Loader

Classes

Mimbre Youth: Acrobatics, Dance and Circus Classes

Mimbre offers classes for young people in Hackney to learn acrobatics and street dance in a safe, fun and supportive environment with professional artists.

The summer term sign-up is now open!

New classes start from 23rd January and until 26th March 2024.

Both Mini and Midi are now Waiting list only.
Milton Gardens Community Hall, Shakspeare Walk (South end), London N16 8TL
Mini 6-8 years old: 4 – 4:50 pm (waitlist only!)*
Midi 8-10+ years old: 5 – 6 pm (waitlist only!)*
Maxi/Progress 10-15 years old: 6 – 7:15 pm

 

*remaining places reserved for Milton Gardens Estate residents.

Mimbre Youth is a programme for young people in Hackney to learn acrobatics, streetdance, circus and performance skills. Suitable for all levels, with a chance to learn new or improve existing acrobatics skills: rolls, cartwheels, handstands, flips, as well as opportunities to learn new dance moves and choreographies. As well as weekly classes we regularly do group outings to see inspiring professional shows and performance projects where the young people can make their own choreographies and perform publicly!

FEES

Tuesday classes have a 3-tier fee system to make the classes accessible for everyone.

  • Free or Pay What You Can: for Milton Garden Estate residents, Hackney Foodbank and The Feel Good Community families and other families in need.
  • £55 per term: Concession price for low-income families.
  • £130 per term: Full price.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch for more information or clarification.

 

HOW TO SIGN UP

To enquire about places email education@mimbre.co.uk.

We have limited numbers available so it’s important to sign up beforehand to secure a place.

If you have any questions please email education@mimbre.co.uk. Also, get in touch if you would like to join our mailing list and be sent more information about our participation work.

We prioritise places for young people living in social housing, disabled young people and those who are most in need of our classes. If you or your child have any special requirements then please let us know on the sign-up form or contact us to have a chat.

We welcome Disabled young people and participants with access needs. Please contact lina@mimbre.co.uk to discuss in what way we can best support your young person to take part.

All classes are taught by professional dance and circus artists, passionate about passing their skills on to the next generation! Allowing the young people a fun and supportive environment to move, meet friends and be creative in, which is at the heart of the programme. For the older group (10-16 years old) the participants can choose which area they want to focus more on, specialising in dance OR acrobatics OR learning a bit of both.

ONLINE CLASSES AVAILABLE FOR REPLAY

To keep providing creative and physical activities for young people during the pandemic in 2020, we set up a short term of online classes for Mimbre Youth, specially adapted to be done at home, in small spaces and with no equipment. Those past classes are now available for free on Youtube for anyone who prefers to learn from home.

PEER FACILITATORS

Our Young Project Assistants work with the younger groups, supporting the Education Officer and the teachers with the running of the sessions. Get in touch to know more!

THANK YOU!

Thank you to Wayne Walters for his continued support. Thank you also to The Wilmcote Charitrust, Ford Britain Trust, Champman Trust and The Rank Foundation for supporting us in 2023/2024.

A huge thank you to everyone who have supported or donated towards our youth programme. Your support plays a crucial role in our being able to continue offering our classes to everyone, regardless of income.

Through our programmes, we offer young people the opportunity to perform either in an informal setting during end of term sharings, or by joining us on big productions often in collaboration with established venues.
We are also happy to teach workshops to your groups and invite them to take part alongside us in our current shows.

2019

Skyline, a performance in Aldgate Square as  part of Fantastic Feats Festival, and supported by The City of London Corporation

2015

What we do is what we love, curtain raiser for Circolombia at the Roundhouse, in partnership with the Roundhouse Street Circus Collective & Music Collective.

2014

Watching the World go by (an adaptation of our show Bench) performed at Watch This Space, Dalston Square, and Mimbre Circus Central.
Great British Anniversary Carnival, a promenade show at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

2013

Riot Offspring, an intergenerational production performed at Sadler’s Wells.
Devised pieces, at Mimbre Circus Central and at the Hackney Empire as part of the Discover Young Hackney Showcase.

2012

Origin London, performed as part of the Cultural Olympiad 2012 at the National Theatre.
Torch Relay, performed part of 1 Hackney at various Big Dance Events, including The Scoop & Shoreditch Festival.

 

workshops-acrobatic

Masterclasses

 

Mimbre offer open masterclasses aimed at both aspiring and established performers who already have experience of acrobalance and/or sports gymnastics. We welcome participation from disabled people or injured performers who want to explore alternative way of approaching acrobatics and high physicality. Mimbre propose two different programmes for 1-day, weekend or week-long masterclass programmes.

Option 1 focuses more on the discipline of acrobatics and acrobalance and a healthy approach to this intense training.

Option 2 offers a more general approach to using physicality in theatrical contexts in different ways. Both workshops could work towards informal presentations or sharing at the end of the week – this could be part of a festival or event or just to an invited audience.

To prevent accidents, adequate controls of health and safety risks are in place for all masterclasses. Furthermore, all staff members, including freelance staff, have sufficient training, skills and experience to fulfil their role safely and implement emergency procedures if necessary.

Option 1: Acrobalance and Healthy Physicality

Acrobatics, acrobalance and movement workshop – taught by 2 teachers with a capacity for 15 people. The workshop will have three main focus points:

  • Teaching a range of specialised acrobatics and acrobalance techniques from Mimbre’s repertoire of tricks and styles.
  • Looking at creative and innovative approaches to choreographing acrobatics and acro-balance, as well as different approaches in how to use acrobatics and acrobalance in performance.
  • To propose strategies for how to train, work and maintain your body optimally for the extreme impact and load of acrobatics training. This includes warm-ups containing agility and stamina training, strengthening exercises and injury preventions and basic and advanced handstand and acrobatics techniques. It also includes approaching physical limits (injury, disability, body type) as creative springboard instead of stopping points, using your restrictions to come up with new and original ways of working.

Option 2: Creating With High Physicality

Taught by Artistic Director Lina Johansson with a capacity for 8 people or can be extended to 2 teachers and 16 participants.

Bodies flying, falling, stacking up, one person carrying the weight of another: all images bursting with content. As soon as two people connect physically – hold hands, touch, push, catch each other – it already paints an image of their relation, without needing any words.

In this class we work with different techniques and tools to devise physical material – be it based on circus, dance or other physical skills. The workshop is structured in a way that each participant can use their own existing skills, but there will also be a chance of learning a basic mix of acrobatics and acrobalance (partner-acrobatics) techniques, suitable and adapted to all levels and abilities.

We work in various ways: physicality can be used for imagery, as representations of human relationships, to create atmosphere and to bring a narrative or a character forward. The class will also touch upon ways of including the physical environment into your creative process.

Mimbre believes that Dance and Acrobatics makes the impossible possible

Mimbre creates nuanced, breathtaking and highly-skilled acrobatic theatre.

We create innovative shows using circus and dance as a language to illuminate human connections and promote a positive image of women. Our shows tour both locally and internationally.

Alongside our professional work, we offer an extensive learning programme that reaches beyond social, financial and cultural boundaries. We find fresh ways to engage, encourage and inspire people, showing that the impossible can be possible.

Learning programme

We are dedicated to making physicality and performance accessible to everyone and are proud of being known as one of the UK’s leading acrobatic companies in providing opportunities for all.

We support the next generation with a vibrant and varied learning programme., which includes: a strong and continuous local programme with young people, professional development opportunities for both upcoming and established artists and tailored workshops for all ages and experiences.

Our team is happy to put together proposals on a particular theme or cover a specific curriculum on request and support you on your Artsmark Journey.

Overview

Making the impossible possible 

Mimbre believes that teaching people a new acrobatic move or a complicated dance step makes the impossible possible.
Through our varied programme, we use acrobatics, street dance, discussions and performance projects to build confidence, improve well-being, and promote inclusion while positively engaging communities in the arts. 

 

For information on the current Youth Programme term, classes and timetable please head to the Mimbre Youth Programme tab above.

OUR LEARNING PROGRAMMES

School & workshop offers

Mimbre offer a variety of workshops for young people of all ages and skill. We have an experienced and inspiring team of teachers specialising in acrobatics, acrobalance, street-dance and physical theatre. Our workshops can be tailor made and can be themed around a specific topic or aspect of the school curriculum.

Mimbre Youth Programme

Mimbre run weekly street dance and acrobatic classes on various estates in Hackney, where (pandemic restrictions permitting) we work with around 90 young people every week. Check out the timetable in the Mimbre Youth Programme section above to see if you can join in, and email Anna on education@mimbre.co.uk for more info.

Performance Projects

We offer young people the opportunity to perform through our programme, either in an informal setting during end of term sharings, or by joining us in big productions often in collaboration with established venues.

We also host tasters and facilitate auditions for projects that are suitable for our group . Our young people have performed all over London reaching over 3,000 audience members so far.

Masterclasses 

Mimbre offer open masterclasses aimed at both aspiring and established performers who already have experience of acrobalance and/or sports gymnastics. We welcome participation from disabled people or injured performers who want to explore alternative way of approaching acrobatics and high physicality.

Peer facilitators

We train and develop young people, who want experience in facilitation. They support the teachers and education officer run our workshops.

Arts Awards Supporter 

We are now arts awards supporters, and offer different ways to young people to complete their program.

They can take part in one of our dance and acrobatics classes which are suitable for ages 5-21, (depending on level of experience). They can also have a chat with our teachers, performers, & artistic directors to find out what it’s like to work in the arts sector. Finally those seeking to complete their gold arts awards are welcome to share their skills by becoming a peer facilitator and collaborating with our teachers in one of our many youth and community workshops.

You can read  Mimbre’s Child Safeguarding Policy here.