Our CPD short course introduces participants to foundational and intermediate movement and musical vocabulary, the cultural context, rhythms, and performance qualities found in Caribbean folk traditions.

Our advanced and professional programme is designed for practitioners to develop their teaching practice in African and Caribbean Dance forms and is designed to demonstrate how to plan and deliver African and Caribbean dance within Schools, FE and Community settings. The course will develop teaching skills for a range of creative, educational, and artistic activities based on stimuli derived from African and Caribbean dance fusion.

Our Level 1 course is suitable for Creative facilitators working in schools, community centres, or arts organisations, you may be a dance practitioner or teacher, work in sport, the arts or education, or be an early career dance artist looking to enrich your practice. Participants will be able to add the course to their CPD portfolio, thus facilitating their career development whilst expanding their personal development

Aims of the Course

• To develop practical dance skills in selected Caribbean and West African forms.
• To gain understanding of the history, cultural significance, and African diasporic connections across these traditions.

Our Level 2 programme is designed for practitioners who have completed Level 1 or possess significant prior experience. It shifts focus from basic acquisition to artistic refinement and pedagogical delivery. Participants will explore the socio-political histories of the dances, master complex syncopated rhythms, and develop the skills necessary to adapt.

Aims of the Course

• To further develop intermediate movement vocabularies with a focus on stylistic nuance.
• To develop Rhythmic Literacy, the ability to identify and dance to complex polyrhythmic bell and drum patterns.
• To foster leadership skills through collaborative choreography and peer feedback.

Our advanced and professional programme (Developing Teaching Skills) is suitable for dance artists/graduates who want to improve their teaching skills, and PE/Dance teachers working in Primary and Secondary Schools. Participants will be able to add the course to their CPD portfolio, thus facilitating their career development whilst expanding their personal development.

Aims of the Course

• To train and prepare dance practitioners to deliver dance workshops/ sessions with schools and community groups. The work will celebrate and share the heritage of IRIE! dance theatre.
• The programme has been developed to provide a foundation of knowledge, and understanding on the teaching of dance in a diverse range of settings.

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. Our vision is an environment where Dance of the African Diaspora (DAD) is fully integrated into the teaching and practice of the wider dance agenda, making the form important to individuals, communities and society.

Find out more:
https://www.iriedancetheatre.org/short-courses
Email: shortcourses@iriedancetheatre.org