Company Fierce Academy Background

CFA was founded by choreographer and dancer Darren Pritchard In 2001. After success working with other dance organizations, Darren was funded by North West Arts Board to create his own piece of work, Funkadelik, which was also supported by Khemtech and DiGM. Funkadelik – with dancers skillfully balancing, spinning, diving and falling off speakers – premiered in The Mission (Choreographic Black dance platform), followed by a small-scale tour around Northern England. The success of Funkadelik led to the Company being granted an ‘At Home’ Residency for Emerging Artists at Contact Theatre in 2002. This in turn led to the creation of CFA first major work Plasma Intermix.

CFA was selected as one of the first two incubated companies (alongside Quarantine) by PANDA (Performing Arts Network and Development Agency). The company was officially launched with a showing of its entire portfolio of professional work at the PANDA showcase in December 2002.

A strong educational programme grew alongside the development of professional work, with CFA running numerous after-school and education dance workshops, including Yield, a large scale dance piece involving different community youth dance groups, performed in December 2001 as part of the Dance of Black Origin season. This is where is where the developing excellence and motivating excellence seedlings were formed.

CFA Developing excellence program came about because artistic director Darren Pritchard was teaching dance in the local Manchester community. Through his teaching he was seeing some of the most amazing talent develop through the classes he was offering. The young people start reaching a point where they were out growing community classes and needed developing further. Rather than burying his head in the sand he stepped had to step up to deal the situation.

With the private dance schools being highly expensive Darren decide to set up his own training system. He deliberately stayed away from funding at the beginning of the process and did it voluntary for years because he wanted full creative freedom with the young people without having to hit out puts or criteria. Darren had total conviction the program would work and the very quick success he proved it., Darren own personal believe is each one teach one

‘I wasn’t blessed with a talent to use for my own self indulgence, a talent is a gift and gifts need to be passed on Shared’

CFA developing excellence won a highly prestigious ART 06 which opened up a whole new direction for the Academy. CFA developing excellence Now has a dedicated team of teachers and voluntary staff that are constantly raising the standard of work the academy delivers.

2004 seen CFA choreograph work for New York based live artist Penny Arcade in her show Bad Reputations. CFA also received a commission to choreograph for Manchester Youth Dance Theatre’s 21st anniversary.

2006 Saw a collaboration with Quarantine Theatre Company to create a show entitled ‘Susan and Darren’. This show became a success for the company winning awards and touring nationally and internationally putting CFA firmly on the map.

2008 Saw CFA diversifies its portfolio by delivering a collaborative piece with Walk the Plank entitled ‘Gulliver’s Boom Box’. This Toured Nationally to various outside festivals in England.

CFA are now developing working, touring teaching and training around the UK and Europe.