Movement Director

We are seeking an imaginative and experienced Movement Director with a strong track record of creating ambitious work for public space, outdoor arts, and large-scale participatory events.

The Movement Director will play a central role in shaping the physical language of the Y Bont International Festival, creating powerful moments of collective experience that bring together professional performers, community participants, volunteers, and audiences from across the city and beyond.

Working closely with the Creative Director and Creative Producer, the successful candidate will develop movement concepts that explore the potential of ensemble performance, mass choreography, and collective action as key artistic components of the festival programme. They will help create visually striking and emotionally resonant experiences that celebrate the themes of connection, place, heritage, and community that sit at the heart of Y Bont.

This role requires a practitioner who understands both the creative possibilities and practical complexities of working at scale in outdoor and public settings. The successful candidate will have significant experience directing large groups of performers and participants, creating choreography that can be clearly read across expansive urban environments and designing movement that remains impactful within busy public spaces.

The Movement Director will lead the development and delivery of participatory movement activity throughout the project, designing and facilitating workshops, rehearsals, and creative engagement programmes that empower communities and untrained performers to contribute confidently to ambitious artistic outcomes. We are particularly interested in artists who have experience creating mass movement work with non-professional participants and who understand how to build inclusive, enjoyable, and accessible processes that prioritise both artistic quality and participant experience.

Working alongside the Creative Director, Creative Producer, City Designer, Production Manager, and commissioned artists, the Movement Director will ensure that movement is fully integrated into the wider visual, spatial, and dramaturgical framework of the festival. This may include collaborating on processional events, large-scale participatory interventions, costume and object design, audience interaction, and other creative elements that animate the city and transform public space.

As a key member of the artistic team, the Movement Director will contribute to the overall dramaturgy of the festival, helping to shape audience journeys and moments of gathering across multiple sites and events. They will bring an understanding of how movement can create meaning, strengthen participation, and foster a sense of shared ownership and celebration.

This is an exciting opportunity for an artist who believes in the power of collective movement, public gathering, and civic celebration; someone who is passionate about creating memorable experiences that bring people together and reveal the extraordinary potential of a city and its communities.

We understand that this position may attract someone with a varied artistic background and multidisciplinary practice so are open to those who do not have traditional dance and movement training. 

Key Responsibilities

• Work alongside the Creative Director and Creative Producer to develop the movement language and choreographic vision for the festival.

• Create and direct large-scale participatory movement experiences involving professional performers, community participants, volunteers, and audiences.

• Develop movement responses to specific locations, architecture, heritage assets, and public spaces across Newport.

• Lead rehearsals, workshops, training sessions, and movement development processes.

• Collaborate with artists, designers, musicians, performers, and production teams to realise integrated artistic experiences.

• Work with the City Designer on the development of processional elements, costumes, props, visual interventions, and spatial compositions.

• Support the recruitment and creative development of performers and participants.

• Develop accessible approaches to participation that enable people of different ages, abilities, and backgrounds to engage confidently.

• Contribute to the overall dramaturgy and audience journey of the festival.

• Ensure movement activity is delivered safely and in accordance with production and event management plans.

• Attend planning meetings and contribute to the wider artistic and strategic development of the festival.

• Support the documentation and legacy of the movement programme where appropriate.

Essential Criteria

• Significant experience directing movement, choreography, or participatory performance within outdoor arts, festivals, public realm projects, or large-scale events.

• Proven experience working with both professional performers and community participants.

• Strong understanding of movement as a tool for storytelling, participation, and audience engagement.

• Experience creating work for non-traditional performance spaces and urban environments.

• Experience leading large groups and coordinating complex participatory activity.

• Excellent facilitation and communication skills.

• Ability to create inclusive and accessible movement experiences for participants with a wide range of abilities and backgrounds.

• Strong collaborative practice and experience working within multidisciplinary creative teams.

• Understanding of health and safety considerations relating to movement in public space.

• Experience working in Wales and an understanding of Welsh cultural contexts.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience working on large-scale civic celebrations, processions, spectacles, or mass participation events.

• Experience creating movement work inspired by heritage, place, and community narratives.

• Knowledge of socially engaged arts practice and placemaking methodologies.

• Experience working with local authorities, community organisations, and public-sector partners.

• Welsh language skills.

• Training or professional background in choreography, physical theatre, dance, circus, movement direction, or related disciplines.

• Experience working internationally or within intercultural artistic collaborations.