The Lowry has announced important dates for the diaries of the dancers of the future, with a series of open days which they will be running in May and June.
The open days, held at The Lowry and other North West venues will prepare young people to audition for two exciting opportunities – The Lowry Centre for Advanced Training in Dance (CAT) and Commotions; The Lowry’s Youth Dance Company.
The CAT is open to young dancers aged between 11 and 16 who are committed to pursuing a career in dance. The training programme has a highly successful track record, graduates from the course have gone on to study dance at major UK conservatories including: Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance; Central School of Ballet; and the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.
The CAT is part of a national programme funded by the Department of Education and offers intensive pre-vocational training for young people who wish to pursue a career in dance.
As part of this funding a number of grants are available, allowing the widest possible access across the North West region.
Commotions: The Lowry’s Youth Dance Company is open to dancers aged between 11 and 19. The current company has performed at high profile dance events all over the North West and was selected to represent the North West last year at the National Youth Dance Festival in Plymouth. Running alongside the main company are Commotions Boys and Commotions Girls who also perform separately.
The open day programme also includes workshops for those who are interested in pursuing a career in teaching dance and exploring the breadth of teacher training avenues open to them through the CAT and also The Imperial Society for Teachers of Dancing, (ISTD)
Sally Wyatt, Centre for Advanced Training Manager said, “We are looking for young people who demonstrate exceptional commitment and enthusiasm for dance. We are holding auditions for places on The Lowry CAT course and also The Lowry’s Youth Dance Company, Commotions and we will be looking closely at the potential of each student regardless of their previous dance experience.”
Open Day and Audition timetable
Open days
Sunday 8 May, The Lowry
CAT, 10.00 – 13.30
Commotions, 14.00 – 17.30
Sunday 22 May, The Lowry
Male dancers, 9.30 – 12.00
CAT and ISTD 12.30 – 16.30
Sunday 22 May, Ludus Dance, Lancaster
CAT, 11.00 – 14.30
Sunday 29 May, Newbiggin Village Hall, Penrith
CAT and Cumbria Youth Dance Company auditions,
12.00 – 16.30
Sunday 5 June, The Lowry
CAT, 10.00 – 13.30
Sunday 5 June, MDI, Liverpool
CAT, 13.00 – 16.30
Sunday 5 June, Axis Arts Centre, Cheshire
CAT, 11.00 – 14.30
Auditions
Sunday 12 June, The Lowry
CAT auditions, 9.00 – 18.00
Friday 17 June, The Lowry
Commotions auditions, 17.00 – 21.00
Thursdays 5 May – 9 June, The Lowry
Drop in classes, 17.00 – 18.45
