Dr Jo Butterworth

Jo Butterworth directs a part-time MA degree in Choreography in the Netherlands, and teaches on postgraduate programmes at Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA). She is working as consultant on the development of Dance courses with the University of Malta. Was formerly Senior Lecturer in Dance at the University of Leeds, where she initiated the BA Hons Dance and MA in Performance Studies. She received her MA from NYU and her doctorate from the LCDS, University of Kent. Research interests focus on dance making and its applications which led to the Arts Council-funded project The Greenhouse Effect: the art and science of nurturing dancemakers (1997-1999); she has published articles on choreographic processes and teaching models, and co-edited Contemporary Choreographer: A Critical Reader (2009) with Liesbeth Wildschut. Jo is a Board member of Random Dance and Northern Ballet Theatre. She has also chaired SCODHE, (Standing Conference of Dance in Higher Education) and the Dance Section of ELIA (European League of Institutes of the Arts).

I ran a Dance dept at Bretton Hall (University of Leeds) for 25 yrs, during which time I was asked to join many dance company boards, including Motionhouse and Random Dance, all of which were out of the region. Whilst I was planning my retirement from the University, Northern Ballet were advertising for new board members. Since I was interested in working with a dance company in my region of Yorkshire, I applied, was interviewed and subsequently invited to join the board.

My specialisms are choreography, dance pedagogy and community dance, and in those capacities I can (and frequently do) offer help and guidance to David on matters to do with choreography, the dancers and the development of the Academy, Weike and now Selina, on the Learning and Access subcommittee, and I also represent Northern Ballet at meetings of the Dancers Career Development Trust.