)
Choreographed with young children and their families to explore their aspirations for one another.

*Xmas Flash mob* (2012)
Choreographed performance for 25 community participants, performed at Coventry train station. Commissioned by Talking Birds and Coventry city council.

*Families Dancing* (2012)
Choreographed for families in collaboration with musician Noel Warr. Commissioned by Summer Dancing festival 2012.

*You are Here* (2010)
Choreographed and performed with Lily Hayward-Smith, Tara Rutter and Gemma Collard-Stokes. Commissioned by Talking Birds and Coventry City Council.

*These fraid edges* (2010)
Choreographed and performed with Lily Hayward-Smith and Adam Moore, at Coventry Cathedral. Commissioned by Summer Dancing 2010.

*Just these fraid edges* (2009)
Choreographed and performed with Lily Hayward-Smith, Adam Moore and Michaël Lacoult, at Ellen Terry Dance Theatre.

*It Travels…* (2009)
Choreographed and performed with Lily Hayward-Smith and Tara Rutter. Commissioned by Cecilia Macfarlane for Dorchester Abbey

*Viewpoint* (2008)
with Dave Andrews and Rachel Owen, a community dance and film project, commissioned by Coventry University

*Reconciliation* (2008)
Choreographed and performed with Lily Hayward-Smith, Sarah Clout, Beth Anderson and Oxford Youth Dance

*Summer site project* (2007)
Summer explorative workshops and performance making, working with young dancers in Kent. Collaborative project with Rachel Owen. Commissioned by Coventry University.

Improvisation

BEAF JAM

Saturday 11th May 1200-1500

Filmed highlights from BEAF JAM 2019. Filmed and Edited by Caitlin Mackinnon

An improvisation jam created by Jenna Hubbard, Adele Keeley, Paul Keeley and Sophie Douglas. This intergenerational, cross artform play space was created to encourage adults and child, amateur and artists alike to play creatively in the same space. BEAF JAM was part of the Bournemouth Emerging Arts Fringe in May 2019, and this event was hosted by Arts University Bournemouth.

Come and express yourself and join in our JAM. Whether you fancy dancing, drawing, writing or conducting music and sounds JAM is a place to express yourself. In the CRAB Studio at the Arts University Bournemouth, artists and amateurs alike, will respond to each other and let themselves be free to create whatever happens. Whether you can spend 10 mins or an hour we offer a safe non-judgemental place to express yourself. Basic kit including pencils, paper and sound system will be provided. The rest comes from you. All welcome.

Arts University Bournemouth
CRAB Drawing Studio
Wallisdown
BH12 5HH

AUB JAM #4 – Wednesday 13th March 2019

AUB JAM #3 – Thursday 21st February 2019

AUB JAM #2 – December 2018

After a long term of teaching, the PaRG met to update one another on their research work and to celebrate our practice with an improvisation jam. The jam was full of end of term creativity, release and freedom to explore our practices. As a group, we responded to the idea of offering one another gifts which could be movements, drawings, writing to inspire further creative content.

Research

Book Chapters

Hubbard, J. & Keeley, A. (2023) ‘Creative improvisation jamming, under the COVID cloud‘ in Drawing and Performance: Creating Scenography. Coimbra, Portugal.

E-book Drawing and Performance: Creating Scenography

Performances

The Moving Canvas Project Performance (2023)

Celebrating the interplay between dance and mark making, this performance and research sharing will present the conclusion of a 10-week collaboration between AUB academics Jenna Hubbard and Adele Keeley and community dance company Co-Evo. The Moving Canvas Project explores the kinesthetic inhabitance of wearable canvasses marked with pens to create unique and original textile design whilst creating choreography.

Project by Jenna Hubbard and Adele Keeley. Filmed and edited by Dan Tucker

Exhibitions

Performance Space Exhibition
Prague Quadrennial
8 – 18 June 2023
The film presented in this exhibition tracks the journey from studio-based improvisation jamming to online practice, imposed by the onset of the 2020 pandemic, which forced remote working and collaboration. More info

Papers and presentations

Hubbard, J. & Keeley, A. (2023) Creative Improvisation through drawing and movement. Prague Quadrennial 23 Flash Talks, 16 June 2023, Prague, Czech Republic

Hayward-Smith, L. & Hubbard, J. (2021) Archiving the Archive: Summer Dancing 2016. WEAVE project: Archives and the Dancing Body, April 2021, online. Hosted by C-DaRE at Coventry University

Hubbard, J. & Keeley, A. (2020). Creative Improvisation Jamming, under the Covid Cloud. Drawing and Performance Conference: Creating Scenography, 25-27 November 2020, University of Coimbra, Portugal, Online.

Hubbard, J. (2019) ‘Alternating between somatic and set material: unit design for dance technique’. Presented at Enhancing Student learning through Innovative Scholarship Conference, Edinburgh Napier University, July 2019

Hubbard, J. (2019) ‘Unit design for dance technique: somatic set material’. Presented at the Dance and Somatic Practices Conference 2019, Coventry University, July 2019.

Hubbard, J. (2018) ‘Alternating somatic approaches with set material’. Presented at the Bridging Dance Training Contexts Symposium, Winchester University, December 2018.

Hamilton, C. and Hubbard, J (2010) ICE Cool: A Case study. Presented at The International Conference of Higher Education and the Creative Economy, Southampton, March 2010.

Unpublished essays in fulfilment of Masters Degree in Community Dance at Roehampton University are available for view on Academia

Articles

In 2012 I was invited to write an article about inclusive creative dance for Warwickshire’s Integrated Disability Service.

Hubbard, J. (2012) ‘Inclusive Dance’ in Warwickshire’s Integrated Disability Service.

Read Article