LUKE JESSOP
Artistic Director / Choreographer / Performer
Hailing from Essex, England, Luke fell into dancing almost by accident. Choosing dance as a subject in school simply because the subjects he had originally chosen wouldn't work in the timetable. As his passion grew, both for Hip Hop and Bboying, his awareness of dance as a tool for expression increased both in the studio and out. Continuing on to the University of Bedfordshire and graduating in 2011 with a Bachelors Degree, Luke then began a brief career in England, working with 2Faced Dance Company on their triple bill 'In The Dust'.
In 2012, Luke moved to Brussels, Belgium to work with Wim Vandekeybus - Ultima Vez. Working on various productions including the creation of booty Looting, Talk to the Demon, FEAR NOT, Spiritual Unity and In Spite of Wishing and Wanting(Revival) as well performing in other productions including; Oedipus/Bêt Noir and Nieuwzwart.
In 2012, Luke came across the north-eastern Brazillian dance - Forró. At first hesitant with this new culture, he soon fell for the sweet yet dynamic style. And then in 2016, he began training in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu in various clubs in Belgium. He continues to incorporate these movement vocabularies into his style.
Alongside dance, Luke has constantly pursued many other passions, varying from skating, music, learning languages, however it is his passion for science that has grown to fill his spare time. Although not an extremely keen student in school, Luke's appreciation has grown immensely over the past years and is now ready to incorporate the promotion of science within his work. Attempting to inspire a new generation of thinkers in his respective field just as those before him have inspired him, such as; Joe Rogan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jordan Peterson, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Brian Cox and Carl Sagan.
ION TRIBE
Merging Dance and Science to create change.
The decision was made to found Ion Tribe both as a vehicle for the creative works and projects of Luke Jessop, but also to inspire and empower a new generation of creative thinkers, in an effort to bring both science and scientific thinking into a more present position in people's everyday lives.
There will never be an end to science. From each step that is taken, each new segment of knowledge added to the vast library of human achievement, a new path or a new opportunity for new knowledge is always created. Each day, people across the world are working to discover life's mysteries in an effort to explain the world around us, and it is the intention of Ion Tribe to present these exciting ideas/theories/discoveries to a wider audience and especially to those who do not have much access to real and honest scientific theory.
Through choreographic productions, videos, workshops and festivals, Ion Tribe aims at bringing science to the masses in an unconventional manner. allowing the wonder and awe to resonate in the minds of the spectators without losing scientific integrity.