Mar 09 2013: Hype Dance receives £25,000 funding for community work
SHEFFIELD’S Hype Dance has been awarded £25,000 of Arts Council funding to develop young dancers and dance projects across the region.
Based in Sheffield city centre, Hype Dance is already well known as a key provider of high quality and inspirational dance activity that presents opportunities for all to realise their creative potential through dance performances, workshops, residencies, training and educational youth and community group projects.
From beginner to advanced level, more than 250 children, young people and adults engage in open community classes on a weekly basis at the Hype Academy dance studios in Earl Street.
Hype Dance provides a diverse timetable of more than 45 classes per week and is one of only 90 organisations in the UK accredited by the Council For Dance Education and Training (CDET) as a pre vocational school, and with the Board of Dance Teaching Qulaifications (BDQT).
The company’s successful bid for Arts Council funding will support an 18 month South Yorkshire wide professional development initiative that will be led by a new partnership between Hype and Spin Arts Management, a development and producing organisation for artists that encourages and supports artists to proactively develop their own careers and artistic projects.
Some of the artists Spin Arts Management have previously supported include balletLORENT, Mad Dogs Dance Theatre, Hagit Yakira Dance Company, Simon Birch – Terrarium, Instant Dissidence and Wayne Sables Projects.
In addition to the producing services, Spin Arts provide CPD training to dance students at The Northern School of Contemporary Dance, University of Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University and York St Johns University.
They have also delivered training in project management, networking, coaching and fundraising for Dance4, Yorkshire Dance, CidaCo and Chol Theatre.
Together Hype and Spin will develop and deliver a programme of activity that responds to the needs of young people, local practitioners, artists and teachers, providing progression routes and at the same time raising the standard of provision for professional development and training within dance in South Yorkshire.
“We at Hype already provide extensive regional and national education and outreach work,” said Hype director Anna Olejnicki.
“Now, though, we can now further extend learning work to include a programme of training and professional opportunities to nurture, support and further develop the skills of emerging artists, practitioners and talented young people.”
The funding will enable the launch of several new initiatives including:
· South Yorkshire Young Urban Dancers Group - a regular group of 16-19 year olds who will receive bespoke bi-weekly vocational training in Street, Hip Hop, Contemporary dance and theatre
· Young Practitioner Apprenticeship Scheme – a project to assist talented young dancer aged 21 plus receive a higher level of qualification
· Teachers Inspiration/INSET Days - designing and delivering an informed, high quality basic level one day primary and secondary school teachers training/INSET course
· Practitioner Development Workshops - delivering a series of one off skills refresher training workshops for more experienced practitioners
“This is a major piece of funding and one that will help us take more dance out to where it belongs and where it can have the greatest impact,” said Anna.
“At Hype and Spin we have always known that dance is for everybody, regardless of age, talent or experience and this funding will open the way to important new dance projects at so many levels.”