Phoenix Dance Theatre

	Phoenix Dance Theatre are committed to widening access to dance through our education and audience development programme. Company members have undertaken education work throughout our 27 year history; in 1998, we established a permanent education department to meet demand. Through Phoenix Dance Education we provide a year-round programme of creative and stimulating dance activities in Leeds and Yorkshire. We also deliver repertory-based workshops and residencies on tour. We aim to share these opportunities with people regardless of age, ability, gender, social or cultural background.
	ON TOUR
	Whenever the performing company is out on tour, Phoenix Dance Education also take to the road. Our dance workers, sometimes aided by our dancers, offer a range of workshops and residencies to the schools and communities near each theatre that we visit. To coincide with our 2008 tour, Phoenix Dance Education will be running Workshops and Residencies based upon a choice of two works in our current repertoire. The workshops will run from April - June 2008 in the areas surrounding our performance venues. Our dance education specialists draw on the Phoenix repertoire to allow participants to explore specific elements of dance. Workshops are all tailor-made to suit your specific needs and are suitable for Secondary through to Further Education. Workshops offer an insight into Phoenix choreography, whilst allowing participants to build on their own dance skills. Older participants may explore choreographic structures or gain a greater insight into the staging of a piece, including the interaction between movement and elements such as costume and set design. All our workshops include a vigorous, enlivening warm-up and creative elements to further stimulate participants’ imaginations. Teachers are provided with a detailed information pack to facilitate further project work and extend the impact of individual workshops. Download more information about the Cattle Call Education Programme Download more information about the Triple Bill Education Programme Download more information about the Classics Education Education Programme Download the Education Programme Schedule 2007 PROJECTS Phoenix Dance Education also work on a number of long-term initiatives. During Autumn 2007, we ran a Primary School Project in the Leeds area. Developed with the support of The Wellcome Trust, the ‘Body In Motion’ project explores the science curriculum through dance and interactive multi-media elements. The project is aimed at Year Six students, with weekly dance sessions on the theme of the Body In Motion for National Curriculum Key Stage 2. A ‘Teachers Resource Pack’ accompanies the project, serving as a teaching tool for future work. We plan to run the ‘Body In Motion’ project again in Autumn 2008. Previous Primary School Projects have focussed on Citizenship, exploring issues around cultural difference, acceptance, trust, and sharing; and Forces in Action linking with the science curriculum to investigate concepts including gravity, weight and energy. Phoenix Dance Education also work in collaboration with other partners and artforms. We are currently running a project in partnership with Breeze International Youth Festival: Bennu Youth Dance Company is a weekly dance group for young people aged 16-19, which commenced in February 2007. We take part annually in Get Creative - a Leeds City Council initiative, to offer socially excluded young people opportunities to sample the arts. A new expansion to the department is our partnership schools initiative currently working with four schools in the Yorkshire region, supporting and nurturing dance within the curriculum. WANT TO KNOW MORE? Phoenix Dance Education staff are available to discuss your individual needs and develop a specific education package or offer an off-the-peg solution to your requirements. Please telephone us on 0113 242 3486 or email: education@phoenixdancetheatre.co.uk

Photo: Brian Slater for Get Creative

Photos: Keith Pattison