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, theatre and commercials.

Early career

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 and a career in film began in 1999 with Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy, earning her a nomination in the American Choreography Awards.

Film and television

Jaynes' work in feature film covers a period of three decades and multiple genres, including costume drama (The Duchess, Great Expectations), family (Dumbo, Muppets Most Wanted, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), science fiction (Gravity, A.I. Artificial Intelligence), fantasy (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Clash of the Titans), and music-based drama (De-Lovely, 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.

Film and television credits

Year released Title Production company Director 2022 Enola Holmes 2 Legendary Entertainment Harry Bradbeer 2022 House of the Dragon HBO Clare Kilner, Geeta Vasant Patel 2021 Black Widow Marvel Studios Cate Shortland 2020 Quiz Left Bank Pictures Stephen Frears 2019 Dumbo Walt Disney Pictures Tim Burton 2019 The Spanish Princess STARZ Birgitte Stærmose 2019 Traitors Twenty Twenty Television Dearbhla Walsh 2018 A Very English Scandal Amazon Studios / BBC Stephen Frears 2017 Breathe The Imaginarium Studios Andy Serkis 2017 Will TNT Drama Shekhar Kapur 2016 Allied Paramount Pictures Robert Zemeckis 2016 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Tim Burton Productions/Chernin Entertainment Tim Burton 2016 Alice Through the Looking GlassWalt Disney Pictures James Bobin 2015 Pinewood: 80 Years of Movie MagicBBC John Hodgson 2015 Avengers: Age of Ultron Marvel Studios Joss Whedon 2015 Roald Dahl's Esio Trot – TV BBC/Endor Productions Dearbhla Walsh 2014 Muppets Most Wanted Walt Disney Pictures James Bobin 2013 Gravity Warner Brothers Pictures Alfonso Cuaron 2013 The Invisible Woman Magnolia Mae Films Ralph Fiennes 2012 Great Expectations Number 9 Films Ltd Mike Newell 2010 Foyle's War – TV ITV David Richards 2010 Alice in Wonderland Walt Disney Pictures Tim Burton 2008 The Duchess BBC Films/Pathe Saul Dibb 2007 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street DreamWorks Tim Burton 2006 The Da Vinci Code Columbia Pictures Ron Howard 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Warner Brothers Pictures Tim Burton 2004 Vera Drake Thin Man Films Mike Leigh 2004 De-LovelyMGM Irwin Winkler 2002 Tipping the Velvet – TV BBC Geoffrey Sax 2001 A.I. Artificial Intelligence Warner Brothers Pictures Steven Spielberg 1999 Topsy-TurvyThin Man Films Mike Leigh 1991 Sherlock Holmes The Master Blackmailer ITV Sally Head

Theatre

Jaynes began choreographing for theatre in the late 1980s, 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.

Her work has been created for a wide range of theatres including the New Wolsey Theatre (Ipswich), Salisbury Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, Holland Park Opera, Stafford Festival Shakespeare, The Old Vic (London) and The National Theatre (London).

Jaynes has collaborated for more than 20 years with Director Peter Rowe on shows including Blues in the Night, Little Shop of Horrors, Guys and Dolls, and It's a Wonderful Life.

Theatre credits

Year Production Theatre Director 2023 TONY! The Tony Blair Rock Opera Leicester Square Theatre Peter Rowe 2019/20 ONCE No. 1 UK National Tour Peter Rowe 2018 Still Alice West Yorkshire Playhouse Peter Rowe 2015 Sweet Charity New Wolsey Theatre Peter Rowe 2015 The Pirates of Penzance English National Opera / London Coliseum Mike Leigh 2014 Midsummer Songs New Wolsey Theatre Peter Rowe 2014 Kafka's Dick Bath Theatre Royal 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 Birmingham Rep Peter Rowe 2009 It's a Wonderful Life New Wolsey Theatre Peter Rowe 2009 Orpheus in the Underworld Holland Park Opera John Abulafia 2008 Afterlife The National Theatre Michael Blakemore 2007 Stephen Fry's Cinderella The Old Vic Fiona Laird 2007 Blues in the Night New Wolsey Theatre Peter Rowe 2006 Promises and Lies Birmingham Rep Jonathan Church 2005 Sugar New Wolsey Theatre Peter Rowe 2003 The Threepenny Opera The National Theatre Tim Baker 2000 Equus Salisbury Playhouse Joanna Read 2000 My Best Friend Hampstead Theatre Anthony Clark 2000 Leader of the Pack Belgrade Theatre, Coventry Peter Rowe

Commercials

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. SmartWater, Lynx, Sainsbury's, and Scottish Widows are amongst the other brands whose commercials have featured her work.

Short films

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), Festival Filmets (Badalona, Spain), 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) and the Deep Fried Film Festival (Lanarkshire, UK).

References

External links Official Website

Francesca Jaynes at New York Times Movies and TV