Puppik Dance
Performance works
Justine Reeve (also known as Puppik) creates bold and thought-provoking dance theatre that delves into the complexities and contradictions of the human condition. Her work explores the unhinged, the mischievous, and the deeply poignant, often through a playful yet insightful lens. Aimed primarily at audiences aged 11–18, these performances are designed to deepen appreciation of dance, spark creative thinking, and inspire young people’s own choreographic ideas.
Her work is defined by a distinctive blend of fluid, gestural movement, natural repetition, and a strong dramatic presence, often incorporating voice, character, and direct engagement with the audience. Justine continually explores the relationship between movement, text, film, music, and comedy, using these elements to create layered, dynamic, and expressive performance worlds.
She values the unique qualities each performer brings, often weaving their contributions into the fabric of the work. Through improvisation tasks, choreographic structures, and shared exploration, she shapes pieces that are rich in authenticity and human connection.
LIVING IS DANCING 2018
Living is dancing is a wry, honest and eccentric look at what it is really like to be a professional dancer. Living is dancing explores the desire that dancers have for finding performance work, voyeuristically watching three dancers trapped in the audition process. It embodies a time when you are at your most optimistic, naive, venerable, full of energy, self-conscious but determined to spend a lifetime in dance, before you grasp that nettle.
It is also a metaphor for the stress and compliance of exam preparation, mocks and of being trapped within a system.
Performed by the dancers from the Puppik apprentice dancer programme and aimed at KS3/KS4.
OUTSTANDING AND TACTICS 2017
‘Outstanding AND tactics’ is a spoof lecture style CPD (continued professional development for those that have been spared so far). The audience play the part of the conference delegates being promised tips, realistic practical advice and eclectic fragmented guidance on how to minimise stress and disjointed ideas that could aid student achievement in dance and beyond. Instead they will discover that those that teach actually CAN as Justine brings to life her 20 years embedded in dance education with all the necessary rigour and pain.
Tea, coffee and a single biscuit provided.
‘At last teaching doesn’t have to mean you’ve failed any more’.
TOMBOLA 2016
Justine Reeve invites you to become a member of the studio audience for ‘Tombola’, a fictional game show where no one ever wins and no one ever leaves. Discover who the characters are, what their hearts really yearn for what the backstage CCTV camera will reveal. Tombola uses dance, comedy, text and film to reveal the internal monologues of this cast of engaging yet off kilter characters. Inspired by Tennessee William's 'Camino real', several of the layers of Dante's inferno and the voyeuristic nature of modern television. Dancers fuse contemporary dance with the comedy sketch format producing a character led work that is at times participatory, at times voyeuristic, at times surreal employing snappy dialogue, witty dance and nonsensical moments that are existentially aware.
This is a love story.
HATSTAND 2014
Hatstand is a short 'domestic noir' dance theatre experience that explores a dysfunctional relationship where 'playing games' and tidying up after your partner can take you over the edge. The dancers present moments that are re played, re ordered and using verbal and physical dialogue they will bring you into their domestic life as a voyeur. With an original score created by Paul Sandrone (The Mummers) the piece is performed by Justine and long time collaborator Corey Baker (Ballet Boyz, Marc Brew, Rosie Kay)
'Witty dialogue and witty dance which perfectly encapsulated the dynamics of a couple's relationship which had become dysfunctional. It was very different and surprising in a good way - the nonsensical element had my two six year old companions giggling.....and the audience clearly enjoyed the performers integrating them into the shows narrative.'
PERCEPTION OF PERFECTION 2012
A 8 minute duet we are voyeurs to the complex relationship developing between two men as they struggle to find their place in the relationship. One, the obsessive, has a compulsion to create an order, which is only judged by himself. The other, a narcissist in his conceit, requires qualification from others. Both perfectionists attract each other’s interest. Within their complexities are imposed ideals some harvested from history and some taken from observations of you during the performance.
How two different people can work together to become in sync, or maybe even friends.
"Disjointed" is the word that springs to mind, though not necessarily in a bad way. Its dance style is discontinuous, full of hitches and wrong-footings. Very baffling, but sometimes tantalisingly so.' Sanjoy Roy
SMACKS OF NAFF
Smacks of Naff was initially created as a documentary-style intelligence gathering of glass-ceiling issues in contemporary dance that follows five choreographers along an untrodden path to an unknown destination.
Download the Smacks Lesson Plan
Intended to bring the issues of the day to light (funding, glass ceilings etc), This non commercial venture aims to encourage new audiences to engage with dance and promote discussion amongst citizens of the dance world especially at degree level. As a a satirical look at a choreographer’s processes, principles and performances it draws heavily on Justine's affection for dance and fondness for humour.
Smacks of naff is scripted, filmed, edited and performed by Justine Reeve alongside a handful of 'guest stars'.
Now available as one episode with a lesson plan to start dance conversations with your dance students.
'Dance satire is a much needed form and @JustineReeve has it down beautifully' Nicholas Minns
'Have a watch, it’s really funny and thought-provoking' Gender in Dance.
The film below is accompanied by a lesson plan
New Paragraph
QUOTES
'Well crafted, funny, poignant and slightly unhinged'
Ian Abbott
'incisive lampooning, liberally punctuated by physical and oral humour'
Graham Watts
'Reeve is a fine performer and the line she draws between performance and reality is also fine; she gets away with pointing out uncomfortable truths by offering them in a comedic routine that has us laughing hysterically.'