I’ve worked with words throughout my professional life in publishing. You can see my experience in my LinkedIn profile

Words and movement

My love for words is matched by my love for movement. I trained as a classical dancer and tried very hard to make dance my career. Eventually I accepted my limitations and went to university, and from there into my career in publishing and management. But I never abandoned my fascination with movement, dance and the body

I brought my lifelong interests together in my thesis for my Master of Philosophy in Creative Writing entitled White Swan Black: Fonteyn, Guillem and Copeland. I wrote a biography of the ballerinas Margot Fonteyn, Sylvie Guillem and Misty Copeland who are separated by distance, generation and temperament, but drawn together relationally by their singular contributions to ballet. Fonteyn embodies the white swan, idealised and ethereal; Guillem and Copeland embody the black swans, self-aware and physically powerful. My thesis traces this cultural transition in the lives of these remarkable women

There isn’t much call for dance writing post-academy, but I’ve been fortunate to have written two features for Limelight magazine (so far). They are both here: ‘Yin and Yang at the Ballet’ and ‘Still Stepping Out’.

And I’m matching my leadership expertise with my dance knowledge by serving on two boards: The Journal of Dance and Somatic Practice and Critical Path

So — I’m an intellectual who loves to move. I’m an executive who writes critical essays

About Words by Jill Brown
This website is a home for my writing where I can test thoughts and ideas and showcase any work that is published. It’s both a portfolio and a notebook

My writing interests are —

• Dance, dancers, dance-making

• Criticism and close reading

• Words in all their guises