| Francesca Jaynes | |
| Birth Date: | 1958 10, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Woodford, Essex, United Kingdom |
| Nationality: | British |
Francesca Jaynes (born 12 October 1958) is an English choreographer and movement director who works in many disciplines within the entertainment industry, including feature films,[1] [2] theatre and commercials.
Jaynes trained at the Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts, and danced professionally for several years before suffering a serious injury that led to a transition into choreography. Following several years choreographing musical stage acts, she began working in UK television in 1982[3] and a career in film began in 1999 with Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy,[4] [5] earning her a nomination in the American Choreography Awards.[6]
Jaynes' work in feature film covers a period of three decades and multiple genres, including costume drama (The Duchess, Great Expectations), family (Dumbo,[7] Muppets Most Wanted,[8] Charlie and the Chocolate Factory[9]), science fiction (Gravity,[10] A.I. Artificial Intelligence[11] [12] [13]), fantasy (Clash of the Titans), and music-based drama (De-Lovely,[14] Topsy-Turvy).
Her television credits include work with Judi Dench and Dustin Hoffman in Roald Dahl's Esio Trot for the BBC, as well as programmes such as Quiz by James Graham, Foyle's War, Agatha Christie's Marple, The Virgin Queen, and Tipping the Velvet.
Jaynes began choreographing for theatre in the late 1980s,[17] and continues to work regularly in this discipline. In 2015 it was announced that she would be working with Mike Leigh on The Pirates of Penzance for the English National Opera.[18]
Her work has been created for a wide range of theatres including the New Wolsey Theatre (Ipswich),[19] Salisbury Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, Holland Park Opera, Stafford Festival Shakespeare,[20] The Old Vic[21] (London) and The National Theatre[22] (London).
Jaynes has collaborated for more than 20 years with Director Peter Rowe[23] on shows including Blues in the Night, Little Shop of Horrors, Guys and Dolls, and It's a Wonderful Life.[24]
| Year | Production | Theatre | Director | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera[25] | Peter Rowe | ||
| 2019/20 | ONCE | No. 1 UK National Tour[26] | Peter Rowe | |
| 2018 | Still Alice[27] | Peter Rowe | ||
| 2015 | Sweet Charity | Peter Rowe | ||
| 2015 | The Pirates of Penzance | |||
| 2014 | Midsummer Songs | Peter Rowe | ||
| 2014 | Kafka's Dick | David Grindley | ||
| 2013 | Our House | New Wolsey Theatre/UK National Tour | Peter Rowe | |
| 2013 | Daytona | Park Theatre London | David Grindley | |
| 2011 | Guys and Dolls | Clwyd Theatr Cymru/Salisbury Playhouse/UK National Tour | Peter Rowe | |
| 2010 | Little Shop of Horrors | Peter Rowe | ||
| 2009 | It's a Wonderful Life | Peter Rowe | ||
| 2009 | Orpheus in the Underworld | John Abulafia | ||
| 2008 | Afterlife | |||
| 2007 | Stephen Fry's Cinderella | Fiona Laird | ||
| 2007 | Blues in the Night | Peter Rowe | ||
| 2006 | Promises and Lies | |||
| 2005 | Sugar | Peter Rowe | ||
| 2003 | The Threepenny Opera | Tim Baker | ||
| 2000 | Equus | |||
| 2000 | My Best Friend | Anthony Clark | ||
| 2000 | Leader of the Pack | Peter Rowe |
Jaynes' choreographic and movement work has been seen in commercials for numerous major brands, both national and international. The 2018 "Back to the Fuchsia" campaign for Ted Baker was choreographed by Jaynes, inspired by the song Think Pink from the musical Funny Face. In 2014, she choreographed a sequence in "The Gentleman's Wager", a six-minute ad for Johnnie Walker Blue Label starring Jude Law and Giancarlo Giannini which premiered at the Venice Film Festival.[28] [29] SmartWater, Lynx, Sainsbury's, and Scottish Widows are amongst the other brands whose commercials have featured her work.
In addition to her work as a choreographer and movement director, Jaynes has also created work as a writer/director of short films. Her first film, For George, was completed in 2012, and was an Official Selection at the United Film Festival (London, UK),[30] Festival Filmets (Badalona, Spain),[31] and Best Actors Film Festival (San Francisco, USA), where it won the award for "Best Ensemble Cast in a Short Drama".
Her second short film, Gnomeland, was completed in 2013, and was chosen as an Official Selection at the Two Short Nights Film Festival (Exeter, UK)[32] and the Deep Fried Film Festival (Lanarkshire, UK).[33]