School Partnerships

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BOOKING OPTIONS | What can our school book?

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    WORKSHOP

    Suitable for: all year group ages.
    Recommended length: 45mins minimum/2hrs maximum

    Book either a one off stand alone session, regular weekly workshops or other arrangement.

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    DAY OF DANCE

    Flexible to suit school timetables or enrichment days, you have a dance artist in your school for the full day.

    You could give one designated class a full day of dance, or you could have each year group attend a short workshop in the hall, one after each other.

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    TASTER DAY

    As part of our performance project we offer to hold a taster day in your school. We will deliver taster workshops to several year groups and then we will work with teachers and children, to select a target group of around 10-15 children, to further connect with in rehearsals and theatre trip opportunity.

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    AFTERSCHOOL CLUB

    Suitable for all year group ages or can work with a target group of children.

    School hall/large space essential.

    Recommended length: 1hr

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    CPD DANCE SKILLS FOR TEACHERS

    Choose either a full training day or a 2hr after school twilight session. You will observe, learn and take part, taking away a knowledge of warm up & cool downs, dance exercises, creative ideas, and behavioural management dance top tips. You will be given a planning support and top tips document afterwards.

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    HOLIDAY/HALF TERM PROVISION

    Flexible to suit schools holiday provision plans, we can hold days of dance, single workshops or a full week dance project.

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How we work with schools

Specialising in early years in particular, the Improplay practice provides an inspirational environment for each child to experience their potential, using imagination and movement, building confidence, trust and empowering individuality. Improplay explores perceptions of what dance is and how it can support the school learning environment. Our team of highly trained dance professionals deliver Improplay using a unique mixture of non-verbal communication, sound, physicality and language. Each session begins with learning and exploring, followed by play, co-creation and improvisation.

Sessions can involve moments to watch the dancers & be inspired by their performance skills, as well as having the chance to share your improvisation in small groups within your class session. Sessions end with reflection time, including discussion, drawing, writing and mark making.  If you are interested Improplay can work with a target group of children to create a performance, visit a theatre and collaborate with professionals see our performances page.

What to expect

Improplay dance artists (either 1 or a team, including a live musician dependent on your booking) will come into your school hall to share calming and energising dance experiences for your children and teachers. We welcome all teachers to participate and feel the calming benefits dance brings!

Through the workshop children will:

  • Learn about the body and its creative potential.
  • Learn about safe practice and develop spatial awareness.
  • Develop confidence through decision making movement games.
  • Develop contemporary dance skills, learning about the 5 basic actions of dance, use of space, time, rhythm etc.
  • Feel supported to find your own individual movement style, while safely being able to express yourself and your feelings.
  • Develop engagement, attention and awareness through building listening and communication skills.
  • Develop understanding of taking turns.
  • Develop musical skills.
  • Develop physical gross and fine skills.
  • Learn how to reflect expressively through drawings, writing and small group discussions after dancing together, this supports children ongoing awareness of their feelings and being able to talk about them. Developing mindfulness, supporting wellbeing.

Unexpected children engaged extremely well and those who are often quiet in the classroom environment thrivedKey Stage 1 Class Teacher, Richmond Hill Academy

Our Approach

WE COLLABORATE…

  • Making space for ideas & redesigning these with children.
  • Inspiring and being inspired by each other’s contributions.
  • Listening with, through and to the body (somatic enquiry).
  • Building new ideas together that may not have been possible without the other, recognising the agency of each individual.

WE INTEGRATE…

  • Our dance experiences support the EYFS Framework Schematic Play & Scaffolding children’s play (facilitating, extending, supporting).
  • We recognise the multi sensory perception of younger children especially (perceiving the world through bodies, minds, touch, senses, sight, proprioception, vestibular sense, sound, etc. which is much more prevalent than knowing through language or words at this stage.
  • Giving opportunities for multimodal expression and communication above words.
  • Modelling how to work collaboratively through nonverbal modes for the adults who support these children and demonstrating the equal value of bodies and movement especially for children for whom language is a challenge (due to age, confidence, culture or anxiety issues).
  • Developing the imagination muscle (thinking & moving skills, knowledge, muscle memory)
  • Supporting adults and teachers to build confidence in their own creativity.
  • Providing opportunities for adults and children to experience (sense/feel) the joy and enjoyment of their own movement, even through small dances/gestures.

Written by Ruth Churchill Dower, Feb 2020, EarlyArts Consultancy for Improplay.

Thank you so much for that. It was really helpful… Perfect calming experiences for a time full of chaos.Marie, EYFS Teacher

Really wanted to say how much our children were engaged with the session. Your manner with the children was so positive and really helped the children feel at ease to allow their bodies move freely. You made lots of children very happy today!PE Lead at Bracken Edge, Leeds

Key Information

  • Class Teachers are welcome to join in Improplay Sessions or can have PPA Cover time.
  • Formats of delivery: Indoor Inperson / Outdoor playground workshops / Online Workshops.
  • Live music available on request.
  • We ask schools to complete a booking form and confirm that they will process the payment invoice within 30days.
  • We will provide schools with DBS details, risk assessments and a timetable of sessions.
  • We will require the use of school hall and children to be in PE Kit when possible with bare feet or trainers, with water bottle nearby.
  • We will provide music speaker, whiteboards/pens & delivery of session.
  • Access & Inclusivity information
  • Katy is First Aid Trained & all the Improplay artist team are fully DBS checked with Safeguarding Training Certificates.

I surprised myself. Because, well I must say, i don't usually dance. I would love to do this again next yearJack 5yrs Old

Booking

Please fill out the booking form OR Email: katy.improplay@gmail.com to receive a fee information sheet and discuss dates.

Get in Touch

Booking Form