IRIE! dance theatre

General information

The company was founded in 1985 with the principal aim of heightening the profile of Black dance in Britain. To this end the company created repertory reflective of the African/Caribbean influence on the Black British cultural experience.

The company's musical orientations are drawn from African and Caribbean traditional drumming and percussion, Reggae and Ragga, Calypso and Soca. And, since its inception, IRIE! has:

~ Created over 20 dance works for touring nationally and internationally,
~ Worked with thousands of young people in a variety of settings, and
~ Collaborated with and or created partnerships with a diverse range of organisations and institutions offering the value of its expertise and experience.

In 1998, IRIE! established and delivered the UK's first and only Diploma in African & Caribbean dance. This full-time accredited training programme was delivered in partnership with City & Islington College and Birbeck University of London.

The company no longer offers this Diploma programme but instead now offers a Foundation Degree in Dance which is delivered in partnership with City & Islington College and London Metropolitan University. Students on this programme will have the opportunity to (http://bit.ly/DFDFactsheet) study African, Caribbean, ballet and contemporary dance techniques, get professional input from established dance theatre professionals and progress directly onto the honours year at London Metropolitan University.

IRIE! dance theatre was originally based at well-known community centre and performance venue, The Albany in Deptford. However, in 2006 IRIE! relocated to the newly refurbished Moonshot Centre in New Cross.

Moonshot is equipped with two large dance studios, shower and changing rooms, a library and archive space, cafeteria, teaching and meeting rooms among other facilities making it ideal for the delivery of the Dance Foundation Degree programme and other artistic activities. IRIE!’s vision is to make Moonshot an exhilarating and fascinating place for the local community and professional artists to learn about dance, its diverse nature, and how we can all benefit from being involved in dance and dance-related activities.