Education & Participation

‘Anybody can dance, everybody is unique’ – Paolo Mangiola, Artistic Director

ŻfinMalta education programmes provide tailor-made experiences for individuals of all ages and backgrounds, with or without an existing relationship with dance. Through programmes targeted at schools, community, and dance as a discipline, our aim is to spread and share a belief that dance is a means by which anyone can experience and explore their creativity and imagination.

Upcoming Education & Participation Opportunities

Photo credit: Daniel Cauchi, ZfinMalta in rehearsal for the Special Olympics Invitational Opening Ceremony 2022

Participation

ŻfinMalta sees dance as an artform through which anyone can experience or express human creativity and imagination – anyone can dance, and everybody is unique. Our Creative Movement Residencies are bespoke workshops which are accessible and participatory, for people of all ages and backgrounds with any relationship to movement, from the uninitiated to professionals in the field of dance and choreography.

Workshops are led by ŻfinMalta company dancers. Under the artistic direction of Paolo Mangiola, the dancers have developed a ‘choreographic toolbox’, which can serve to introduce newcomers to the world of dance, and facilitate deeper engagement for participants who have an existing relationship with dance.

Workshops can also delve into the company repertoire and its versatile movement vocabulary. Each workshop is tailored to the skills and background of participants and a detailed structure is provided on request.

Education

Our specialised staff and company dancers, under the leadership of Artistic Director Paolo Mangiola, work with primary and secondary schools to give students across the Maltese Islands exposure to unique contemporary dance experiences, as audience and participant. This work is driven by our belief in the importance of giving children a positive relationship with dance from an early age. The versatility of ŻfinMalta’s original ‘pop up’ performances means they can be delivered to any school group.

ŻfinMalta’s school programmes are always inclusive, whether introducing dance to students who have had little previous exposure, or bringing a new perspective to students who take classes in private studios, encouraging them to explore more complex and abstract ideas and providing a space for creative development. These accessible, engaging, participatory experiences take students on a journey of self-development, self-discovery and self-learning, instilling curiosity and a love of learning. ŻfinMalta is committed to providing a safe, nurturing, and secure environment for children and young people.

Community

ŻfinMalta is always creating new dance projects for communities to explore all aspects of their value and contribution to society. We work in specific communities with people of various abilities, backgrounds and ages to give everyone the experience of dance and the tools to approach movement with honesty, imagination and curiosity. We value community participation projects as a way to demystify dance while providing a safe and inclusive environment for building confidence and social connections.

Our recent participatory projects, led by experts in the field, include: Threaded Fine, with British choreographer Rosemary Lee, where participants were recruited via a local open call for people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, and Get Loose, a collaboration with ŻiguŻajg festival for children and young people, which also included a large cast of local performers from various backgrounds.

Dance Education

ŻfinMalta is committed to fostering a community of highly-skilled dance artists in Malta, and facilitating connections with peers in the sector, both locally and abroad. We create new programmes and offer open company classes and seasonal intensives for dancers and students at all levels. By joining company classes, local artists become more involved with our work, our programmes and our collaborators, including visiting choreographers who frequently teach open classes. We value the feedback we receive from artists and students who participate in our seasonal intensives, and invite international artist teachers whose style and practice are most relevant to what participants want.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information and to discuss any of ŻfinMalta’s Education programmes, please contact our Education & Outreach Officer, Martina Zammit on martina.d.zammit@zfinmalta.mt

GET IN TOUCH

Movimento

Talking Dance

Absorb the expertise of artists who come across movement in their work, and join our 3rd season of Movimento.

With a fresh and innovative approach to audience engagement, ŻfinMalta presents Movimento, a series of appointments with 5 experts, from Malta and abroad, who share their experiences of movement through different mediums, and from their own unique perspectives.