The Monthly interviews Jack Philp, the new Artistic Director of DU Dance – Part 1 – Experiences which shaped my career

 What would some of the highlights be in your career in dance prior to becoming the new Artistic Director of DU Dance?

There have been a number of moments that feel like real markers along the way. Touring internationally has been a big part of that. My work has taken me to some incredible places, from Australia to collaborations in Germany, and those experiences really shaped how I think about dance as something that travels across cultures and connects people in different contexts.

Working with major national companies like National Dance Company Wales and Luail has also been hugely significant. Being in a room with artists operating at that level, and then sharing that work with communities on tour, always felt special. It reinforced the idea that high-quality artistic work and public connection should go hand in hand.

Joining the Clore Leadership Programme was also a real turning point for me. I had always known I wanted to step into leadership, but that experience allowed me to properly interrogate what kind of leader I wanted to be. It gave me space to test ideas, to fail, to reflect, and to better understand both my own instincts and the wider cultural landscape.

But honestly, some of the most meaningful highlights are the people I’ve worked with. Being in a creative space where choreographers, performers, designers and technicians are all working at full capacity, where an idea is starting to take shape and you can feel it coming alive, those are the moments that stay with me. There’s something really magnetic about that process.

In your own work what would some of the themes and ideas be which you would work with or examine?

A lot of my work circles around ideas of the future. Sometimes that leans into digital or technological territory, and sometimes it’s much more about us as people and as communities. But at the centre of it all is the body, the person. I’m always interested in how we, as human beings, sit at the heart of what comes next.

The work tends to start from that place; the body as a site of experience, of imagination, of possibility. I’m interested in how we can use dance to think about the future in a way that feels grounded and human, rather than abstract or detached.

We’re living in a time where uncertainty feels constant, and often the narratives around the future are quite dystopian. I find myself wanting to push against that a but, to reframe it, to find something more optimistic. I genuinely believe there’s brilliance ahead, and that we play an active role in shaping it.

That connects to a wider motivation in my work, which is about placing dance and culture at the centre of communities and society. Dance reflects the world we’re in, but it can also help us imagine what comes next. That’s something I’m really driven by, and something I’m excited to continue exploring in this new role.

Are there any dancers or choreographers who inspired your work?

Dance feels like my first language, but a lot of my artistic inspiration actually comes from outside of it. I’m really drawn to visual art, music and fashion; artists who are pushing form and creating experiences that feel immersive and of the moment.

People like Ryoji Ikeda, Bart Hess and Olafur Eliasson are big influences, as well as designers like Gareth Pugh and musicians like Rival Consoles. What I love about their work is how it extends beyond a single form, it creates a whole world or environment that audiences can step into.

That’s something I think about a lot in relation to dance. How can the body sit within those kinds of expanded worlds? How can different elements come together to create something that feels alive, current and charged with energy?

I’m always drawn to work that feels like it’s happening right now, that has a kind of immediacy to it. That sense of momentum and possibility is what excites me most as an artist.