New Manchester youth dance company Chameleon calls for young people to sign up

The new company, Chameleon Youth, is calling for young people with raw dance talent and a big desire to danceto come along to free taster sessions at Manchester Central Library. The workshops will provide a feel for the company’s original dance style, and its creative and fun approach to dance skills development.

The programme of dance classes will be led by Company Chameleon and guest choreographers and performers alongside direct learning from the workings of a professional dance theatre company.

Company Chameleon’s style is a rich mix of dance and movement techniques, drawing influences from contemporary dance, capoeira, ballet and contact improvisation. With a strong focus on improvisation, creativity and versatility, young people will develop a broad view of what dance can be.

Company Chameleon an independent dance theatre company which creates productions in Manchester and tours and performs all over the world.

It was set up by local lads Anthony Missen and Kevin Edward Turner who met at Trafford Youth Dance Theatre in the mid-1990s and shared an ambition to dance professionally for a living.

After developing their talent at Trafford, they went on to train at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, and after graduating travelled extensively to work with some of the most innovative dance companies and choreographers in the world.

They returned home to Manchester in 2007, to achieve their goal of setting up their own dance company and Company Chameleon was born. Today, Company Chameleon tour internationally to wide acclaim and perform over fifty indoor and outdoor performances a year.

Company Chameleon’s extensive experience will form the bedrock of the youth company and its hands on approach to creative development.

“What’s exciting is the vast amount of knowledge and experience that is at our disposal to share and pass on,” says Anthony. “We’ve worked with so many choreographers and so many companies over the years, the young people in Chameleon Youth will be the beneficiaries of this huge amount of experience.”

Dance experience is by no means essential. What is required is a positive attitude, loads of enthusiasm, and most importantly, a big desire to dance and be creative.

“Setting up a youth dance company has been a long-held aspiration of ours,” says Kevin. “Anthony and I both discovered dance as teenagers at Trafford Youth Dance, and if it wasn’t for that experience, we wouldn’t be stood here today as Company Chameleon. We want to recreate the opportunity we had when we were young to be creative and explore dance. In some ways, Chameleon Youth, sees our own personal dance story going full circle.”

The free taster workshops will take place on Saturday 7th and Saturday 14th May at Manchester Central Library. To find out more about this incredible opportunity to work with a professional dance theatre company, go to www.companychameleon.com