Dance City’s Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) is part of The Department for Education’s Music and Dance Scheme offering a contemporary or street dance training programme for young people from the North East region who are 10 – 18 years of age.

As part of the programme, CAT students have the opportunity to engage with professional dance artists through a range of workshops and intensives. These sessions help to develop students skills and understanding of dance practice.

If you or your child would like to learn more about the CAT, why not come to one of our taster days? Click the links below to book a taster day:

CAT Street Dance: Taster Day (ages 10-16), Sunderland
Sun 20 March 2022 11:00am

CAT Contemporary: Taster Day (ages 10-16), Newcastle
Thu 24 Feb 2022 1:30pm

Meet the three guest artists joining the CAT this February:

Yue Ying Ho

British born Yue Ying Ho is a performer, creator, and dance artist- aiming to deliver high quality and captivating performances.
Yue Ying joined Joss Arnott Dance Company in 2021 and will be touring their new piece, Tin Man, spring 2022.
Yue Ying completed her MA Dance: Performance and Professional Practices under the artistic direction of Joss Arnott as part of EMERGENCE; touring new works by Joss Arnott, Becky Namguards and Kevin Edward Turner (Company Chameleon). Yue Ying began her training at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, graduating in 2020 with a First-class BA Honours in contemporary dance.

At this level of their training, I am excited to witness the students explore their facility and discover new ways of moving and their potentials as dance artists.

Thomas Page

Thomas Page (He/They) is an independent dance artist based in Oxford, and the Artistic Director of Thomas Page Dances. An Associate Artist of Swindon Dance, and the Old Fire Station Theatre their practice includes choreographing, teaching, facilitating, and occasionally performing. In addition to their professional practice, they have recently begun a research masters at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance.

I’m really looking forward to working with the Dance City CAT students, from what I’ve heard from other guest teachers they are an exceptionally talented and fun group of dancers!

Maya Carroll

Maya graduated from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance with a First Class BPA(Hons) degree in 2018. Maya continued her training with Verve, the postgraduate performance company at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, graduating with a Distinction as well as being awarded the ‘Overall Achievement in Professional Practice Award’ for her year in the company. Throughout her training, Maya had the opportunity to work with artists such as Ben Wright, Maxine Doyle, Joan Clevillé, Noa Zuk, Jamaal Burkmar (Extended Play Dance) Ben Duke, Gavin Coward and Francesco Scavetta. Since graduating, Maya has worked as a freelance dancer in projects with a variety of artists including Jamaal Burkmar (Extended Play Dance), Petri Delights for Resolutions 2020, Douglas Thorpe (Mad Dogs Dance) and Rod Dixon (Red Ladder Theatre Company), Matthew Robinson, Night People Events, Ruby Portus as well as Wilhelmina Ojanen and Amy Voris as a part of Mobius Dance.

I am really excited to meet the CAT students and dive into the wonderful Extended Play world with them! The work will have a strong focus on music and group relationship, as well as giving the dancers a chance to explore their individuality as movers.