Dr Jo Read
Senior Lecturer in Counselling and Psychotherapy
Senior Lecturer
Department of Social Work, Counselling and Social Care , School Of Arts And Creative Industries
Dr Jo Read is a Senior Lecturer in Dance at UEL, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). She teaches and leads across different choreographic and dance industry modules on the undergraduate dance course, and also supervises PhD students in the Postgraduate Performing Arts subject area. Jo also works as a Coach, working with staff members from across the University on various professional and personal development goals, as part of the UEL Coaching and Mentoring Network.
Jo is a qualified and registered Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist (MBACP), which informs her current research in the area of dance, health and wellbeing. Her recent project, "Dancing with Endo", addresses the lived experiences of people with endometriosis through a choreographic methodology.
Areas Of Interest
- Choreography and Dance Practice
- Dance and Mental Health/Wellbeing
- Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Embodied Psychotherapy
- Dance-Music Relationships
- Dance and Animation
OVERVIEW
Jo Read is a senior lecturer on the BA (Hons) Dance: Urban Practice programme and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She recently completed an AHRC funded PhD at De Montfort University, exploring choreomusicality in street dance practices in the UK.
Jo previously worked as a visiting lecturer at Kingston University, and has also delivered guest workshops at Trinity Laban and Middlesex University. As a dancer, Jo has a keen interest in popular and social dance forms, and currently focuses on Litefeet in her training. As a dancer, she has previously performed in projects as part of hip-hop dance company Boy Blue such as Emancipation of Expressionism (2017), and also reached the finals for the 2v2 Litefeet battles at Litefest 2019.
Jo has previously collaborated with artists such as Robert Hylton, Caroline Lofthouse, Anna Tabbush, Etta Ermini and Vicky "Skytilz" Mantey on various national and international theatre-based and outdoor choreographic projects as a dancer and choreographer.
She is currently beginning research for a new choreographic project called Dancing With Endo, which focuses on professional dancers who also have endometriosis.
CURRENT RESEARCH
- Popular and social dance
- Choreomusicology
- Dance and animation studies
- Practice as research
- The arts and well-being
PUBLICATIONS
- Read, J. and Trim-Vamben, C. (2024) ‘Questioning Values in the Delivery of Dance Practices at the University of East London’, in Colin, N., Seago, C., and Stamp, K. (eds) Ethical Agility in Dance: Rethinking Technique in British Contemporary Dance. London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group (In Press)
- Read, J. and Trim-Vamben, C. (2023) ‘What a Touchy Subject! Discussions, Reflection and Thoughts about Touch on the UEL Dance: Urban Practice Course’, Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 14 (2), p.216-220. DOI: 10.1080/19443927.2023.2189877
- Read, J. (2020) 'Animating the Real: Illusions, Musicality and the Live Dancing Body'. International Journal of Screendance, Vol 11, forthcoming.
- Read, J. (2017) Emancipation of Expressionism. A Resource for Dance Education. Produced by Collins, M. London: Boy Blue Entertainment Ltd
- Read, J. (2016) 'A Curious Choreomusical Canon. Exploring Relationships in Music and Dance'. In Blurring Boundaries: Urban Street Meets Contemporary Dance. Leicester: Serendipity Artist Movement Ltd
TEACHING
MODULES
- Collaboration 1 - Dancing Cultures
- Public Project 1 - Choreography and Dance Making
- Final Project (Choreography)
- Dance Technique
- Professional Life 1 (Mental Wealth)
- Collaboration 2 - Battles
Publications
The last four years of publications can be viewed below.
Full publications list
Visit the research repository to view a full list of publications
- Questioning values in the delivery of dance practices at the University of East London in: Colin, N., Seago, C. and Stamp. K. (ed.) Ethical Agility in Dance: Rethinking Technique in British Contemporary Dance. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, pp.110-128
- What a touchy subject! Discussions, reflections and thoughts about touch on the UEL BA (Hons) Dance: Urban Practice course Theatre, Dance and Performance Training. 14 (2), pp. 216-220. https://doi.org/10.1080/19443927.2023.2189877
- Animating the Real: Illusions, Musicality and the Live Dancing Body The International Journal of Screendance. 11, pp. 59-75. https://doi.org/10.18061/ijsd.v11i0.7100