8 – 30 March 2012

Events open to the public are concentrated on the long weekend of Thu 22 – Sat 24 March

Box Office & information 0113 243 8765   www.juncturedance.com

Yorkshire Dance celebrates its 30th birthday in 2012 with a huge variety of events in Leeds and around the whole of the Yorkshire region.

One of the first, and certainly one of the biggest, is Juncture 2012.

The company has collaborated with Charlotte Vincent, Artistic Director of Vincent Dance Theatre, to create Juncture 2012, the first in a proposed series of Juncture programmes, which will take place in March at Yorkshire Dance’s home in Leeds.

Vincent, as curator of the inaugural Juncture, has programmed four weeks of residencies, performances, workshops and critical debates, with an emphasis on female-led work, experimental cross-disciplinary practice, and with a distinct leaning towards comedy.

Celebrated artists from across the UK and abroad have been invited to contribute, and events open to the public are concentrated on the long weekend of Thursday 22 – Saturday 24 March.

Performance highlights include Liz Aggiss’ Survival Tactics, which turns the usual perception of the female stage body on its head. Wendy Houstoun’s 50 Acts is a spirited retaliation against ageism, while “dance goddess” Antonia Grove’s Small Talk is a solo ‘so sexy it should come with a health warning,’ imagining a screen-test for a B-movie actress.

Eddie Ladd's Llain (Welsh for 'strip of land') looks at the connections between Israel, Wales, the West Bank and the wider world by telling the story of an airstrip, a mile from her home, which has been used by an Israeli defence company for testing drones.

Late-night comedy naughtiness is in the mix, too, courtesy of The Two Wrongies, the absurdist duo whose World of Wrong is a risqué and poignant dance-theatre-cabaret experience that pretty much defies description.

The only men allowed in Vincent’s performance programme are the much-loved comedy-dance duo, New Art Club, whose Quiet Act of Destruction is an energetic, hilarious rampage through the placid Cambridgeshire village of Meldreth.

Juncture 2012 also offers many opportunities to participate in a wide variety of workshops led by Liz Aggiss, New Art Club, The Two Wrongies and Charlotte Vincent herself, who runs a week-long residency with Wendy Houstoun.

A series of public debates and discussions will take place during the long weekend, at which you’re invited to have your say and to quiz some of the Juncture artists as well as dance producers, venues and managers, uncovering some of the mysteries of the dance world, and encouraging dance professionals to think ahead into a challenging, exciting future.

On top of all that, there will be plenty of chances to mingle with the artists in the bar at Yorkshire Dance – and everyone’s invited to the Juncture party on Thursday 22 March, 9.30pm, with live music from folk-rock extravaganza Blackbeard’s Tea Party.

Wieke Eringa, CEO & Artistic Director of Yorkshire Dance, says:

 'We are very proud to be collaborating with acclaimed artist Charlotte Vincent in the role of curator. With Juncture we hope to re-affirm Yorkshire Dance as a home for experimental and innovative dance practice and we are delighted with the scintillating programme that Charlotte has created for audiences and artists alike.'

Charlotte Vincent, curator of Juncture 2012, says: 'I am delighted to introduce the first ever Juncture at Yorkshire Dance. I have invited some of my closest working colleagues to be part of this initial programme – funny, smart women (and a few renegade men), who have something to say and a unique way of saying it. 

Their work is surprising, bold and intelligent. They are quiet anarchists, searching for an appropriate language to say what they need to say. They are mature, experienced makers, researchers, producers, writers, performers, dancers, managers, musicians and composers – artists whose work needs to be seen and whose voices need to be heard. Come join us!'

Details of all events are listed at www.juncturedance.com, or call Yorkshire Dance on 0113 243 8765 to have a brochure posted out to you.