Phoenix Dance Theatre Community Engagement Tour 2024

Phoenix Dance Theatre is thrilled to announce the return of their annual Community Engagement Tour.  

Phoenix is proud of its Leeds roots. While they tour nationally and internationally, staying connected to their home city remains a priority. They believe great art should be accessible to all and is enriched by diversity—within our company, programming, and audiences.

This November, Phoenix’s Community Tour will include extracts of three diverse dance works, including Matter of Fact by Marcus Jarrell Willis, GYOCO 99 by Iolanda Portogallo, and a sneak preview of their brand-new narrative work Inside Giovanni’s Room.

Created by freelance dance artist and Associate Artist Iolanda Portogallo, Gyoco 99 is a new piece blending Italy’s Neapolitan culture with futuristic dance. With music as its core, the work vibrantly expresses emotions through Phoenix Dance Theatre’s company’s dancers.

Choreographed by Artistic Director Marcus Jarrell Willis, Matter of Fact honours the dancers of Phoenix Dance Theatre. Exploring the pressures of perfection and the importance of remembering the love for the art. “We dance, and it is a Matter of Fact. Nothing to Prove… Only to Share.” – Marcus Jarrell Willis.

Finally, get a glimpse of 1950’s Paris in the Spring 2025 production Inside Giovanni’s Room, based on James Baldwin’s novel, exploring love, guilt, and self-acceptance.

Phoenix will be at the Thackray Museum of Medicine for performances at 12 & 2pm on Saturday 9 November! Also, mark your calendars for some fun pop-up shows at Trinity Leeds on Saturday, 16 November from 12 & 1pm.  

Alongside their public performances, Phoenix is looking forward to continuing to build relationships with schools in the city of Leeds, including Trinity Academy, Harehills Primary School, Aldertree Primary School and Co-op Brierley School. Phoenix company dancers will deliver bespoke lecture demonstrations including a special excerpt performance to give students an up-close introduction to contemporary dance. Students will then take part in an immersive workshop based on what they’ve experienced to offer a deeper insight into the work.

Each event will be tailored to the specific venue space and audience, many of whom will never have had access to contemporary dance before. Audiences and participants will be introduced to the artform and to Phoenix Dance Theatre, and each event will include a performance element of current, and in some venues new work performed by company dancers. 

To learn more, visit https://www.phoenixdancetheatre.co.uk/

Image credit Phoenix Dance Theatre