special features

irky pirky

Irky Pirky is a mixed ability dance company that was launched by East Ayrshire Council (Museum, Arts & Theatre Section) in Jan 2003, at the end of their 3-year Arts & Disability Project. The company is open to all adults regardless of ability and it now has 21 members who have all shown considerable growth in confidence and dance ability since joining the company. The company embraces a range of physical and mental disability, which proves both challenging and hugely inspiring.

Irky Pirky  meets every Thursday in the Palace Theatre, Kilmarnock and it now has its own management committee and is making plans for different projects that will ensure a secure future for the company and its continued growth.  One member of Irky Pirky now dances with a company in Glasgow and will be performing with them in London this summer and others will be taking part in a special dance commission for the opening ceremony for the Special Olympics in July. It is hoped others can become involved with an Indepen-dance and Scottish Opera project in October, if funds can be raised.

Things got off to a great start at the end of last year with the news that the company had been selected to win one of four Evening Times Rev! Awards – a special award for community dance groups, sponsored by Coca Cola. The prize money enabled us to continue weekly classes and to invite a series of guest teachers to work with the company and also, importantly, pay for the transport required to bring dancers to their weekly class.

For their first performance Irky Pirky presented an informal sharing of a selection of short dances at the Palace Theatre in July 2003. This was extremely well received and we look forward to staging our next performance in autumn 2005, with a guest choreographer, as part of a special numeracy and literacy project funded by East Ayrshire Department of Educational & Social Sevices. We hope to see you there!

For further information please call Karen Wood (irky pirky Co-ordinator) on 0141 946 8181 or e-mail irky pirky at danceweb@onetel.net.uk