StopGAP Dance Company Competitors

DanceEast is based at the Jerwood DanceHouse in Ipswich, its vision is to realise the power of dance to transform lives and transcend cultural borders. Operating at the vanguard of dance practice, DanceEast delivers a range of activities, including extraordinary dance performances, life-affirming participatory opportunities and creating a world-class environment for artists at all stages of their careers. DanceEast’s professional artistic programme seamlessly integrates with its learning and participation activities - addressing the artistic, educational, social, and recreational needs of artists and audiences, recognising the role dance plays in the local and national ecology. DanceEast is a registered charity, funded by Arts Council England, Suffolk County Council, Ipswich Borough Council, and donations from individuals, businesses, trusts and foundations. Photo credit of header image: Camilla Greenwell, James Cousins Company, In Search of Sanctuary

Phoenix Dance Theatre is proud of its heritage as a Black British dance company born in Leeds. There are few contemporary dance companies that have had the impact Phoenix has had over its more than 40-year history. Phoenix is the longest-standing contemporary dance company outside London, one of few mid-scale contemporary dance companies to employ a permanent company of professional dancers, and unique in being co-located with a ballet company. It tours nationally and internationally whilst retaining its position as one of the key cultural organisations in Leeds and one of the UK’s leading contemporary dance companies. It currently performs mixed programmes of work curated by its newest Artistic Director, Marcus Jarrell Willis. Built on Nadine Senior OBE’s principles of providing the highest quality, accessible dance provisions, the company’s Learning & Development department is celebrated for inspiring and empowering young people through the medium of contemporary dance. The department delivers over 1,000 workshops each year reaching over 6,500 people with the aim to empower, engage and inspire through exceptional dance provision, from weekly classes, prevocational training in the Phoenix Youth Academies based in Leeds, York, Doncaster, Sheffield, Gateshead and Oldham, to bespoke schools’ packages working on cross-curricular or performance led projects.

A multi-award winning choreographer and a leading force in British dance theatre, Jasmin Vardimon MBE has built a reputation for challenging, exciting and visually stunning dance. Vardimon continues to add to the body of critically acclaimed work both for her company she formed in 1997 and other leading arts & educational institutions across the world. An associate artist of Sadler’s Wells since 2006, Vardimon has also been recognised by The International Theatre Institute (ITI) receiving the prestigious award for Excellence in International Dance (2013), in recognition of her recent outstanding choreographic work. Vardimon’s contributions to dance and theatre were also recognised by Royal Holloway, University of London, receiving an Honorary Doctorate in 2014. Jasmin Vardimon Company is dedicated to producing, presenting and touring the work of Artistic Director, Jasmin Vardimon, selling out across the UK and internationally. Renowned for her uniquely theatrical choreographic & directorial style combining physical theatre, quirky characterisation, innovative technologies, text and dance, Vardimon accentuates her work with an acute observation of human behaviour. With sharp instincts and provocative daring, she has developed an individual choreographic voice, distinguished by her beautifully detailed movement, insightful humour and engaging drama. The company’s works are widely accessible through their exposure of human experience, social relevance, high quality, passion, skill and commitment.