Kimberley Reyes - BA Diverse Dance Styles Graduate IRIE! BA(Hons) Diverse Dance Styles was more than just doing a dance course. It was a community. It was a safe space for me to express myself and to even find myself again as a dancer and person. I am grateful for my year group for the support I received from them and my teachers who helped me push past my limits. IRIE! will forever be a part of me. I have been choreographing a set for MOVE IT 2022 show which is the bigges

Recent graduates Jamie Baker and Connor Taylor share how the experience at IRIE!'s BA (Hons) Diverse Dance Styles opened the doors to an exciting future in the dance sector. Jamie Baker 2021 Graduate Freelance Artist. Since graduating from IRIE! Dance Theatre in September 2021, I have become extremely busy. I have taken on more teaching opportunities due to my increased availability. I teach young people a mixture of street dance and gymnastics six days of the week. In addi

IRIE! dance theatre is ready to participate, and celebrate with Lewisham as we become the Mayor of London’s Borough of Culture 2022 (LBOC). We played our part, as an organisation in helping to secure the award. Nevertheless, IRIE! congratulates London Borough of Lewisham on its amazing efforts and steadfastness on becoming BOC. We were delighted to be approached by LBOC bid writing team from very early on, along with other arts, cultural and voluntary groups and organisati

by Connor Taylor, Education and Community Engagement Coordinator. IRIE! dance theatre’s exciting autumn programme is delivering a number of new classes asked for by you! members of our local community. Alongside, the usual Women’s online dance class, Tai Chi and African dance, we are introducing Yoga, Salsa, Drumming & Percussion and Art & Craft. Several of the sessions are open to families, providing opportunities for parents/guardians and their children to participate creat

Reflecting on the past year I am full of admiration for the students and staff team members who faced the challenges of COVID, developing resilience in a time of online classes and great uncertainty. Dance classes are designed to be expansive as members travel and fully extend into the space. After months of negotiations with family members, house mates, pets and the furniture, will we ever complain again that the studio is not big enough or that someone is obstructing our pa

By Amarr Wright, Community Engagement Coordinator Easter recently marked a time of renewal for many; for others, it marked a time for family, and for others a time for chocolate. For members of Grinling Gibbons and Lucas Vale schools in Deptford, it marked a chance for these schools to be reborn under the leadership of the newly appointed Executive Head, Mr. Mickey Kelly. With a new sense of hope and renewed resilience, and under the rays of the beaming sun, these schools hel

Nicoletta is a dance and movement artist born and raised in Rome, Italy. Since 2010, she has been based in London, developing herself as an artist and creative. She is now living between London, Rome and Dakar, pursuing her career as an international dance artist. Nicoletta was the Artist in Residence at IRIE! dance theatre between 2017 and 2019, where she got the support to found her dance theatre company MOVEMENT DECO’. Read our Interview with Nicoletta: · Why did you decid

Akeim Toussaint Buck is an interdisciplinary performer and maker, born in Jamaica and raised in England. His movement interest has a wide range of inspirations, from Capoeira, Kick Boxing, Contemporary Dance, Contact Improvisation, Caribbean Dance, Hip Hop, Yoga and Release Technique. Read our Interview with Akeim: · What’s your artistic mission? My artistic mission is to tell the stories of the unheard and unseen. I believe that I am a storyteller, using words, movement, th

FUBUNATION is a London based collective founded in 2017 by Rhys Dennis and Waddah Sinada with the vision of adding to black culture by creating more visibility and representation for dancers of colour in contemporary dance. Their objective is to build more diversity in the audiences that come to theatres and other dance platforms. As the current Artists in Residence at IRIE! dance theatre (2020-2022), they shared their journey with us and their exciting news on the way! Read

Are you thinking about pursuing a career in dance? Not sure where to start? Pursuing higher education is the first step to develop your technique, defining your artistic practice and exploring the wide range of career paths available after a degree in dance. That is why it is so important to find a bachelor’s that offers complete training and, at the same time, provides you with the necessary skills to join multiple workforces, whether you become a dancer, choreographer, educ

If you are struggling in finding new ways to support your children during homeschool, we have got your back! Our Online Saturday School sessions are designed to assist children & young people, Key Stages 1-4 in Maths, English and Black History. Lockdown have brought additional challenges to parents having to home school their children. So, in an attempt to respond to the frustrations of our users, IRIE! decided to create an online space where local families could engage in ge

Staying indoors does not mean that you cannot stay active and get fit. But if you are looking for more than just exercise, dance may be the right choice: there are multiple benefits of dancing, both for adults and children & young people. There is something special about moving our bodies to the sound of the music. And here at IRIE! dance theatre, we know how powerful dance can be – physically and mentally. Are you thinking about starting dancing at home? We have 5 good reaso

IRIE! wants to say c o n g r a t u l a t i o n ’ s to Dr H Patten, who received an MBE in Her Majesty The Queen’s New Year’s Honours list for his services to African and Caribbean Dance. Dr H is the lead Caribbean dance Lecturer on IRIE!’s BA (Hons) Diverse Dance Styles. Dr H is rebranding his MBE ‘Member of the Black Emancipators’. He says: “as that is our role no matter whether it be in small or large ways. We must always strive to use our individual advances to open doors

Cultural heritage is not just a concrete virtue of our past, portrayed as objects, but an abstract sensation of diverse symbolic meanings, embodiment and manifestations. Nii Kwartey Owoo – African Dance Lecturer I first came to the UK in 2013 to teach at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), hoping to create a dialogue and exchange with people from all walks of life and to share my culture and heritage, to not only be viewed as something from the diaspora or farf

With Sheba Montserrat My brief from IRIE! regarding the online Black History Month classes, was to explore the contributions of the Windrush Generation to British culture. This 5 weeks of lessons, would be delivered via Zoom to all the educational Key Stages. That said, my aim was to the challenge the narrative around how we commonly see and speak of those young adventurers who came to the perceived motherland, primarily because they were invited to. Our first session togethe

Now I invite you to have some music and express if mental health would be a movement or a dance style how would it look like.

‘Black History lives at IRIE! dance theatre’ By Beverley Glean MBE CEO and Artistic Director of IRIE! dance theatre

Laura Dwyer - Project Support and Administrator

Stevie Brown - Course administrator Responsible for Student welfare and Foundation degree in Dance alumni.

Ofelia Balogun – Dance Artist, Graduated from BA (Hons) Diverse Dance Styles Ofelia Omoyele Balogun is a dancer, movement artist and dance backpacker. Currently, she is part of IRIE! dance theatre as a teacher, delivering our Women’s Dance Classes weekly. Discover more about her experience as a student of the BA in Diverse Dance Styles and how that journey allowed Ofelia do discover her artistic identity. What was your best moment at IRIE? The journey with IRIE! was full of