New Season of Dance Theatre by connectingvibes*
The dance company "connectingvibes*" was created during the millennium year following an invitation to perform for the National Dance Festival of Grenada. Since that time the company has completed 9 national tours presenting a fusion of African, Caribbean and Contemporary dance. Now, connectingvibes* is poised to launch its 10th season of dance theatre called "When in Doubt…" on Thursday 23 February. "When in Doubt…" consists of ...
A Call for Teenage Volunteers for Steps Together
IRIE! dance theatre is looking for teenage volunteers, aged 13-16, to help deliver a new and exciting dance project called – Steps Together. Steps Together is a creative, learning dance project for young people 13-16 years. The program starts on Monday 26 September 2011 and will be held weekly every Monday from 5:30-7:30pm at Moonshot Centre. During this 10-week dance project young people will have the ...
Making Tracks
Making Tracks is IRIE! dance theatre's professional development program for undergraduates, mid-career and professional practitioners. The programs offered through Making Tracks are designed to meet the professional development needs of individuals training and or working in the African/Caribbean dance sector and creative industries. Programs include master classes, summer schools, dance platforms, debates and more, all led by experienced industry professionals and academics. Making Tracks with Shelley ...
Dance Foundation Degree
IRIE! dance theatre, in partnership with City & Islington College and London Metropolitan University, presents the Foundation Degree Award (FDA) – Dance, with a particular focus on African and Caribbean dance forms. Study innovative dance theory and practice and gain: A full Level 5 qualification. Access to and support from the UK’s leading company working in the field of African & Caribbean dance. Work experience through professional placements. This Dance ...
Dance Yourself Fit
Dance Yourself Fit with IRIE! dance theatre is a program of activities designed to help you improve your health and fitness through dance and dance-related movement. The classes are designed to be challenging yet fun. Individuals do not need prior experience to attend these classes. IRIE!'s Dance Yourself Fit program resumes the week starting 09 January 2012 and we will be offering a new class as part ...
Pilates
Pilates Classes at Moonshot Centre Pilates classes start again at Moonshot on Wednesday 11 January 2012 and will run for 10 weeks. The classes are suitable for both beginners and those who have had experience of doing Pilates. Pilates enhances your body awareness and helps you increase your muscular strength and flexbility while improving your alignment and posture. There is a lot of emphasis on developing core strength ...
Dance & Diversity Report – Phase 2
More Similarities than Differences: Searching for New Pathways is the title of the report which summarises the research carried out in Phase 2 of the Dance and Diversity project conducted by IRIE! dance theatre and City & Islington College. Here's an extract of this report taken from the Introduction: Dance and Diversity is an action-based research project that looks at the place of cultural diversity in dance ...
After-School Club
IRIE! dance theatre's After School Club is for children aged 5-7 and 8-12 years. This program is a great way to introduce your children to African and Caribbean dance, drumming and percussion. The sessions take place between 4:30pm and 6:30pm and are held at Moonshot Community Centre and sessions generally run in blocks of ten (10). Naturally, it's best if your child(ren) start at the beginning of ...
About
IRIE! dance theatre is Britain’s leading dance theatre company working in the field of African & Caribbean dance fusion. Founded in 1985 by Beverley Glean with the principal aim of heightening the profile of Black dance in Britain, the company set out to create a repertory of works reflective of the African Caribbean influence on the Black British cultural experience.
Naturally, since its inception, the company’s aim has evolved and our Mission can now be expressed as follows:
To deliver and sustain a range of creative, educational and artistic activity based on stimuli derived from Africa and the Caribbean, the company promotes culture and diversity through training, outreach, performance and inspired partnerships.
And our Vision is as follows:
Our vision is an environment where African Peoples Dance (APD) is fully integrated into the teaching and practice of the wider dance agenda, making the form important to individuals, communities and society.
IRIE! dance theatre subscribes to the definition of APD as:
“That which draws its main influence, sensitivities, means of experience and technical base from the cultural heritage of Africa and the peoples of Africa living in the Diaspora.”
KWE & A, Time For Change. ACE Report, 2000.
Our Values and Principles
We believe that the work initiated and developed by IRIE! can transform the lives of individuals and communities. Our work is based on a set of core organisational values and principals that are about:
- Respect & Partnership
- Education & Creativity
- Diversity & Inclusion
- Access & Quality
We believe that:
- Dance can transform peoples lives, its value and benefits makes this social and art form one of the most important participatory activities for individuals, communities and society.
- Partnership and collaboration builds strong relationships, encourages greater involvement and strength of voice.
- Placing diversity and inclusion at the heart of what we do contributes positively to the individuals’ sense of equality, has the potential to reduce fear, build friendship, respect and understanding of others.
- Respecting everyone’s right to access quality informal and formal experiences in dance provides positive input to broader social, educational and creative opportunities.
- Access to excellence, quality and enjoyment in participation contributes positively to people’s health and wellbeing as well as their personal motivation and social relationships.
- Providing educational and creative opportunities for individuals and community involvement will lead to enriching lives and more community participation.
- Each individual has unique abilities, capabilities and gifts.
IRIE! is based at the Moonshot Centre in Fordham Park, New Cross, South East London. Moonshot is a refurbished community centre, with two large dance studios; changing rooms equipped with showers; a library and archive space; cafeteria; teaching and meeting rooms among other facilities.
IRIE! aims to make Moonshot an exhilarating and fascinating place for the local community and professional artists to learn about dance and its diverse nature, and how we can all benefit from taking part.
The company’s musical orientations are drawn from African and Caribbean traditional drumming and percussion, Reggae and Ragga, Calypso and Soca.
Since it was founded, the company has created over 25 dance works for touring nationally and internationally, worked with thousands of young people in a variety of settings and has collaborated with a diverse range of organisations and institutions offering the value of its expertise and experience.
IRIE! dance theatre is both a registered Charity and a Company limited by guarantee, and has been awarded Investors In People (IIP) standard.
Charity Registration No: 1003947
Company No: 02636958
Patrons
IRIE! dance theatre’s patrons are:
- Nii Yartey – Senior Research Fellow and Artistic Director of the National Dance Ensemble of Ghana, and
- Benjamin Zephaniah – Esteemed Poet and Writer awarded honorary doctorates from 6 Universities in the UK.
