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Posts Tagged ‘Leeds Conservatoire’

Living the dream – the Yorkshire dancers behind new TV show

West Yorkshire’s Mayor, Tracy Brabin, has praised new TV show Dreamers for shining a light on Leeds’ – and the region’s – vibrant performing arts scene.

The six part coming-of-age dance drama, which was filmed in and around the city, is being aired now on Channel 4.

The show follows the ups and downs of a group of dancers who are part of the ‘Chapeltown Collective’, with most of the cast coming from Leeds City College or Leeds Conservatoire.

Ms Brabin, who during her acting career starred in hit TV dramas including Eastenders and Coronation Street, said: “I’m thrilled to see these inspirational dance students starring in this new hit series from Leeds-based production company Duck Soup.

“They are the living proof that if you want to make it as a creative you can make it in West Yorkshire.”

For cast members like Mika Rowe-Bailey and Tyler Pickles, their involvement represents an exciting step into television – and their first brush with fame.

Tyler, a 23 year old Acting graduate from Leeds Conservatoire, plays Liam while Mika, who works and studies at Leeds City College, plays Zaki. They are joined on the show by Leeds City College students Princess Neila Mubaiwa, Demarkus Marks, Lewis Aird, Morgan Reynolds, Keldon Copeland and Luke Tyson.

Mika, 25, said: “Dreamers is a powerful representation of Leeds, particularly the vibrant dance scene in the North.

“It shines a light on the importance of community dance spaces, especially in areas like Chapeltown, and emphasises the strength of community and friendship. The show captures the raw energy and talent that thrives here.

“There’s a wealth of talent here, and Dreamers has also provided opportunities for local people to develop their skills in the film and TV industry. We’re often told to relocate to London or Manchester, but Leeds is a thriving hub for dance and the creative arts.”

Like many of the cast, Mika – who has a performance background in Bradford and Leeds – first got involved after spotting an audition poster, and was cast in 2023.

Tyler, meanwhile, from Pudsey, is a skilled actor, dancer and choreographer. He landed his role after being encouraged by friends and staff at the conservatoire to apply, eventually securing the part of Liam, who he sums up as ‘a bit of a rogue’.

Describing Dreamers as This is England meets Fame’, Tyler said: “It’s something that we all definitely enjoyed being a part of.

“We’ve all kind of developed as a family, not a term I use lightly, because this was our first time doing this. So we were all in it together and went through the entire process together.

“We formed it through improvisation so it’s very much ours as much as it is the director’s.”

The Dreamers’ storylines are inspired by the real story of dance in Leeds – and specifically the example of RJC Dance, in Chapeltown.

As such, the show features lots of intricate dance routines based around the contemporary Afrobeat fusion style – arranged, in large part, by former professional dancer and choreographer Dawn Holgate.

Dawn, a Course Leader in HE Creative Arts at University Centre Leeds, said: “I had a wonderful experience working with the cast and crew. Part of my role was to bring together eleven cast members, most of whom were unfamiliar with each other, and create a sense of unity and camaraderie.

“Their on-screen presence needed to feel like a cohesive collective. It was exciting to experiment, workshop ideas, and play around.

“I’m so excited Dreamers is finally on our screens. It was an honour to be involved and to have played such a key role. Hopefully friends and colleagues will enjoy it.”

Ms Brabin, meanwhile, says West Yorkshire Combined Authority is taking steps to help others break into the performing arts. She said: “I want every creative to have the same opportunities that I had, which is why we’re stepping up with tangible support for freelancers and microbusinesses, and investing over £60 million to provide training opportunities to everyone who needs them.”

Leeds City College, Leeds Conservatoire and University Centre Leeds are all members of Luminate Education Group. 

University Centre Leeds students

Best in Leeds scores for Luminate Education Group’s higher education providers

University Centre Leeds and Leeds Conservatoire are celebrating achieving the highest student satisfaction scores, in their respective categories, of all the higher education providers in the city.

In the newly published 2022 National Student Survey (NSS) Leeds Conservatoire achieved an overall satisfaction rating of 80%, significantly higher than the sector average of 70.79%. The 85% satisfaction rating achieved by the University Centre (UC Leeds), meanwhile, made it the highest performing institution of its kind in Leeds – and one of the highest in Yorkshire. 

Both institutions scored highly, and above the sector average, in many of the individual categories in the survey, too. In the conservatoire’s case, particular highlights were in teaching (82%), academic support (78%), learning opportunities (80%), assessment and feedback (78%), and learning community (77%).

Students also rated UC Leeds, which was registered under Luminate Education Group for the survey, very highly in specific areas. Those included: teaching (90.4%), learning opportunities (88.6%), academic support (87%), learning community (83.7%), assessment and feedback (83.5%), student voice (81.1%), and organisation and management (80.5%).

A testament to the dedication of our staff

The results delighted Janet Faulkner, Dean of Higher Education at UC Leeds, and Leeds Conservatoire Principal, Professor Joe Wilson.

Janet said: “These tremendous results are a testament to the continuing, and improving quality of our teaching and curriculum.

“Our staff are continuously looking at ways to enhance our courses and give students exceptional opportunities, so they leave here with the confidence and skills to aim high.

“Over the past year, we have welcomed a string of influential guest speakers and taken a group of learners to London for some invaluable experience at the Department for Transport. Other students have benefitted from an Erasmus+ trip to Greece, where their work in a hotel gave them an insight into the tourism, hospitality and food and drink sectors.

“Our students, as these impressive survey results indicate, clearly appreciate such efforts which is wonderful to see.”

Joe said: “We are very proud of the excellent NSS results for Leeds Conservatoire. This is testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff, and we would like to thank our students for recognising the conservatoire with this fantastic feedback.

“Our programmes are characterised by inspirational training with experts in a huge variety of specialisms, supported by bespoke workshops and masterclasses by visiting practitioners. Our facilities are industry-standard, our curriculum is designed around industry practice, and students have access to a wealth of professional partners and expert knowledge both within and outside our curriculum. 

“We value excellence and elite training in all forms of music and performance making, and so offer the broadest range of genres of any conservatoire in Europe, giving our students unrivalled opportunities for collaboration. We are the only UK conservatoire to offer degrees combining two performance/production disciplines, reflecting the increasing focus on multidisciplinary practice in the music industry and offering even greater opportunity for students to expand their creative vision.”  

Managed by the Office for Students, the NSS is one of the largest surveys of its kind and had almost 325,000 responses across the UK this year.

The survey gathers students’ opinions on the quality of their courses. That data is then used by prospective students to guide their choices, and by the education providers to shape and improve their offerings.

University Centre Leeds

Quality HE teaching recognised

Two of our members are celebrating achieving strong Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) results.

University Centre Leeds and Leeds Conservatoire both gained overall TEF ratings of Silver this year which the Office for Students (OfS), which runs the scheme, grants when ‘the student experience and student outcomes are typically very high quality’.

The TEF aims to inspire higher education providers to improve and deliver excellence in teaching, learning and achieving positive outcomes for students.

Dean of Higher Education at University Centre Leeds, Dr Sarah Marquez, said: “This is a tremendous achievement and a true testament to everyone’s hard work.

“The quality of our teaching and our commitment to delivering a first class learning experience is at the heart of what we do, so this recognition is heartening.”

University Centre Leeds has just received its final TEF results, while the conservatoire achieved its Silver rating in September.

Conservatoire Principal, Professor Joe Wilson said: “Leeds Conservatoire is a specialist higher education provider, committed to providing an excellent experience and outcomes for its students. The Teaching Excellence Framework 2023 ratings reflect this and endorse the hard work and dedication of staff across the institution.”

All higher education providers in England with more than 500 undergraduates had to submit data for this year’s TEF.

Students at University Centre Leeds

Scoring high on student satisfaction

Student satisfaction rates at University Centre Leeds (UC Leeds) and Leeds Conservatoire have once again been ranked as some of the best in the country.

UC Leeds outscored other local higher education providers – including Leeds Arts University, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Trinity University and the University of Leeds – in six of the seven categories in the 2023 National Student Survey (NSS).

Those included quality of course teaching (93%), learning opportunities (88%), academic support (92%) and assessment and feedback (just under 92%).

UC Leeds was ranked above the national average in most areas of the survey too, including on a newly introduced question about mental wellbeing support. Over 88% of its students, compared to 81.6% nationally, said they were happy with the information that was provided about such services.

Glowing feedback ‘a credit to our teams’

Dean of Higher Education at UC Leeds, Dr Sarah Marquez, said: “We are really pleased with this fantastic feedback, which is a testament to the hard work of our teaching and support teams. It is wonderful to hear that so many of our students have been pleased with the quality of our courses and instruction.

“It is particularly pleasing to see improved ratings in several areas where we were already scoring highly, including teaching and academic support. Satisfaction in learning resources, meanwhile, jumped by nine percent – from 72.5% to 81.6% – which reflects our recent investment in facilities like our fantastic new digital hub.

“Our goal is always to deliver high calibre education along with outstanding experiences, including talks from inspiring speakers and visits to outstanding workplaces, to our students.

“These wonderful survey results show how much such initiatives are valued and will spur us on to even greater things.”

Leeds Conservatoire students performing Macbeth at Leeds Playhouse. Photo credit – Abby Swain

Hitting the high notes

Leeds Conservatoire, meanwhile, achieved the highest scores of any UK conservatoire in two of the survey’s categories – for assessment and feedback, and organisation and management. The specialist provider of higher music and performing arts education also scored above the national average for conservatoires in all seven areas.

Those results were music to the ears of Leeds Conservatoire Principal, Professor Joe Wilson. He said: “We’re so proud of this year’s NSS results and are thankful to our staff for their continued commitment, and to our students for recognising the conservatoire with this fantastic feedback.

“Leeds Conservatoire has a national and international reputation for creativity and innovation, and for being a truly contemporary specialist teaching institution.

“Our staff and industry partners are at the cutting edge of their creative disciplines, and our students are encouraged and supported to explore their individual artistic identities.”

More than 339,000 students took part in the 2023 NSS to rate their experiences of higher education.

The Office for Students, which manages the survey, updated the format this year following a public consultation.

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