Dance in the Classroom: A CPD Day at Sadler's Wells East

Practical CPDs (primary & secondary) and networking afternoon with Sadler’s Wells and East London-based dance organisations, part of East Ed
About this Event

Teaching Dance with Confidence
Practical CPD sessions (primary & secondary) and networking afternoon with Sadler’s Wells and East London-based dance organisations, part of East Ed

Join East Ed, Sadler's Wells, to explore ways to develop dance with your students.
An afternoon of sharing practice and developing Dance teaching, learning, and career awareness for educators, specialists, and non-specialists, working with children and young people in East London.

The event will have two sessions running simultaneously:

One for primary and one for secondary. Both sessions will be led by professional dance artists by Sadler's Wells and presentations from other Dance Organizations based in East London and access to resource packs for Primary and Secondary.

This event is ideal for

Heads of Dance, Dance Teachers, Performing Arts teachers, PE coordinators, Specialist Dance teachers and Dance Artists, PE Teachers, non-specialist teachers, Trainee teachers, Primary Classroom teachers, and learning support assistants.

This event is for colleagues based within Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest.

Primary Session: Sara Daniels will lead the primary-focused CPD session; getting comfortable and confident teaching dance through the primary curriculum. If dance is not your main area of expertise, or even it is, gain tips and tricks for creative delivery, inclusivity, and helping students to generate ideas and movement themselves.

Sara brings 20 years of experience in formal education, having worked as a Teacher in East London, Conflict Resolution Coordinator, Head of Department, and Lecturer on the BA (Hons) Physical Education, Youth, and Sport Development degree.

Her work spans both academic and arts education, including her role at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, where she managed an education programme promoting access to the arts in London schools. Sara has contributed to academic research and co-authored book chapters during her time at university. Recently she has completed a Master’s in Education, her research interests focus on dance in education, creative pedagogies, and social justice. She is passionate about inclusive and imaginative approaches to learning, with a commitment to empowering young people through education and the arts.

Secondary Session: Jasmin Vardimon Company will lead the secondary-focused CPD session, delivered by company dancer Risa Maki. Through a practical and engaging 1.5-hour workshop, participants will explore Jasmin Vardimon Company's creative methodology and discover approaches for bringing this practice into the classroom. The session will introduce warm up, crossings, and creative tasks, alongside compositional tools that can help students create, develop, and refine their own choreographic work. Designed for secondary school educators, the workshop is suitable for both specialist dance and performing arts teachers, as well as PE teachers delivering dance within the curriculum.

Risa graduated from the Central School of Ballet in 2021 with a BA (Hons) in Professional Dance and Performance before completing the JV2 Professional Development Diploma in 2022.

Her performance credits include collaborating with the Royal Opera House on a revival of Wagner’s Tannhäuser, choreographed by Jasmin Vardimon, as well as the Jette Parker Artists Summer Performance in 2023. She subsequently joined Jasmin Vardimon Company, where she currently performs in the repertoire productions ALiCE, Pinocchio, NOW, and Lullaby.

Alongside her performance work, Risa is an experienced dance educator, teaching both within Jasmin Vardimon Company and independently. She has worked with a range of dance organisations and training spaces, including Danceworks and Tripspace.

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How to find us: The entrance to Sadler’s Wells East is off Stratford Walk, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, 101 Carpenters Rd, London, E20 2AR

What3words:

Sadler’s Wells East is part of the new cultural district in the .

The theatre is located next to the London Aquatics Centre and BBC Studios, and opposite the London Stadium.

This is an East Ed event, part of a wider series that will run from May 2024 to July 2026 and is open to educators across Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest, who are interested in connecting their schools and/or their young people to the extraordinary opportunities coming to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

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is a cross-organisational effort between the world-leading East Bank partners: BBC, UCL, UAL's London College of Fashion, V&A and Sadler's Wells. The programme also features collaborations from other incredible local partners.

Together, we link local young people and educators to the exciting institutions, universities, and sectors unique to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, offering access to programmes exploring creative, digital, design, and careers. We aim to provide educators with professional development opportunities as well as provide a space for wider discussions around careers, wellbeing, and work culture.

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