Phoenix Dance Theatre is to be awarded £34,200 from the Leverhulme Trust to fund full and half bursaries for students to attend to their high-quality dance training academy for the next three years.

Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Access and Education department has an outstanding reputation for dance education, teaching young people and adults from all over the UK for the last three decades. Phoenix Youth Academy offers excellent training for talented young dancers (aged 13-19) who want to pursue a career in dance. Students meet twice per week, developing their contemporary dance technique through working with recognised choreographers and Phoenix Dance Theatre’s company dancers.

This award from the Leverhulme Trust will enable this level of dance training to be affordable and accessible to talented young people of all backgrounds and will positively engage them to develop multiple transferable, lifelong skills.

In partnership with Gateway Studios, Phoenix Dance Theatre recently expanded its Youth Academy programme to include a satellite Youth Academy in Gateshead, Newcastle earlier this year.

Young people on both Youth Academy programmes are able to apply for bursaries and are closely mentored and supported to ensure their successful progress and development as part of the scheme. It is hoped that by working with contemporary dance professionals the students will gain an insight into life as a dancer. During the academic year all young dancers spend time developing technique, creative and choreographic skills to give them a real understanding of contemporary dance and the opportunity to perform on a national scale. The aim is for Phoenix Dance Theater to nurture this talent and to help dancers enter vocational training and eventually return to Dance Theatre as professionals.

Charis Charles Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Director of Access and Education said:

‘Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Youth Academy bursary scheme has been supported by the Leverhulme Trust since 2011 and we are thrilled to engage more young people than ever thanks to their continued generous support. We believe that what we are doing here really is changing lives by providing such training opportunities and now with the new satellite academy in Gateshead we can be proud to be championing the great northern dancers of the future.’