Two Weekend Dance sessions are planned in Wigtown and Stranraer led by Emma Jayne Park of Cultured Mongrel. The sessions are an introduction to a Dumfries & Galloway Dance a new youth dance company.
In a project supported by the Holywood Trust, Cultured Mongrel is developing a region-wide dance programme offering a pathway for young people interested in pursuing a career in dance. We are running four free weekend courses to introduce people to the programme and our practice.
They will take place on the 27th and 28th of April at The Print Room, Wigtown, and the 15th and 16th of June in the Millennium Centre, Stranraer. Saturday sessions are for young dance artists aged 21-25 & Sunday sessions are for young dancers ages 15-21.
Saturday Sessions: Young Dance Artists (aged 21 – 25) 10:30 am -4:30 pm
Would you like to be responsible for supporting the development of a regional youth dance company?
Young leaders will be taught how to facilitate weekly dance sessions and create choreography with their local dancers, with direction from Emma Jayne Park. They will receive bespoke mentoring and career guidance from a nationally recognised dancer and choreographer.
Ideally young leaders will have some dance experience and be considering a career in dance.
The weekender intensives will be an opportunity to meet the company and for the company to identify possible young leaders from across the region.
Sunday Sessions: Young Dancers (aged 15 – 21) 10:30 am -16:30 pm
Would you like to perform with a regional youth dance company?These sessions are:
- Open to all young people aged 15-21
- Open to all abilities regardless of prior dance experience
- At no cost to the participant.
This session will include a contemporary dance class and some choreographic workshops which will introduce dancers to Cultured Mongrel’s approach. It will also help the company identify dancers who may be an asset to a regional youth dance company.
We aim to offer workshops at a pace tailored to suit those in the room, challenging them with new movement but also building their confidence. Cultured Mongrel’s artistic Director Emma Jayne Park did not begin taking regular dance classes until she was eighteen and as such is really interested in creating opportunities for young dancers with the potential to pursue a career in dance, this may include those who have already attended classes but may also include young people without a formal dance background.
These sessions are not a standard dance workshop, but an introduction to professional dance practice and a project which could create national touring opportunities for young people from Dumfries and Galloway. They are are part of an overall programme of activity that aims to develop an infrastructure for dance across the region that includes the creation of a regional youth dance company, appointing a professional dance company in residence within Dumfries and Galloway, bringing highly renowned companies to perform in the region and creating opportunities that give young people a chance to pursue a career in dance.
For more info or to book a place see Cultured Mongrel’s Facebook page or email [email protected]
