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Jess is an Academic Developer based in CHEP at the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ
Jess is part of the Evaluation team focusing on research culture activities.
Jess is an Academic Developer based in CHEP at the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ
Jess is part of the Evaluation team focusing on research culture activities.
Jess’ currently developing a research project Birth Dance. The aim of this project is to increase agency and wellbeing of birthing parents using dance practice and visual arts.
Many birth-workers and new parents would agree that maternity services in the UK are
in crisis. Leading midwifery academics (Reed, 2018, Wickham 2021) have proposed that maternity
services have become too medicalised and interventionist. There is an argument that birthing
people’s sense of agency and empowerment is being diminished.
The Birth Dance project aims to deliver a series of creative workshops for pregnant and post-partum individuals. What we discover from these workshops will then be turned in to a dance-film that shows holistic birth positions, breathing techniques and positive imagery that can spark ideas of how the birthing and pregnant body can move in a way that creates a positive birthing experience, with the birthing person retaining their sense of agency.
Our ambition is to show the film in hospital settings and provide a creative toolkit for birth-workers.
Jess has taught on a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate workshops and modules, including Choreography and technology, Performance Art/ The Body in Performance, Body Conditioning for Dancers.
Jess joined the University in 2023. Before joining the University, Jess completed a practice-based PhD in Choreography at Bath Spa University. Whilst studying for her PhD Jess worked for the BSU research department as a research fellow focusing on impact case study evaluation for REF.
Jess has been a freelance dance artist since 2012. Her work has been supported by ACE, LADA and Bristol Biennial.
Jess has also worked as a freelance arts evaluator for the Hampshire Cultural Trust.