20 years of success
On Saturday 5th July a very special event took place at MECA, sharing the exceptional achievements of the Swindon Dance Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) students and their extraordinary contributions to the world of the arts.
As guests entered the venue via a red carpet they were invited to take photos in front of a huge golden backdrop complete with balloon arch and a giant illuminated “ CAT 20”. Barry Ganberg then created the perfect atmosphere with his soulful live vocals. Once the audience members were seated the opening act was a mini documentary created by the talented Emma Holbrook - filmmaker, musician and long term collaborator of the CAT. Her video showed footage of classwork captured in the studio over the past few months and teacher demonstrations interspersed with interviews from staff, guest teachers and current students. Watch it here
“The film Emma created is such a special present to us for the 20th anniversary. We can’t thank her enough. She captured everything so perfectly, striking a chord with the audience and students alike”
Katie Purcell, Head of CAT
The event was officially opened by Katie Purcell, Head of CAT & Hollie Brown, Assistant Manager, CAT.
“In my role as the Head of the CAT at Swindon Dance today, I regularly reflect on what we are doing and why it is so important to continue what we are doing. And after much consideration I always come back to the same thing, to protect the future of the dance industry and to ensure every young person regardless of their previous training or financial circumstance, has the opportunity to forge a career in dance through high-quality training! BUT most importantly to do this through a nurturing and positive environment which always protects the young persons’ mind as well as the body."
Katie Purcell
The house lights then went down and the main event began. Current CAT students from all 5 programmes took turns in taking centre stage to dazzle the audience with an array of styles such as Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz, Krumping, Breakin’ and House. A strong theme for the evening was to honour the many CAT Alumni, with several of the pieces being choreographed by past students including: Orla Hardie, Petronella Wiehahn, Kieran Warner, Jonny Hibbs, Liam Hill and Sara Macqueen.
To close the first half, Director and CEO of Swindon Dance, Viv Slayford took to the stage to recall the humble beginnings of the CAT, why it was created and the vital a role it has played.
“I would like to take you back to time before the CAT, when a group professionals came together to find a solution to a challenge the UK dance industry was facing: Our young people were not gaining access to full time training at our vocational colleges or conservatoires. There was a significant gap the UK’s training provision. To fill this gap, they worked to introduce a new national coaching programme that sat outside of academia and was more aligned to the countries sports coaching format. And thus the 9 CATs were born! Here we are 20 years later with so much achieved by them!”
“What is unique to the CATs is it’s focus on both student and industry needs, especially as these are continuously changing, and this ethos has led to how our CAT here in the Southwest has evolved and grown from 25 places to over 100, offering specialised training in Ballet, Contemporary and Street Dance technique!”
“Each student on the Swindon Dance CAT follows a path unique to them with special moments along the way and it has been our privilege to guide them on those journeys. It would be impossible to recount them all but I would like to share a few key moments in our history:
FRANKIE J
“In 2005, I met a young man called Frankie J. He joined CAT in it’s 1st year and then left? I talked with him about this decision and he told me 'I am a street dancer, why should I compromise my artform to gain training'. Those words led directly to the development of our Street Dance programme which he joined. (Frankie is now enjoying a successful international career; - lead dancer in Boy Blue, touring with Kylie Minogue and had a part in the motion picture Wicked).”
KIERAN “KING K” WARNER
“A few years later another street dancer; Kieran Warner joined the CAT who took our ethos of “filling gaps where there was a need” to a whole different level: As a young professional he came to me along with another alum, Tyler Attwood with a proposal for a 1-day battle event, to give back to Swindon Dance and to give CAT students a chance to gain experience and confidence at a professional event in a safe, nurturing environment. Well that 1-day battle event is now a 5-day international street dance event, bringing some of the worlds top performers from across the globe to Swindon each year and has created a partnership between Swindon Dance, The Jam Movement (Kieran's company) and Your Next Move (Tyler's company) - and it is such an absolute joy to be working on a professional level with two of our alumni.”
“I have often talked about how we make dreams come true - it doesn't matter how big or small that dream is - it’s about them, about their dreams, about helping, guiding and supporting these young people to take that next step closer to achieving their dream. Tonight we have 10 students who are leaving us to take those next steps. Congratulations to Cienna, Rosie, Fontessa, India, Amy, Caitlin, Saoirse, Aliza, Sophia and Amelia on completing their time with the CAT.”
Those 10 students were invited onto the stage to receive a certificate of completion and that concluded the 1st half of the evening. During the interval, refreshments were on hand and guests were treated to a montage of images from the Swindon Dance archives and quotes from alumni; once again illustrating the rich depth of the CAT and it’s impact on the arts world.
The 2nd half was opened with a high-energy street dance piece choreographed by Tomo Chiba - another long term collaborator of the CAT and this then glided seamlessly into a stunning Ballet piece by Chris Lee Wright. An incredible total of 27 dances were performed to a full house which erupted into a well deserved applause after the finale.
It goes without saying that the evening was an outright success owing to the unwavering dedication of the students, their families, the staff of Swindon Dance and the CAT. Here’s to another 20 years!
If you've ever been a Dance CAT student, tell us about your highlights and memories in the comments below.