IRIE! dance theatre

IRIE! dance theatre

Share

The UK's home for African & Caribbean Dance The company was founded in 1985 with the principal aim of heightening the profile of Black dance in Britain. IRIE!

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

Operating as usual

16/12/2024

We are delighted to announce our springs MAKING TRACKS PROGRAMME subtitled RE: CONNECTING TO SELF, we invite participants on a journey to re-discover and reaffirm their sense of self-awareness through reflection on ancestral modes of being and living. Featured artists include Vincent Mantsoe from South Africa and Nii Kwartey Owoo from Ghana at our base Moonshot Centre, SE14 6LU, 28 Feb and 1 Mar, 2025.
Book now! www.iriedancetheatre.org/making-tracks-spring-2025

25/11/2024

After a successful nationwide tour of our new work which kick started the Black History Month celebration in Lewisham Council, in the presence of The Deputy High Commissioner of the Jamaican High Commission, London, H.E. Mrs Patrice Laird-Grant and Cllr Brenda Dacres, Mayor of Lewisham, and other VIP guests, GROUNDATION comes home to the Moonshot Centre, the home of IRIE! dance theatre for two days. Read more in the Lewisham Life Magazine

19/11/2024

We've been part of an incredible network of people and communities who've benefitted from £49 billion of good causes investment in the last thirty years the The National Lottery
 and 

Photos from IRIE! dance theatre's post 18/11/2024

After a successful nationwide tour of our new work which kick started the Black History Month celebration in Lewisham Council, in the presence of The Deputy High Commissioner of the Jamaican High Commission, London, H.E. Mrs Patrice Laird-Grant and Cllr Brenda Dacres, Mayor of Lewisham, and other VIP guests, GROUNDATION comes home to the Moonshot Centre, the home of IRIE! dance theatre for two days

Photos from IRIE! dance theatre's post 18/11/2024

After a successful nationwide tour of our new work which kick started the Black History Month celebration in Lewisham Council, in the presence of The Deputy High Commissioner of the Jamaican High Commission, London, H.E. Mrs Patrice Laird-Grant and Cllr Brenda Dacres, Mayor of Lewisham, and other VIP guests, GROUNDATION comes home to the Moonshot Centre, the home of IRIE! dance theatre for two days.

Book you Tickects Now
https://www.iriedancetheatre.org/event-details/groundation-dancing-from-the-archives-2024-11-21-19-30

05/11/2024

Join Our Open Day at
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross, SE14 6NW
BA (Hons) Diverse Dance Styles
Information and taster classes
16 November, 2024 @ 11-3PM

04/11/2024

We are thrilled to be working with the on their next Horniman Late, in partnership with and a part of the .

Take part in a drumming workshop followed by a performance of an extract from Groundation, a reflection on 38 years of creative and performance history that explores the roots of the company.

https://www.horniman.ac.uk/event/horniman-museum-lates/

25/10/2024

IRIE! dance theatre's new touring production GROUNDATION: exploring roots and legacy while delving into traditions and heritage that have shaped contemporary African and Caribbean dance.

10/10/2024

Our GROUNDATION tour will be part of African Rivival and Liverpool's Black History Month 2024 at The Black-E, Gt. George Street, Liverpool on 26th October, 2024 at 7pm. Don't miss it!!

01/10/2024

Catch GROUNDATION on tour in Bournemouth, 4th October 2024. Don't miss it.

"Pavilion Dance South West is delighted to be hosting IRIE! Dance theatre as part of our Black History Month celebration. African dance has always been highly popular in our participation programme and we can’t wait to bring the exhilarating production GROUNDATION to our audience and participants" Dr Victor Fung - Artistic Director and Joint CEO

Photos from IRIE! dance theatre's post 30/09/2024

Ready for some Fall fun? 🍁 Don't miss out on the thrill of the season! Click the link in our bio to discover our exciting Autumn activities. !Fall

25/09/2024

Founding Artistic Director, Beverley Glean MBE speaking about GROUNDATION. This long awaited show officially kicks off Lewisham's BLACK HISTORY MONTH programme and IRIE!'s NATIONAL TOUR starting at the BROADWAY THEATRE, CATFORD 26th September @ 7:30 PM

23/09/2024

A Special Invitation to the Launch of our 2024 Touring Production,GROUNDATION: dancing from the archives

This long awaited show officially kicks off Lewisham's
BLACK HISTORY MONTH programme and IRIE!'s NATIONAL TOUR starting at the BROADWAY THEATRE, CATFORD 26th September @ 7:30 PM

Book Now
https://www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk/performance?id=64401

Mercedes Prevatt


mindu
alcott

Nii Kwartey Owoo

Kauma Arts
Lewisham LIVE
Lewisham Education Arts Network (LEAN)

Photos from IRIE! dance theatre's post 18/09/2024

A Special Invitation to the Launch of our 2024 Touring Production, GROUNDATION: dancing from the archives.
This long awaited show officially kicks off Lewisham's BLACK HISTORY MONTH programme and IRIE!'s NATIONAL TOUR starting at the BROADWAY THEATRE, CATFORD 26th September @ 7:30 PM

.alcott .mindu

16/09/2024

We asked our dancers what GROUNDATION mean to them and here are snippets of what they said ahead of our Launch on 26th September at 7:30pm, Broadway Theatre, Catford. .alcott .mindu Mercedes Prevatt

04/09/2024

One of our funders, Arts & Culture Finance, has joined forces with New Philanthropy for Arts & Culture to become Figurative–an independent not-for-profit dedicated to impact, investment and innovation in the cultural and creative sector. Learn about their exciting work here. figurative.org.uk

Want your school to be the top-listed School/college in London?

Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.

Our Story

IRIE! dance theatre 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 Birkbeck University of London. This was followed by the Foundation Degree in Dance (2008-2018) delivered in partnership with City & Islington College and London Metropolitan University. In 2018 IRIE! created a new degree course, the BA (Hons) Diverse Dance Styles, validated by the University of Roehampton. The course is the first of its kind to present African, Caribbean, Contemporary and Urban dance styles equally, combining the professional ethos of a dance company with the vocational and academic study of dance.

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 new BA (Hons) Diverse Dance Styles.

Currently IRIE! supports an Artists in Residence programme and projects such as Making Tracks - a series of online Master Classes as well as online classes for children and young people.

IRIE!’ has been working 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.

Videos (show all)

IRIE! dance theatre's new touring production GROUNDATION: exploring roots and legacy while delving into traditions and h...
Founding Artistic Director, Beverley Glean MBE speaking about GROUNDATION. This long awaited show officially kicks off L...
A Special Invitation to the Launch of our 2024 Touring Production,GROUNDATION: dancing from the archivesThis long awaite...
We asked our dancers what GROUNDATION mean to them and here are snippets of what they said ahead of our Launch on 26th S...
A Special Invitation to the Launch of our 2024 Touring Production, GROUNDATION: dancing from the archives.https://www.br...
A Special Invitation to the Launch of our 2024 Touring Production, GROUNDATION: dancing from the archives. Tour Produced...
Apply Now! For our BA (Hons) Diverse Dance Styles Degree Validated by Goldsmiths, University Of London through Clearing....
Apply Now! For our BA (Hons) Diverse Dance Styles Degree Validated by Goldsmiths, University Of London through Clearing....
Apply Now! For our BA (Hons) Diverse Dance Styles Degree Validated by Goldsmiths, University Of London through Clearing....
Apply Now! For our BA (Hons) Diverse Dance Styles Degree Validated by Goldsmiths, University Of London through Clearing....
Apply Now! For our BA (Hons) Diverse Dance Styles Degree Validated by Goldsmiths, University Of London through Clearing....

Location

Category

Address


Moonshot Centre, Fordham Park, Angus Street, New Cross
London
SE146LU

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 9pm
Tuesday 9am - 9pm
Wednesday 9am - 9pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 1pm