mapdance Education and Community Work

mapdance offers a tailor-made educational programme delivering half-day and full-day workshops or longer-term residencies. Workshops are based on the company repertoire giving participants an insight into the choreographic process and the dancer's training and experience.

Longer-term residencies can involve creating dedicated choreographic projects or short ‘curtain raisers’ with participants to complement the touring programme.

All workshops and residencies are led by members of the company enabling participants to also gain an insight into the dancers training and experience.

Content
The education programme is based on the company’s repertoire and is particularly suitable for students from year 7 upwards, through Key Stages 3 and 4, further education, to adult groups with dance experience. All workshops will include contemporary dance technique and creative tasks based on the ideas and movement style of the performance, although specific requests for content will be considered.

For younger students the company can offer tailor-made workshops involving
creative ideas that could be based on the Key Stage 1 or 2 curriculums.

Requirements
Participants: Ideally 25, but a maximum of 30 in a session, dressed suitably

Space: Clear space with a floor suitable for dance (not carpeted) and a cd player, ideally with suitable connections for an mp3 player.

Staffing: A member of teaching staff must meet the company and be present throughout each workshop, plus any specific additional staff support normally made available for students with special educational needs.

Half-Day Workshop 2- 2.5 hour session (3 dancers)
This will begin with a thorough warm up followed by a creative workshop using ideas from one of the pieces of repertory. Students will have the opportunity to gain a much greater insight into the work of one of the choreographers whilst developing technical, expressive and performance skills.

Full-Day Workshop 2 x 2- 2.5 hour sessions (3 - 6 dancers)
Option 1: The dancers work with one group of participants for the whole day. In the morning they will work on an extended technique class. This will be in a contemporary dance style or could be an exploratory contact improvisation session. The afternoon will be devoted to exploring one piece of the repertory.

Option 2: The dancers work with two different groups of participants. Each group will either undertake a technique/Improvisation/contact class followed by a brief exploration or phrase of material from the repertory OR a shorter warm up/technique class followed by repertory.

3 Day to 1 Week Long Residency/Curtain Raiser (whole company)
The purpose of a longer residency experience is to enable participants to develop further their creative and choreographic skills. This might culminate in a whole school performance or a curtain raiser, opening the show at the start of one of the company’s local performances. This choice allows participants to gain a much greater insight into what it is like to work as a dancer in a company and performing in a theatre.

How this works:
* Each day starts with a technique class
* Student will then learn some of the repertory and through guidance from the tutors this will be developed into their own unique piece of choreography
* Students will learn about different compositional devices
* This could be used as a set study for GCSE/AS/A2 syllabus purposes
* Students will learn about rehearsing a dance to a high standard whereby it is ready to be performed

For information relating to education opportunities contact:

Miranda Labuschagne
Email: m.labuschagne@chi.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1243 816470