Jo Shapland
Jo Shapland creates dance through the flow of materials and objects, film imagery, or the body moving through space. Trained as a contemporary dancer, she now practices Asian martial/meditation arts, aerial circus and improvisation. She continues to explore inner dance and its effect on presence and creativity.
Her core concerns are in relation and response to nature, with a desire to witness through the body. Deep Nature Connection is integral to all her work. Her site-specific projects range from ruined farm-buildings to traditional proscenium theatres; natural wildernesses to urban architectural interiors.
Shapland’s filmdance, Swyn-gân/Summoning (with poet clare e potter, commissioned by National Dance Company Wales) was made in autumn 2020. Her Corvid films were commissioned by Groundwork Pro in October 2020. (Both ACW funded). In January 2020, Jo performed Told by the Wind (co-created with the Llanarth Group) at International Theatre Festival Of Kerala, India (WAI and ITFOK funded).
In 2019, Jo was commissioned to create work for DACymru/Bay Art Cardiff’s ‘6 Artists' exhibition (ACW funded). Other highlights of her 35+ year career include: winning a Creative Wales Major Award with Being in Place; celebrating the expansion of Mostyn, Llandudno, with [in]scape (Arts Council of Wales and PRSF funded); making her series of site sensitive Soluna works (ACW funded).
https://mantroi.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/cv_jo_shapland_oct_2020.pdf
