IRIE! dance theatre is Britain’s leading dance theatre company working
in the field of African & Caribbean dance fusion. Founded in 1985 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.
IRIE! is based at the new Moonshot Centre in New Cross, South East London. Moonshot is a refurbished community centre, with two large dance studios, shower and changing rooms, a library and archive space, cafeteria, teaching and meeting rooms among other facilities. IRIE!’s vision is 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.
The term for dance and music related styles in this genre is recognised by Arts Council England as ‘African Peoples Dance’ (APD). 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.
Since its inception, the company has created over 20 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.
In 1998, IRIE! established and delivered the country’s only full-time accredited training in African & Caribbean dance.
WHAT DOES IRIE! MEAN?
The term ‘IRIE’ (pronounced “eye-ree”) is derived from Rastafarian culture with several meanings e.g. Feeling good, to send out positive energy and to be at one with nature. The company uses this term as an expression, which is why it is always spelt using capital letters followed by an exclamation mark. The term IRIE! is also used as a greeting or farewell.