A professional dancer from Cramlington who once performed in circus shows, contemporary productions and parkour dance companies is now helping to train the next generation of acrobatic dance teachers in Northumberland and beyond.
Catherine Muckle, Director of Company Control & Move Fitness CIC and acrobatics, circus and dance studio, CM Studios has launched an accredited training programme designed to teach adults how to deliver dance acrobatics classes.
Based in Cramlington, Catherine has spent more than a decade working professionally in dance after graduating from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds in 2013. Her career included performances in theatre, circus, contemporary dance and parkour-based productions before she shifted her focus towards community teaching following the Covid pandemic.
Today, her organisation delivers acrobatics, circus, dance and fitness sessions across Northumberland, including Cramlington, Blyth, Morpeth and Alnwick.
Catherine explained: “We realised there was a real shortage of people who could teach both dance and acrobatics together. We could find brilliant dance teachers or fantastic circus coaches, but very few who had both skill sets.
“We decided that instead of searching for those people, we needed to create them ourselves.”
The new qualification is accredited by CIMSPA – the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity and has attracted interest from dance teachers, teaching assistants and parents keen to develop new skills.
Dance acrobatics combines elements of gymnastics and dance performance, blending moves such as handstands, cartwheels and bridges with choreography, creativity and musical interpretation.
Catherine said: “For us it’s not just about teaching a trick perfectly. It’s about helping young people express themselves creatively through movement and performance.”
Alongside the teacher training programme, Catherine is preparing for a busy summer after securing continued support from Cramlington Town Council for its holiday activity camps. Nearly 350 places for this year’s summer camps were fully booked within 12 hours of being released.
The organisation is also preparing for its annual showcase performance at King Edward VI School in Morpeth on July 5. The production, themed around books and storytelling, will feature performers aged between four and sixteen.
Further information can be found at www.cmstudios.online.
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Photo: Catherine with her students (Steve Brock Photography)
PR and media keith@highlightspr.co.uk 07814 397951